Our Very Merry Christmas 2011

Dear Em,
We had such a beautiful Christmas day, just the three of us, before spending the rest of our winter vacation celebrating with the most amazing (& most generous) family.

You didn't wake up until almost 8, which was fine by Santa's helpers who had been up late the night before. We brought you into our bed & snuggled while we watched Sprout. Caillou was on, & for once I didn't mind his whiney voice. It was Christmas & you were so happy to watch one of your favorite shows while we were "comfy cozy" all together. After a little bit, Daddy went downstairs. When he came back, he brought us the yummiest blueberry pancakes in bed. You looked like a cute little blueberry monster by the end.

When our bellies were completely full, it was time to go downstairs. Last year we video taped you as you went downstairs & got your first glimpse of the full stockings & tree with presents under it. It's such a cherished video that we made sure to do one this year too. Daddy stood at the bottom of the stairs & captured each moment as you bounced down the stairs & ooo'ed & ahhhhh'ed over the Christmas scene in our living room. You actually ran straight to the nativity that you had opened the night before & said, "oh, hi Baby Jesus." I loved seeing the joy & excitement in your eyes, & I love that I can relive it again & again when I watch the sweet video.

You & Daddy looked at the plate you had left the night before full of cookies for Santa & a carrot for Rudolph & saw that only crumbs remained. Then Daddy read you the note that Santa left.

To my complete surprise, instead of tearing open every present in a frenzy, you opened each gift & wanted to play before going on to the next. This is how I hoped to open presents for Christmas, but I also understood you were on the brink of 2-year-old-hood. As patience doesn't come easy to you, it made me so happy to see you spend time with each gift that we had thoughtfully picked for you before moving on to the next. Because of this, we opened presents all day & night long, taking frequent intermissions for play & naps & food.

I think your daddy's favorite part of the day was when we watched Lion King together as a family. It was Daddy's favorite Disney movie growing up, & he was excited that Santa had left it for you in your stocking. We both didn't know if it would hold your attention. To our surprise, you loved it & now it's one of your favorites. We also watched Robots, & that has become one of your favorites too. It's so nice that we can watch whole movies with you now.

 Some of your favorite things that day were feeding the cats the treats from their stockings, taking your new Rapunzel for a ride on your plasma car (which you called your airplane), reading books, & bouncing on Mommy's new yoga ball. It's possible that my yoga ball was your favorite gift of the day.

 We had Thai take-out for dinner. It was perfect. No mess. No stress. So yummy. After dinner we continued to open presents, read books, watch movies, & snuggle until your bed time. It was my favorite Christmas yet. Every smile on your face, every ooo, every giggle, every sparkle in your eyes, every hug, every kiss...made this Christmas the best Christmas ever. Daddy agreed.

Thank you for such a special special day.

I love you so,
Mommy

Hello 2012!

Dear Em,

Happy 2012! We had a fun day ringing in the New Year. We found out completely by accident that the Sprout Network does a New Years Eve countdown to Noon. Seriously, how fun is that?! What an amazing idea. It was so fun to have a little countdown & celebration with you (as you were in bed by 8:30 & sound asleep well before midnight). 

You were so cute as you shouted, "Happy New Year!" We wore hats, used noise makers, & even went outside for your very first sparklers (a little drizzle wasn't going to stop us).

I don't know that I have resolutions as much as there are things I want to accomplish in 2012.

1) Work on being healthy. I know. I know. How original, right? But there are some things that I want to do this year in particular that I want to be in my best shape for. There are 10 pounds that I typically gain in the winter & lose in the summer, & I'm working to shed that 10 starting now. I don't really believe in dieting, but I do need to work on portion control. I also want to be more consistent in working out. I get on a roll, but then things get hectic. One week off turns into one month off & then I'm back to where I started. I need to take the time to be active. I want to use the treadmill, kinect, yoga DVDs, Jillian Michaels DVD, but I also want to try to bundle up & get some fresh air more often this winter. I'm hoping to take you on walks & to the park. We need the fresh air.

2) Take time for me. My girls weekend last year was so refreshing, & it reminded me that I need to take time for me so that I can be a better Mommy & wife to you & Daddy. I'm not necessarily talking about full weekends, maybe a night or even an hour here & there.

3) Read 2 books a month. This goes along with taking time for me. My grandma always said that a book could take you anywhere you want to go, & I feel like a better person when I take time for reading as an outlet. I was actually really good at reading my 2 books each month last year until we hit October & you were sick & I was sick & the holidays were here. Oh well, here's to following through with this one a little better this year. Any good book suggestions out there?

4) Taking time for those we love. When we had Thanksmas Swap there were people who sat at our table that we hadn't seen in 6 months (one person we hadn't seen since our wedding). For the most part, these were people that live in this small state along with us. Each year I let the craziness of life get in the way, & the important gets put to the side in place of the urgent. I hope to make more of an effort to connect with those we love this year, something as simple as dinner on a Thursday night or a movie night or game night at home.

5) Home Projects

  - Replace the curtains in the living room/dining room. Right now we have 4 windows with curtains that are 3 different colors. Most of them are leftover from the previous owner. It's time to put our own stamp on things. Does anyone have suggestions for good curtain vendors?

  - Paint front door & shutters. Well, I should say, pick a color for front door & paint shutters. Color suggestions? The outside of our house is a light beige color.

  - Replace the pebble front walkway. I hate the pebbles. High heels & a pebble walkways do not mix. We haven't decided for sure what to replace it with yet. Any ideas?

  - Put a curtain up over the office closet.

  - Organize the basement storage areas.

  - Design a bedroom for a little girl & move you into the larger bedroom. We'll talk a lot more about this soon. I'm really excited about this project & hope you love your big-girl room & big-girl bed.

We're hoping to work on the first 5 projects in February & March (during the dark period when there is no baseball or football & we don't have to plan our weekends around sports). I'm hoping your nonnie will help me with the bedroom project this summer when we're ready to move you into your big bed.

6) Milestones for us to work on together.

  - Say goodbye to the highchair & hello to the booster seat.

  - Potty training. I'm saying prayers that we are diaper free by 2013.

  - Moving you into your new bedroom, saying goodbye to the crib, & saying hello to a big girl bed.

Such fun & big plans for 2012. I know it's going to be another amazing year, because it's another year where we get to watch you learn & grow.

Although, it's 2012, I'm going to spend the rest of this week recapping parts of 2011: Christmas & your birthday. Stay tuned.

I love you so,

Mommy

Catch

catchwilmington.com

Dear Em,

Your daddy & I don't watch a whole lot of reality TV shows, but we do love Top Chef. We love watching them cook & describe the most amazing foods. One year, I got your daddy a Top Chef cookbook filled with their 5 star recipes. It took him 45 minutes to make the grilled cheese.

At the end of each season, we've talked about how fun it would be to go to the winner's restaurant & try some of the amazing food we've only been able to gawk at through the television screen. So, when one of this season's contestants was from Wilmington, NC, the same city your Nonnie & Papi live, we were excited. Chef Keith Rhodes immediately became our favorite. We rooted him on from the our comfy couch, & were wicked sad when he was asked to "pack his knives & go."

We knew we had to fit in a visit to his restaurant, Catch, while we were down for the holidays. Since your palette is not exactly adventurous, we let you stay with Nonnie & Papi while Daddy & I went on a date night (we're lucky to have babysitters available to us while we are in NC).

We were surprised to find that Catch was a small store front restaurant. We actually almost passed it as were were driving. With all of the awards the chef & the restaurant have won, I think we expected something large & fancy. We were pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't & dress was casual. Your daddy & I always feel kind of awkward in really fancy restaurants. We just don't feel like we can really be ourselves & relax. With its calm blue walls & pictures of waves & surf, Catch was the perfect atmosphere for us.

We had made a 5:30 reservation, & 5:30 was when the restaurant opened for dinner. So, the wait staff was trying to memorize the specials & recite them to the chef before they presented them to us. Your daddy & I started off with some drinks, ordered an appetizer, & had time to quietly talk just the two of us. Being the beer connoisseur your daddy is, he loved that the beer menu was full of local craft beers he had yet to try. 

It was just so nice to unwind while we perused the amazing options on the menu. Everything sounded so yummy, we wanted to taste everything. So, we decided to pick 3 appetizers, 1 salad, & share an entree.

We started with the calamari. Being Rhode Islanders, your daddy & I like some spice in our calamari, & this calamari did not disappoint. The sauce had a little kick to it & the sliced jalapeno peppers hit the spot. Though the calamari was fried, it still felt light as we ate it. We finished the whole plate & couldn't wait for what came next.

Next came the Seafood Ceviche (they always talk about ceviche on Top Chef so I was super excited to order it) & Firecracker Shrimp.

We kind of devoured most of the ceviche before I could remember to take a picture. Luckily, there are photos of the food on the Catch website that were taken by better photographers with self restraint.

The Firecracker Shrimp were pieces of heaven in my mouth. I wish I had the recipe for the congnac cream that covered the shrimp, & the sesame seeds gave them just the right amount of crunch. The Seafood Ceviche was light & tangy.

Next came the NC Sweet Potato Salad. I don't typically like sweet salads. I've never been a big fan of cranberries or other sweet things in my leafy salads. Your daddy, on the other hand, is not a fan of goat cheese (which I love love love). This salad was both sweet & had goat cheese...& we loved every bite. Seriously, we ate the whole thing & scraped the plate dry.  We're so glad we tried & loved something new.

Our last plate was our entree, the Cast Iron Blackend Local Mahi Filet. It tasted so good, I don't think your daddy & I spoke a word until we had completely finished our plates. The fish was blackened but moist & not too fishy. We were excited to have true Southern grits (which were surprisingly light & amazingly cheesy).

I really wanted to hear the dessert menu but I a) knew I wouldn't have any self restraint b) was worried your daddy would have to roll me out of the restaurant. So, we said "Merry Christmas" to our sweet waitress & left the restaurant with every intention of going back the next time we're in the Wilmington area.

We went home & voted for Chef Keith as our Top Chef Fan Favorite. Chef Keith, thank you for an amazing dinner & an amazing date night. Your Asian & Southern influenced food greatly surpassed all of our expectations.

You know what your daddy & I talked about most during our date night (other than how much we wished Chef Keith could come & live at our house & cook for us each night)? You, of course. 

I love you so,

Mommy

Our birthday girl a year ago

Dear Em,

I finally learned how to post videos. Well, your auntie learned how. She had to make a blogger account just so she could teach me to click on the video symbol...um, duh. Whoops.

So, today I thought it would be fitting to post a video of you from one year ago. It's so amazing how much you've changed in just one year.

Wishing you an amazing birthday today.

I love you so,

Mommy

Happy 2nd Birthday, Little Love

Dear Em,
Today is your second birthday. It's really starting to become trite because I've said it at least a zillion times the past two years, but where has the time gone? Wasn't it yesterday we held your little body in our arms for the very first time? Wasn't it just last week that our favorite source of entertainment was to listen & watch you breathe in & out as you slept?

You're a bouncy & boisterous child...the toddler moments have passed us by. You are a little girl now...you're such a girl. You love whirling & twirling & ruffles & bows & pink. I love to watch you spin around & exclaim, "I'm so beautiful!" You are sunshine & you are giggles & you are love.

We went on so many adventures this year. You are my little adventure buddy. We started your year in North Carolina (& traveled back 2 more times). We also went to Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Ohio, & New York City. Each of our adventures were so much better with your giggles & your wide-eyed way of jumping right on in. You are fearless in a way that's scary for your daddy & I. You're so curious & always determined to rise to your own challenge. With each new milestone, you've been ready before Daddy & I have. But Daddy & I have quickly learned that once you're determined to do something, there's no stopping you.

Your year has been full of learning...for all of us. You started the year being able to say just a few words: Momma (your first word), Dada, No, Uh-Oh. Now you have a full vocabulary & talk in full sentences (a couple days ago, you said, "Nonnie, don't be depressed). You know your colors & numbers & many of your shapes. You started school for the first time this year, & your joy of learning & singing & reading has grown even more. Every month, every week, every day we learn something new from you. This month you began to spell your name & it brought joy to our hearts.

Some of your most repeated phrases are:

"I'm so proud of you!"

"Oh...hey, Mommy/Daddy. How's it going there?"

"Now I have dessert?"- said before during & after dinner.

"And, um, so. And, um, so."- your basic conversation when you're talking on your toy phones.

"I want to ride in a fire truck."- this made a lot more sense when we figured out it was a song you learned in school.

"E...M...M...A spells Emma."

From your favorite movie, Tangled: "Mommy, I make your power shine?" "Mutter knows best." "You'll regret it." "Best day ever!"

"Can I watch Super Why? I watch another show?"

"You're so cute."

"Daddy, stop teasing!"

"Ok."

"I have 5 minutes to play."

"I'm so beautiful." & "You're so beautiful."

"I love you so much."- our favorite.

When I ask you "guess what," you reply "I love you." We whisper secrets to each other, & the only secret you know is, "I love you." You give a million kisses & eskimo kisses & butterfly kisses.

You started your second being amazed by mostly Super Why, but your love of TV has grown. When the TV is in sight, you are asking to watch Super Why, Sesame Street (sounding like sha-sha shreet), Caillou, Tangled, Robots, Snow White, & Lion King. You may love to watch TV, but that's typically not the only thing you're doing. You're also twirling, taking care of your babies, reading, and/or cooking in your kitchen.

You love babies. You're obsessed. Nonnie gave you your first baby doll for Christmas last year & you've been such an amazing Mommy ever since. One baby has grown to fifteen babies, & it's not unusual for you to try to carry them all at the same time. You've uniquely named each one of them baby. Your love of babies extends past dolls to real babies as well. A couple of my friends have been so gracious to let you hold their babies (while I've winced from a distance), & you cooed & smiled more than the babies did.

You're such a sweet but bossy friend. You cry when your friends cry. You give the cutest hugs & you are the most adorable sharer (sometimes). You love your friends so much that you make sure to tell them what they should be doing (even when you're not doing what you should be doing). We'll be working on worrying about ourselves this year.

Music is one of your favorite things. You love music & you love to sing. You're not a big fan of the slower songs. You love something with a beat that you can dance to. Your teachers say that you may not sing on key or even on beat, but you love to sing. Some of your favorite songs to sing are ABCs, 5 little monkeys, Ants go Marching, Just the Way You Are, Miss Mary Mack, & Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. When you sing Baby Bumble Bee, my heart melts at the phrase "won't my mommy be so proud of me."

And I am...we are so proud of you. I didn't know it was possible for your daddy & I to be so proud of someone. Our love & our joy overflows with you in the world. You are our world & we are yours.

I'm excited about each new day & excited about this year. This year we'll be tackling potty training (hopefully successfully), eating at the table (& not a highchair), & introducing you to a big-girl bed. I know that there will be tough days, but I know even the tough days are more amazing when we're together.

There are some days I wish we could pause & slow down. I wish you could be a one year old for just a little bit longer, but the days pass & each day we grow a little. So, I'm just thankful. I'm thankful for the gift that you are. I'm thankful that we have a third year of love & all that it will bring.

I love you so,
Mommy

night of enchantment

Dear Em,
Celebrating the holidays with our family in North Carolina has introduced us to so many new adventures. Last year, we visited the sunny state during Thanksgiving & found out about Enchanted Airlie. Airlie Gardens is full of gorgeous trees & flowers & landscaping. During November & December it's filled with amazing Christmas lights. We fell in love with the enchanting garden last year.

After the fun of the lights, you had the cutest talk with Santa & then your Nonnie got the whole family to squeeze in for a precious family photo. It was freezing, but it was beautiful.

When we called Nonnie to talk about plans for this year, she asked if we could go to Enchanted Airlie again, & I couldn't wait! This year was a little different, because it was 70 degrees. While we were all bundled up last year, we were tearing off our coats this year. It was still just as beautiful & magical & fun.

We took lots of family photographs.

We made encouraged your Uncle Jared join us for our adventure & he continuously showed us how excited he was about that in the photos.

In spite of your 17 year old uncle, it was still beautiful.

You & I totally broke the rules & stepped inside the fenced off area to get a closer look at Santa.

This year's Enchanted Airlie was Caribbean themed.

You couldn't wait to talk to Santa. We waited in line for 20 minutes & you called "Merry Christmas, Santa," the whole time. When it was finally your turn, you turned to me & told me you were "a little scared." Once I placed you in Santa's lap, you were fine. Before he could even ask you what you wanted for Christmas, you asked him for Baby Jesus & then spelled him your name. It was another precious moment. Afterwards, we got together for a family photo. Uncle Nick & Uncle Greg couldn't be there this year & we missed them but were thinking of them.

You, Daddy & I got together for a family photo & then we headed home. As we drove home, you said that today was the, "best day ever!" Every day is the best day when you're in it, but that day was absolutely enchanted.

I love you so,

Mommy

Christmas lights

Dear Em,
Don't you just wish the light of Christmas would stay up all year long? I wicked want to make those fun candy lights next year & ask your daddy to string them all along the outside of the house. We went minimal outside this year, but it was still enough for you to exclaim, "I see lights! We go outside now?" I think you're going to love everything holiday just like me.

This year we had a lot of LIGHT fun. In the beginning of December we went to the Wickford Festival of lights. They had a ton of fun activities, including hayrides with Santa & outside caroling.

Unfortunately, we missed the caroling because we waited in line for over an hour for the hayride with Santa. It was all worth it, because you & your little friend S got to have a nice visit with Santa. The best part was you & S called out to the people we passed, "Merry Christmas Everybody" during our entire hayride. The people walking along the streets smiled up at the two of you, but I don't think anyone was smiling bigger than me. You two are so pure & sweet & loving. If anyone is looking for the true Christmas spirit, they need to look no further than you.

After the hayride, we played in the lights.

Grandma & Papa joined the light fun too.

After our outside fun, we went inside for hot chocolate (& Daddy enjoyed a well deserved beer).

Tomorrow, I'll talk about our other light adventure. All our adventures are so full of light with you.

I love you so,

Mommy

A letter of thanks to our little love's teachers

Dear Miss S & Miss T,

When Em started school in September, we were a little nervous (I’m sure you both know the annoying kind of over-protective-parent nervous). We had just spent a wonderful year and a half with Em being watched almost one on one from our home, & we were nervous & anxious about Em being in a place where she was just one of many. We were taking her out of her comfort zone & we were nervous about how that would affect Em.

Our nerves have subsided & have been replaced with overwhelming joy. Over the past few months we’ve watched Em learn & grow & truly thrive. Our baby has become a little girl. She comes home being able to point out new shapes, colors, numbers, types of weather, & letters each day. We love listening to her sing the fun songs that she’s learned in school. She’s sitting for longer periods (haha, she used to never sit at all). She politely says “please” & “thank you” & “excuse me” (well, mostly she does). She even spells her name now (what a gift that was for us). On any given day she amazes us in how she is learning & growing & we owe so much of it to you both.

We are so grateful that God put you in our lives, in our Em’s life. When she had trouble with the newness of school & being away from what was familiar, you both took it in stride. You comforted her in a way that put her at ease & got her through being away from home for the very first time. We’ve never felt like Em was just one of many to the two of you. Now when we drop Em off, we can put our 100% into our work knowing that our child is at a place where she is loved (& not just in her classroom, it seems like everyone knows Emma, haha).

We admire your patience with her while still remaining firm. We appreciate you teaching her that learning is fun. We can’t express how grateful we are for your thoughtfulness & the tender care you’ve given her during the days she wasn’t feeling well. It warms our hearts to peek in each day when we drop her off or pick her up & see the incredible way the two of you interact with her…& really all the kids. It’s awe-inspiring. You truly have an incredible gift.

I know neither of us could do what the two of you do, & you do it so well. You two are such an unbelievable team & we feel like our daughter is the luckiest girl in the world to have you as teachers. Just as we’re the luckiest parents as we watch her grow & develop on a daily basis.

Words cannot express how thankful we are for you & what you’ve been to our daughter.

Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas. May God bless you all.

- B & J

Christmas PJs 2011

Dear Em,
I loved our Christmas PJs this year & so did you. At home, it was your first present to unwrap, & you were so excited. You used your mouth to start the opening. It was the funniest thing. We've never seen you do that before, but I guess you couldn't open fast enough. Since you were so excited to unwrap, we let you unwrap Daddy & my PJs too.

Even Daddy liked the PJs. He said they were super comfy & I agree.

After our Christmas in Rhode Island, we traveled to North Carolina to celebrate with my family. Your blue button down jammies were the perfect outfit for the 12 hour drive. We were so excited to be with the family for the holiday this year & so excited to open our next family jammies.

Last year your aunt Gina said she found Thing t-shirts in Ocean City, NJ. Instead of only having Thing 1 & 2 t-shirts, they had any numbered thing you want. With our family growing & growing, I loved the idea. Knowing that I wasn't going to be taking any trips to the Jersey shore this year, I searched the internet for the shirts. Unfortunately, I was only finding Thing 1 & Thing 2 shirts & we have a lot more family than that. A couple months ago, I found this site. So, we got to be Things 1-10 this year, in order of when we joined the family. I think it's so amazing how our family has grown since Nonnie & Papi were married in 1979, & this was a fun way to show it.

I think most of the boys were hoping we would stay with the sports theme (or not do family jammies at all), but I think these are the most fun yet. I'm excited that whenever we wear our shirts, we can think of this fun family Christmas.

You are the cutest Thing 10 ever.

I love you so,
Mommy

Merry Christmas

From our home to yours...

Merry Christmas!