HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! It's a little early, but Esme already had her celebration today. The Children's Museum and Carousel have a First Night celebration for children and she had a blast. She had her face painted, rode the carousel, played in the museum, and even got to meet Mayor Mike who gave her these cool glasses!

I just had to post this photo of two of my favorite people - Stephanie and Ethan. I took this picture and I think it's hilarious. Ethan and Stephanie actually have a lot in common - they're both music lovers with exhaustive collections, they both have social anxiety, and they both have great senses of humor, which is one of the reasons I love both their company. 

This modest house in the Taftville section of Norwich is where my life began, somewhere between July 31st and August 1st 1974.  

I'm working on a Sweetwater album for my Scraptalk assignment this month and the theme is My Hometown. I went to Norwich on Tuesday and took a bunch of photos for it and now I'm feeling all nostalgic. This beautiful building is the City Hall! 

Questions from Stephanie's Blog....

Hot Chocolate or Egg Nog? Hot Chocolate. Chocolate always gets preference.

Does Santa wrap the presents or just set them under the tree? Santa only fills stockings in our house.

Colored or white lights on the tree/house? White outside, colored inside.

Do you hang mistletoe? Of course - the more smooches the better.

When do you decorate? Usually not at least until 12/15, and we keep decorating until 12/24. 8-)

What is your favorite holiday dish? Turkey!

Favorite Holiday memory as a child? When both sides of my family all went to my Aunt Beulah's house for Christmas. I was really lucky to have grandmothers who were friends - I got to have my whole family together for most holidays.

Favorite Holiday memory as an adult? Esme realizing that she should be excited that Christmas is coming!

How and when did you learn the truth about Santa? First grade, when a classmate told me there was no Santa. I wasn't shocked though.

Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve? Esme opens gifts from her Nonna on Christmas Eve, but other than that, no.

What kind of cookies do you set out for Santa on Christmas Eve? This year, Alfajores, Chai Shortbreads, Two Bit Wonders, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Sugar Kisses, White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal, Cafe Latte Bars, Eggnog cookies, Chocolate Spritz cookies, Marmalade Morsels, and Granola Butterscotch.

Snow! Love it or hate it? When Esme sees it and her face lights up, I love it. The rest of the time I'm just tired of it.

Can you ice skate? I've never tried.

.Do you remember your favorite gift? My favorite doll - My Friend Jenny.

What is the most important thing about the holidays for you? Ethan & Esme

What’s your favorite holiday dessert? Chocolate Dream pie.

What’s your favorite holiday tradition? watching It's a Wonderful Life with Ethan

What type of tree? Artificial all the way.

Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Giving.

What is your favorite Christmas Carol? Go Tell it on the Mountain

Candy Canes-- great for decorating and dipping in cocoa.

at Yankee Candle.... 

This Santa is on my nice list! Esme had an absolutely miserable Santa experience on Saturday, and I was worried she wouldn't want any part of him anymore. But Tuesday Donna and I took her up to Yankee Candle Factory, where the REAL Santa visits with boys and girls. This man is wonderful. He took the time to really pay attention to her and talk about her favorite subject - Elmo. There's a photo of her with him on our family blog.

Esme got to see Santa at Yankee Candle on Tuesday. She had been very excited about seeing him but got shy when we got within a few feet of him. Luckily he knew the key to her heart - a conversation about Elmo! 

I love Freecycle! I am cleaning house and getting rid of lots of stuff. Last year I bought Esme a toy Boobah that sings and dances and I have grown to really despise the thing. We don't even watch Boobahs, but our neighbor had one that she really liked. I am so glad it is going to a good home and out of mine! Also she received some Peek A Blocks for her first Christmas that she got very little play value out of, and those are also going to a good home. The best thing is that all I have to do is put them out on my porch and they magically disappear! Hooray!
I'm getting rid of some old dishes, a crib mattress, some clothes she's outgrown, and more.

Plus, I can ask for things whenever I want. Someone gave me some curtains, I've gotten some office clips, an easel, etc. If you haven't tried Freecycle check it out at www.freecycle.org - it's a wonderful system!

It is wonderful to enjoy the holiday season with a two year old! Today on our way to pick Ethan up at work, Esme and I saw several houses decorated with Christmas lights. Esme was excited by EVERY strand of lights, no matter how small. She was wowed every house we saw, and kept shouting, "Let's see more!"

We went to Kohl's this year and found some great buys. I have been searching everywhere for a boy Cabbage Patch Kid for Dylan and they are very hard to find! Toys R Us had all girls, Target had all girls, and Kohls had all girls except for ONE boy! Dylan James will be Daddy to Daniel Calvin. And he was even on sale. A couple weeks ago I'd told Esme that she could pick out a toy to buy for a little girl who might not get many toys this Christmas, and today she found what she considered the perfect one. It was a lavendar plush My Little Pony (also on sale whoo hoo) and we're going to donate it to Toys for Tots this weekend.

Today we started the Advent calendar Edwina and Wolfgang got Esme. She really loves it because it has a baby on it, so even though she's only 2, it's been a good opportunity for my to talk to her about Jesus being a baby. It's a cute, but not too cute, manger scene. Behind every door is a one line of the story. Tonight before she goes to bed she'll get to tear the first link off her Christmas chain.

Christmas with a child is much different than Christmas as just a couple. The fun things we want to do are all oriented around Esme, and the gifts were are most excited to give usually have parts designed not to be choking hazards. This year she speaks well enough to give us her interpretations on everything, and to make requests, and to express her delight.

I asked her what she was going to tell Santa she would like for Christmas and she thought about it for a really long time and then answered seriously, "A toy." She had to think really seriously again when I asked her what kind of toy she wanted, but of course the answer was, "Elmo!"

I just had to post that my mom has redeemed herself from the sorry-there-is-no-turkey-for-you-your-aunt-and-I-ate it incident. She took the little that was left and made these super yummy cheesy, oniony, crescent roll things that Ethan and I ate today. They were soooo good!!

Spending time with Nonna was a nice end to our day. 

We got our first snow on Thanksgiving, and Esme helped Ethan shovel the walk! 

Esme begged Ethan over and over to make a snowman with her, but when he started to pile up the body, she got a bigger kick out of knocking it down! 

Ethan was kind enough to take a ton of photos of us cooking together! 

Esme got to use the mixer for the first time! Of course I held onto it the entire time. 

The best part of Esme's Thanksgiving was definitely making and eating the pie! 

Stephanie may not have gotten her candied sweet potatoes, but I didn't even get turkey! The snow kept us from going to CT to my mom's house, so our grand feast was leftovers from Wednesday night. Our one treat was that I had been designated to bring a chocolate cream pie, so we did have that on hand. We took it over to my MIL's house and shared it with her since her Thanksgiving plans were also cancelled.

My mom cooked a big meal so she very graciously saved us the leftovers so we could have Thanksgiving dinner late. But then she called me today and said we could have everything but the turkey, because she and my aunt had eaten it for lunch today. Gee, thanks!

It was nice to have a relaxing day with Ethan and Esme. I have been battling a cold for about a week and I really enjoyed getting some rest. Esme really enjoyed making the pie, and I think Ethan enjoyed just having a day off!

So, I don't get to go to NYC on Thursday. It's supposed to rain or snow and we just can't see having Esme standing out there in the cold and wet for hours. Boo! I really wanted to go!

Instead my mom invited us to come to her house - the beauty of that plan is that my 1.5 year old nephew, Dylan, will be there, and I'll get to spend some quality time with him. I love that boy so much! He is so special to me! I made a litte 6 by 6 album of him for my brother for Christmas - I can't wait to give it to him!

I started my Christmas shopping - Esme is getting a ton of Play Doh and Play Doh accessories this year. I got some great scrapbooking supplies for my best friends, and I have a couple cool ideas for Ethan-Boo. The one person I'm always stumped for is Sarah, my other brother's long time girlfriend.

I am so tired of being sick. This is my third cold of the school year (although I didn't get this one at school) and it just doesn't seem fair to have this many. I am so congested that it wakes me up and I have to go take a decongestant. I want to go to NYC on Thursday but I'm afraid if I don't improve I won't be able to.

We went to Fairfield today for Keelyn's birthday party and we got a chance to go for a walk on the beach on the way. I love the beach off-season!  

Esme walked all the way up to the edge of the water to get a better look. 

Esme loved looking at the rocks and shells. 

I took this photo of Ellen and Stephanie today at lunch. Don't I have cute friends? 

I had a hard mommy day today.

First, just when I had finished my time out with Ellen and Stephanie, Clare called to tell me that Esme was having an allergic reaction and had a puffy face. If she gets facial swelling we are supposed to call 911, so this freaked me out! I was just a short way away from Clare's house and since she didn't seem to be in crisis, we jetted over there. It turns out it was just hives on her face and not facial swelling, so I was very relieved. I have to give her about 100 kisses, but she didn't really understand why I was interrupting her eating a graham cracker. I was impressed how calmly Clare handled it, but still with the perfect amount of concern.

Then when we went to visit Ethan for the first time at his new job at the library, Esme and I took a tumble. It was really more of a crash actually. We fell down the last 3 or 4 steps of a concrete staircase onto a concrete floor. Neither of us were hurt badly, just a few bumps and bruises. Of course Esme sc-reeeeeeeamed bloody murder, which echoed all through the stone room with cathedral ceilings in an otherwise quiet library. Then she started yelling, "You knocked me down! You knocked me down!," (which is not what happened, just for the record) and then started screaming, "I waannnntt CANDY! I waaaanttt CANDY!"

Ironically earlier today Ellen, Stephanie, and I had been talking about how I don't really worry too much about her allergies, and how she doesn't usually say embarassing things in public. Sigh.

I love this photo of Jera, my sweet little niece! got to see her today and she is super cute. She and Esme had a great time playing blocks with Sarah. 

Happy Birthday Mom!

My mom made us a great dinner to celebrate her own birthday today! She made Chicken Pot Pie, one of our favorites. From the photos below, you'd think the whole party was one big Uncle Love-Fest, but there was actually lots of playing and running around and grandmother and aunt love too. Thanks for a great afternoon, Mom!

Dylan fell asleep on Uncle Ethan. 

Esme gives Uncle James a kiss. 

Jera gives Uncle Charles a cuddle.

Mommy makes sure her new Compact Flash card is working! 

Laura at Ritz Camera took this photo of my very tired girl! 

I learned tonight that Compact Flash cards have a finite life. All of a sudden my camera stopped working and this turned out to be the culprit. I'd use the card from Christmas last year and had success with it through Halloween, but I've taken a TON of photos in that time, and I feel it has led a productive life. The good news is that its successor has double the memory, which means double the photos I can take at a time! RIP old camera card!

Happy Halloween! I took Esme Trick or Treating for the first time tonight! She was sooo excited and had such a good time! It was super fun and she got a TON of candy! 

Walking down the street with her bulging bag - aren't the wings on her costume cute?