Christmas 2007

Merry Christmas

A very merry belated Christmas from our favorite holiday elf. There's lots of video coming soon. These were taken on Christmas Eve which is, actually, my birthday. As you can see, I got great help blowing out the candles on my cake.

An Unexpected Present!

("The Friends," from left to right: Simon, Sofia, Penelope, Jaden, Giovanni)

I was lucky enough to be invited into the inner-sanctum today —Penelope's pre-school classroom. In general, crossing the classroom threshold in Montessori is strictly forbidden. But, Penelope's teacher asked a few parents to help serve at the holiday party (which consisted of french toast sticks, hash browns and cookies...very healthy). I even got to take a few pictures. Given the secrecy of it all, I feel like I am releasing nude photos of Hilary Clinton to the press.




(Penelope & Sofia, and their teacher Mrs. Anderson)


(The whole school gathers for caroling. The toddlers got to use their bells during jingle bells.)

But probably the most exciting and unexpected gift of the season so far is that Penelope seems to have decided to potty train herself in the last two days. It happened so quickly and mostly without prodding (except, of course, for the promise of m & m's if she was successful).

We are off now for Christmas. Happy holidays to everyone! I'm sure Christmas pictures will be up soon.

An Elf Hard at Work

We visited Santa's workshop this weekend where Penelope got down to work building a train. Let's hope she inherits her Dad's good eyesight but, if not, the glasses could be pretty cute, huh?

Our First Snow Day!

I was somewhat panicked when I woke up this morning to find that Penelope's school was canceled on account of speculative snow storm. It's a busy time of the year and I was really counting on accomplishing something during the hours she was out of the house. My mood picked up, though, when the snow starting coming down around 11AM and accumulated quickly. What difference a year makes. Last year when we went out in our first snow, Penelope was an unsteady walker and wouldn't keep her mittens on. Our trip ended in tears. This year was great! With our gear all set (I highly recommend a snow suit) and a last minute shopping trip this morning to Target for a sled, Penelope frolicked and played in the snow like a pro. I could barely drag her inside. The only thing that hasn't changed since last year is her desire to eat the snow. Even with full regalia, it's hard to keep those little pink cheeks warm.

dreaming of a white-ish x-mas

We went in search of the perfect tree today, which involved all of Penelope's favorite things - a visit with frosty the snowman, hot cocoa, watering plants, ordering people around and most importantly, a day with mom and dad. If only we had more than a minor dusting of snow...













Penelope is an excellent decorator and, though it is impossible to take a good picture of the final product, here is an attempt.