Claudie Bear

On Christmas Day -- our sweet girl, attacking a plate of green beans and turkey.

 

Life's a Beach

...when you have a Dad who lives in the LA-area! We made the trek for Christmas and Birthday this year -- and loved the great weather, the generous hosts, and the myriad of interesting things to do (Disneyland, Train Town, the BEACH and even a Chuck-E-Cheese). More to come as photos come in (or not as my digital camera is kaput)....Santa is a bit late this year. Happy New Year!

That's Rhys in the background - the only one with a shirt off and swim trunks on....can you tell we are from the Midwest?

Happy Happy Christmas -- the best weather for LA -- 70 degrees.

I love the beach, sand, and water (one of Claudia's new words).

The Big Four is Around the Corner

The best days of my life thus far have been the births of  my children -- closely followed by our wedding day, of course. I am getting a bit sappy as we near Rhys' fourth birthday, while, at the same time, I am living vicariously through some great newborn stories via the Nolidan Family stories (welcome to the world Miss A!).

Rhys has always been an amazement to us. We admire his "Hello World" temperament and his wild imagination and love of books. When he was a toddler, Rhys loved nothing better than singing and dancing to live music and wasn't afraid to get on stage. That remains true to this day! Having a child who can come up with games and will play with just about anyone is a gift.

Rainy day fun at school.

About You: These days Rhys has his close circle of friends he likes to play with (boys with lots of energy, too) and they enjoy "Star Wars" on the playground and defeating the "Lizard". He likes to build with blocks, paint with watercolors, and create plays. At home, hours could be spent creating bear caves and hiding from the bad hunters who want to take us to zoos. Even though it is getting cold out - up sleeves are preferred and shorts win out at home.

Blocks is one of R's favorite areas to play in.

We love you, Rhys!  

The first of many celebrations....

A Pair of Mittens

At Rhys and Claudia's school, the older children choose a symbol for their name. This symbol goes on their mailbox, cubby, placemats, etc... The idea is that symbols are an early form of reading and help children learn to read. It is fascinating how quickly Rhys learned which symbol goes with which classmate.

On their birthday celebration, the class presents the birthday child with a painting depicting their symbol. Today was Rhys' birthday celebration at school -- and can you guess his symbol?

No it isn't a leprechaun -- its a pair of mittens!

A Cup of Joy

My wise yoga instructor at free lululemon yoga on Sunday talked about how you must have your "Cup of Joy" every day in order to be fully there for those you love. Yes, that is advice we have all heard in a variety of forms, but it did resonate on Sunday - maybe b.c. of the Santa outfit.

Mommy and Claudia time

At Claudia's school, parents are required (or any designated care-giver) to give one day a month to "co-op:". This means instead of getting work done or doing more mundane tasks like a Target run, I get to spend the morning with Claudia and her classmates.

It has been a wonderful journey to see the changes from August until December -- but I do admit a pang of regret for my free morning....! That said, all in all, it is a great idea and creates a bond between classmates and parents/caregivers. Here are a few peeks into her world during my latest co-op day.

Claudia loves the "Old Gray Cat is Sleeping" -- a great song to calm the toddlers down before snack time.

A picnic with her Spanish friend -- who is always VERY well dressed.

Gingerbread House

One of the perks of living in the suburbs of St Louis is the free family programming at many of the museums and libraries. Rhys and I took advantage of a free Gingerbread House making class at the local library....and had a great time eating the decorations and making a very stable house made of graham crackers and vanilla icing over an empty small milk container. Brilliant!

Tree Man part 2

Rhys loved lighting the (ahem, artificial) Christmas Tree so much last year he referred to himself as the "Tree Man." This year, little sister is also able to be the Tree Man and both children have an engaging discussion over who gets to light the tree. 

Looks like Rhys was the tree man in this photo.

Our family has also been joined by an "Elf on the Shelf" -- ours is named Xavier (Rhys came up with it) -- and finding him in the morning is a fun excercise followed by eating chocolate from the Advent Calendar. Please note that all this fun activity occurs before 6:30 am. 

Merry Christmas!

That tricky elf...

Bagel

We love our bagels --  and I love my scones -- so it is no surprise that the children do, too. However, Claudia almost prefers the cream cheese above the carb --- and gobbles up cheese in any form - along with other proteins.

Good morning!