Christmas 2010

Happy Holidays to Everyone out there!

I want to give a super big Merry Christmas to all our Doodle Letter Exchangers--love the pictures in this year's crop of mail!

This holiday season we spent celebrating all December long. Writing letters, making ornaments, tea with Mrs. Claus (Solo Mom Status, with a room full of crazy kids running around and Elena and Vivian in different directions--not my best showing), making a gingerbread house, making Christmas cookies, watching The Nutcracker (or, as Vivian calls it, The Dancing Cracker--the Baryshnikov/Kirkland video edition)--it was a wonderful month of celebration, togetherness, and creativity.

And it was a very busy time, especially regarding Elena. She had a rough patch of moving around post-op/post-casts, but overall, she was a great patient. Between that, Christmas, family, work, and home, there wasn't much time to blog.

Here's some highlights:

Visiting the Clauses (Vivian refused to sit without Nana)


Jason's Holiday Work Party--this is the best picture I got


Sledding after our first snow


E and Viv at the "after nutcracker suite" gathering with the Charlottesville Ballet


E with the Sugar Plum Fairy, The Nutcracker Prince, and Clara


Christmas Morning--E and Viv play nicely (!) together (!!) with the "Dollhouse Castle" from Santa


Viv's Flute--thanks for that loud gift, Grandma and Grandpa


Grandma and Grandpa have better pics, so I'll put them here once I get (find) them.

Extremely Thankful

We have so much to be thankful for this season...here are a few gems from our holiday.

At E's school, I was invited for a Thanksgiving Feast with her class. The kids sang some Thanksgiving songs for us--if I get permission, I'll post the song video, but until then, here is a pic of E from a video still--in her Turkey Hat.



I was particularly impressed with E's teacher: she did a great job of having Elena use her crutches for the "concert". This is significant, because Elena doesn't normally use her loftstrands in the classroom, but does need them for long periods of standing. Even though the other kids jump around, sing and use their hands for interactive songs, turn around--things Elena does not do--she was still "just one of the kids". Thank you Stony Point and Mary Beth, for giving E the chance to be just a kid in public school. Thanks also to her classmates, who are quickly becoming her good friends.

We went to my parents' house for Thanksgiving. E and Grandpa make a Thanksgiving Turkey decoration every year. Elena loves tools, so Grandpa makes sure she gets to use plenty during their project.



E, I am very thankful for YOU. You have taught me so many things...patience, faith, love, perseverance. You help me appreciate movement, balance, and language. Thank you for making me a better mother and teacher. Thank you for being so good to your little sister, who looks up to you more than you'll ever know. Thank you for being so STRONG, strong-willed even, and for being so open to new challenges.