Family Traditions

I'm currently reading The Happiness Project and I'm currently on the chapter discussing parenting and family life. One of the things the author mentions is the importance of traditions for children.

I look back on the holidays as a kid, and the anticipation, excitement and love that surrounded the holidays meant (and still means) a great deal to me. Watching Jenna recall specifics of Christmas from last year makes me ever so anxious to celebrate with her this year. We've purchased a Christmas dress for photos, for a visit to Santa and for Christmas day and she asks to see it nightly. She knows she can't wear it, but her excitement is palpable.

Her recall amazes me. We don't attend church all that frequently (or really at all). My niece, Annika was baptized this past weekend and when we told Jenna we were getting her dressed up to go to church she said "Oh! Church! Mommy, can I see the water? The water at church?" She was SO excited! And, mind you, the last time we went to church was when she was baptized at 11 months old. Where they poured water over her head. It's a little scary to know she is able to recall memories from what I feel like was so long ago.

But this brings me back to traditions... I love the holidays. Jenna does, too. It's the middle of November, and she's still talking about the witches, skeletons, ghosts and pumpkins from Halloween. I am currently talking up Thanksgiving, telling her the family gets together (we'll have the WHOLE family together this year! All grandparents, aunt & both uncles and her cousin together under one roof!) and we eat turkey. She knows turkeys gobble-gobble.

I'm also anxious to celebrate Christmas. She knows where the decorations are in the garage, knows that Santa wears a red suit. When you would ask her what she was going to ask Santa for when she sits on his lap she used to say 'A red present'. Now, when you ask her what she's going to say to Santa she says "Santa, I've been a good girl all year. May I please have a bicycle?" (we were going for tricycle, but she knows what a bicycle is because of Daddy's in the garage, I think a tricycle is foreign to her).

Anyway, the point of this rambling post at 4:00 am is that I'm excited. I'm so happy to be formulating predictable celebratory events for Jenna, for Nick and for our upcoming addition. I'm enjoying establishing 'O family traditions'. I think I enjoy them almost as much as Jenna. The addition of children to our lives has made the holidays so much more loving, caring and enthusiastic.

Too long, it's been too long

It's been way too long since I've posted. I've been enjoying my time with Jenna lately. This is a fun age in that she's running around, talking up a storm, can (and has) said "I lub you" with kisses and is just all around awesome. She's also throwing temper tantrums, but I'll ignore that for this gooey post.

We're in full swing this holiday season. We went to visit Santa and although she says his name and points out every stuffed Santa, Santa cartoon, etc. When we went to go visit him this year, she watched in amazement as the other kids were talking to him, telling him what they wanted for Christmas. When it was her turn, I picked her up and we headed his way.

Once we were standing next to him I asked her "Do you want to see Santa?" She replied with feverish head shaking and "No, no, NO!!" So I asked the next logical question... "Do you want to sit on his lap?" at this point, she's scrambling up my arm like a baby monkey trying to crawl on her Mom's back.

Santa suggested a photo with Mom and baby. I looked over at Nick and said "How about a FAMILY photo" (shooting daggers). Nick came and sat on Santa's right knee, I sat on his left knee (how long has it been since I've sat on Santa's lap!?) and I held Jenna to my left side... as far from the fat jolly man as possible.

We snapped a few photos and I didn't like them... I wanted to mimick last year's photo. So, I asked Santa if we could try again. He said OK and I put the munchkin on his lap. Her eyes were filled with terror and she was signing "All Done" over and over and over... also saying "No" and shaking her head back and forth. BUT Mama got her photo.... :)

Lately we've taken to driving around to look at Christmas lights. It doesn't matter if there is a single strand on the gutters or if there's a full display with reindeer and blow up snow globes... the same reaction comes from the back seat each time we pass by a lit house. "Wow, wow, WOW!!" the second that it's out of her sight this can be heard "More, please... more, PLEASE" I haven't been able to figure out how to tell her that we'll get to the next house ASAP.

She also loves the tree (when the lights are off, we tell her it's sleeping... she makes the shhhh face as to not disturb the tree). The red balled ornaments she would point out and say "Apple" and I kindly remind her that they're not apples, but they're ornaments. To which she replies with 'orddednts' (or something similar... it's hard to type out toddler speak). She also enjoys pointing out each person's stocking.

Possesion is really big to her right now. When we explain that she can't have Mommy's coffee... she points and says "Mommy's" then turns to Nicks and says "Daddy's"... same with pretty much all beverages and anything else she's not supposed to have (we tell her it's ours as to avoid her throwing fits to get it... ours = off limits... it's working, sort of).

Ahhh, she's fun. I love her. Can we keep her like this forever?

Picture with Santa!

Every year when I was a kid, I looked forward to putting 3 things out at Christmas time. 1) my stocking (for obvious reasons) 2) my 'Baby's First Christmas' ornament (I still look forward to this) and 3) My Mom packed away and put out pictures my brother and I took with Santa for 2 years. It was so fun to look back at them as a kid.

This year, we got to take Jenna to see the man with the beard. She enjoyed herself so much after this picture, she spit up on his glove. When Nick said "Sorry Santa!" His reply "Eh, occupational hazard. We're used to it with babies"

So, looks as though she's not on the naughty list... at least not yet.