Sledding - An Opportunity To Eat Snow, Snow and More Snow

Since the Burns adults chose to donate to a charity this year rather than exchange gifts, we thought it would be fun to focus our attention on sharing a fun experience as we all gathered for the holiday. Sledding fit the bill. And while there was more than one snafu in arriving at a safe and available sledding spot, hilarity eventually ensued.

Stella wasn't super interested in sledding actually. Consuming vast quantities of snow under the adoring gaze of her cousins occupied most of her attention for the whole afternoon. At least we know she was well hydrated.

Our backdrop. Seriously.

And just so you know, this pregnant mama demonstrated great restraint and held back her sledding desires. But don't think winter gear that doesn't fit over a pregnant belly could stop me from trekking around in the snow. Nope. Fashion be damned. I'm joining in.

Christmas: Part III

For our second round of Christmas, we headed to Seattle to celebrate with the Burns fam. Stella was so excited that Santa was going to visit her at Grandma Carol and Poppy's house and was pretty darn thrilled with the drum he brought her.

Some artistic Christmas sass.

More than all the thoughtful gifts, Stella loved hanging with her big girl cousins. She was totally enamored by Hannah and Amelia, affectionately calling them the "Big Guys."And then seeing Olivia and Eva Maria sent her over the edge. She kept calling them "the tiny Amelia" and "the other tiny Amelia." Surrounded by love and laughter, it was a fabulous Christmas. Thank you, Burns crew.

Christmas: Part II

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about how to create meaningful and lasting traditions that celebrate the spirit of Solstice and Christmas without falling prey to the overwhelming and meaningless materialism of the season. Don't get me wrong - Stella received her fair share of books, paints and puzzles this year. But we're interested in teasing out the true meaning of sharing and giving with our kids as they grow in this beautiful and crazy world.

That said, I took a cue from Erin over at BlueBirdBaby and have started a new tradition I think our family will enjoy for years.

A few days before Christmas, Stella and I went for a nature walk to collect the biggest and most impressive pine cones we could find. A natural gatherer, Stella was more than game. On Christmas Eve morning, the three of us rolled the pine cones in sunflower butter and bird seed and then headed to one of our favorite parks to share these treats with our bird and squirrel friends.

Of course, Stella was a bit perplexed as to why fluffy little bunnies and tame deer didn't magically appear at our feet as we scattered the treats. But she eventually dug the whole process, quietly calling "Critters! Critters!" and picking out the perfect stumps and burrows to leave the yummy pine cones. And while I have no illusions that my two and a half year old loves giving more than receiving at this point, I did see her wheels earnestly turning as she enjoyed sharing with her animal friends.

So despite some serious chill, we had a wonderful time walking around an obscenely beautiful forest (complete with "water mountains," aka waterfalls), listening to the birds and taking a moment to just chill out together in the fresh air before the holiday madness hit.

And I will never, ever, ever tire of seeing this sight. Oh, my beloveds.

If you are interested in a great holiday picture book that focuses on a magical animal world and the power of sharing, check out A Sharing Christmas by Kate Westerlund and Eve Tharlet.

Christmas: Part I

The face of pure bliss. More on this later...

Fortunate enough to live near both our families, we celebrate with both sets of beloveds in person each year with a little planning and flexibility. This year, we celebrated our first round of Christmas early with the Bresslers. And while Stella is still wrapping her head around the bizarre concept of Christmas, Santa and flying reindeer, she is always thrilled to see Grandpa Harte, Grandma Jannie, Aunt Mandy and Uncle Jeff. As you can see, early into the present opening phase of the holiday, we quickly realized that all our thoughtfully chosen gifts and carefully planned surprises were quickly and resolutely trumped by cardboard boxes and packing bubbles.

That is, until Stella opened her oh-so-thoughtful and oh-so-generous gift from Grandma Jannie and Grandpa Harte. I wish you could all hear Stella ooh and aah as she explored each (furnished!) room for the first time. It was truly magical. And watching Jan and Harte enjoy the surprise was a treat as well.

And while Stella loved basking in such generous attention, it pleased Brian and me to no end to see her delight equally as much in giving a present to Grandpa Harte. She was so proud of her painting and hopped right in to describe all the colors in his new painting for the office.

And what would Christmas be without cowboy hats and shared snacks?

And here, my friends, is the visual definition of "a good sport." You rock, Porthos.

It was a thoroughly lovely and peaceful start to our holiday; thank you Bressler family! And thank you, Jeff, for all these fabulous photos! (Check out his wonderful site here.)

Stella-isms

I know. I know. Every parent believes their child is brilliant. And adorable. And clever. And yes, we unabashedly fall into that category. Nearly every night as we're falling asleep, Brian and I share our favorite Stella moments from the day. And the distinctly Scout-like Stella-isms these days have us in stitches. So please forgive me if these little tidbits seem mundane or ordinary; we see them as anything but.

• It's been windy in our town lately, and Stella looked out the window one day and said, "Mama, the wind is making my bottom dizzy."
• "Mama! Papa! The trees are dancing!" (Yes, it's been that windy.)
• Whenever we decide to embark on a new adventure - from leaving the house to heading upstairs for a change of scenery - Stella happily yells "Chop Chop, Mama! Chop Chop, Papa!" or "Let's boog!"
• When we open the door for our first morning excursion, Stella always says, "It's refreshing out."
• Acutely aware of the differences between day and night, Stella often announces "It's getting not darker now."
• To comfort herself as we explored a park that has made her a bit edgy in the past, Stella said, "This park loves me. This park really loves me."
• "Excuse me" sounds like "Scoompies."
• During a walk to the post office, Stella sang a little song. At one point we passed a man in a black and white striped sweater walking a dog. Stella's song shifted quite naturally to include the lyrics, "Hey there, doggie. Hey there, Zebra Man."
• After Vinnie scratched me while wrestling last night, Stella walked to me and announced "I need to give you a hug, Mama. Come here."

Oh, the list is endless, and I fear I'll delve into annoying parent mode here if I continue. This list and the billion little tidbits Stella shares with us each day remind me that we're doing a pretty good job of guiding a bright, curious and polite little person and, more importantly, she is really her own character already. We're a solid scaffold for this girl, but she's climbing in her own direction and we are so ridiculously lucky to watch in awe.

The First Snow

Coinciding with a lovely visit from Grandma Carol, we enjoyed our first snow of the season this week. While it was short lived, it was gorgeous. And our wee Scout soaked up every minute of it. Since we spotted flurries the day before and therefore read every book about snow we could find, Stella was ready for some serious snow action. She practiced catching snow flakes on her tongue, built a lame but admirably attempted snowman with very little snow and marveled at just how delicious snow tastes.

Stella would be sorely disappointed if I failed to mention how many footprints we made on our snow walk. She was downright obsessed with making tracks and spent a good portion of our walk simply staring at the path behind us. Funny girl.

Getting Ready

Do you think this wee Scout is aware of what's about to happen?

Yup, Stella is excited about being a big sister. And while we're totally prepared for her to suddenly decide that having a little sister isn't always groovy, she's already proving to be a rockin' big sister. She calls the baby Junebug and is very proud to tell everyone "I'm a sister now." She says hello to Junebug every morning and often warns me "not squish Junebug, Mama!" whenever I bend to tie my shoes. And she periodically wants a Junebug in her tummy too.

Sweetness abounds.