I can't tell you how many times I stopped to wonder if my girls realized how busy the Christmas season was for our family. Do they have any idea how much planning goes into making it through each day leading up to Christmas? Do they mind the late evenings, the travel, the craziness? I'm guessing the answer is "no." I'm basing this educated guess on the fact that when I think back to my childhood, I certainly don't remember things being "hectic," but my parents had their fair share of Christmas programs, parties, and the like that they wanted to be sure we experienced. Sometimes I think we're all a bit mad to go to the lengths we do around the holidays to ensure Christmas is a time of joy of celebration with our extended families and friends...that is, until I see the looks of delight, excitement, and even pride on my children's faces.
One of those looks of pride came when Moira participated in her Christmas preschool program through the YMCA again this year. Her class dressed up as reindeers and sang two songs--the most memorable one being "The Reindeer Hokey Pokey." I was so happy for Moira because she really got into the action and sang her little heart out this year. She even managed to dance a bit as well. If you listen carefully to the video, you will hear her voice loud and clear (it's somewhere between singing and shouting). She was so proud of herself.
Hannah sat on my lap the entire time, and she was pretty entertained by all the preschool children. It's hard for me to believe, but this fall we will start sending her to the YMCA two days a week!
Hannah finding the perfect seat
Moira with her little red reindeer nose
Cookies afterwards!
Another unexpected moment of delight came after I bought two Christmas dresses on sale and brought them home to the girls. I had planned to just dress them up in hand-me-downs from last year, but then my mom insisted we go shopping one day, and I found an amazing deal (this never happens to me). I came home and told the girls that I had beautiful Christmas dresses for them to wear, and they were so excited that they both put them on right away (Moira was excited--Hannah just followed in her sister's footsteps). I captured them dancing in these dresses on video. From that moment on, Moira insisted that she had to wear her "party dress" to all festivities (as you will see in the remaining photos!). It was very cute.
One of the first events where Moira wore her dress was at the St. Louis party. Every year, we go to St. Louis to see my mom's family, and this year was no exception (although we missed the Thomas and Pride families this year). Moira had a great time playing with her cousins Connor and Hunter, and Hannah loved the festivities as well. We had a great time staying at my cousin Marty's house, and we hope to get back to St. Louis soon.
Grandma, Hunter, and Hannah
Marty with the girls (note their party dresses)
Another cute one of Hunter--Connor was too fast to capture on camera!
The parties continued in the run up to Christmas day...and the girls seemed to have a great time wherever we were. Nothing fazed them. They were amazing.
I am still playing catch-up from all the photos we took over the holidays, and I have a few random ones that I want to share! Here they are: Moira's first official haircut. She was so good. I wasn't sure she would sit still, but she did. The stylist did a great job of keeping her entertained! Moira walking around in her "shoes." Moira is fascinated with shoes. She loves taking our shoes on and off. And she loves walking around in adult shoes. We went to the Eiteljorg on Martin Luther King day and Moira had fun exploring the Wild Wild West. You may recall that Moira's 2nd birthday party was pretty entertaining because Moira fell asleep in her high chair, and then she was completely overwhelmed by everyone singing Happy Birthday. Since then, we have had lots of family and friend birthdays, and she has mastered singing Happy Birthday. At this point, she sings Happy Birthday to just about anyone and anything--babies at a restaurant, the light, the birds......
Hannah, You, my darling baby girl, are growing up entirely too fast. By the time you were one, here’s what you were up to: On the Move Well, truth be told, you haven’t been that interested in moving. You’re quite content to reach both arms in the air and look imploringly at mama or dada to pick you up. By the time you were 5 months, you rolled over, and by the time you were 10 months, you finally decided to crawl. Since then, you’ve become a very quick little girl on your knees, and you’re just starting to consider standing up and walking on your own. One of the cutest things you do is crawl while holding onto a baby stroller—it is quite a feat! I predict you’ll be about 16 months old before you walk, and that is fine with me. What did you say? Hannah, you are a talker. At a year old you have a few words in your vocabulary. They include the traditional words like “mama” and “dada.” Your very first word, however, was “Mo-ra” in honor of your big sister,...
It's hard to believe Moira is already 5 weeks old (today)! Here 's a quick recap: October 14th, 9:32am, Moira Joan Mackintosh came into the world. She was a healthy 7 lb, 14 oz, and 20.5 inches long. My labor was fast, but delivery was slower than I would have liked. On the whole, neither Moira nor I can complain . October 16th, we came home. I discovered after a couple of sleepless nights that Moira would only sleep for about 15 minutes in her bassinet. She preferred sleeping on someone or sleeping in her little swing. The first few weeks went by in a complete blur. We were all trying to get used to a new kind of normal. Moira and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out her preferences for eating and sleeping. Alan spent a lot of time trying to help his girls get as comfy as possible. We've had fun discovering the little things about Moira. She has dimples and so much dark hair. She has the cutest high-pitched hiccups. She loves it when her Dad holds her and paces with...
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