Joy

"Joy " would be the best way to describe this Christmas. The only thing that could have made it better was if Daddy wasn't working:( We celebrated on the 23rd with Doug's family and had a great time with Grandma Dorothy, Uncle Jerry, Aunt Libby, Aunt LeAnn, KayLee and Jimmy. The girls loved running around the backyard at night and swinging with Jimmy.



Since Doug was working Christmas day, we had our celebration and Santa visit Christmas eve. I made Thai food and Aunt Cindy came over to help us celebrate. Good food, a good friend and lots of love. Jetty had been asking for a doll that looks like her and I just wasn't able to find an asian doll in the style I wanted. I ended up making the girls each a doll with matching outfits. Jetty's with long black hair and Ella's with brown hair and bangs. They turned out to be a hit which makes me so happy! We also pulled my baby doll cradle out of the attic that my Dad made me. I sewed a new matress and pillows and it makes me so happy to see it in the girls room. And after telling everyone "no plastic toys" we bought the biggest piece of plastic we could find. It is a playhouse for the back yard and Doug set it up so cute. He built a wood deck and added landscaping. When I crawled inside with the girls and Ella promptly pushed me back out and shut the door behind me. I guess we need a "no adults " sign for the door.



On Christmas day the girls and I went to my parents house to celebrate. I have such a large family and the always have a great time. Thank you all for playing with the girls and your wonderful gifts. The girls are so lucky to have two families that love them so much. The girls received lots of cute matching clothes that they love and new matching Crocs which are also a big hit. Ella received some great hazelnut tree blocks with little gnome dolls. Jetty was lucky enough to get a real violin from my parents. Since she was two she has put wood spoons under her chin and pretended to play a violin. She just loves to try and play it and it is the cutest thing you have ever seen.



We feel so grateful for our family. Christmas last year was a blur and difficult. We came back from China on the 23rd. We had terrible jet-lag and a very sick baby. Christmas was truly a Joy this year and very merry!

I hope everyone has an amazing and blessed New Year!

Merry Christmas!

We wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a wonderful new year!

The drawing is by Jetty and she calls it..."Jetty and Ella Dancing by the Christmas Tree"

Busy, Busy

We have been very busy these last couple of weeks. I had my Studio Open House which was lots of fun. It was great seeing everyone and a big thank you to everyone who came by that night and the following week. I posted a few photos of my studio ready for the open house. I didn't realize how many goods I had until I started pulling things out. I need to give my wonderful Hubby big loves and kisses for watching the girls so I am able to get in the studio once a week to create things. I so appreciate that time. I sent some of the left over items to my favorite Gallery in town
http://www.mosquitomudpottery.com/gallery/index.html

Our little town also had their Christmas parade which the girls really enjoyed. After the regular Christmas parade they put on a boat parade in the evening. We went down to our sailboat and watched the parade from there. The girls enjoyed practicing their knot tying while they waited for the boats.

We also ventured up to St. Augustine for dinner that week to enjoy their Christmas lights. I love St. Augustine in the winter and it is also where I attended college which adds to my fondness of the city.

http://www.flagler.edu/
The tree is decorated and was ready just in time for a little Christmas get-together we hosted with our local Families with Children from China group. It was great seeing all the beautiful little girls and chatting with the
Moms and Dads. I hope we are able to get together more often.

One Year Ago Today

It has been one year ago today (Dec. 11 2006)that sweet little Ella was placed in our arms. She has changed so much in the last year. Ella has gone from a sick, scared and very anxious little baby to a sweet, loving and secure little toddler. She is a little cuddle bug just like her sister and she keeps us on our toes. We are so blessed to have her in our life.

A Walk in the Woods

The other day we took a nice walk in the woods. Jetty was on a mission to collect items to make a fairy house and pine cones to make turkeys for Thanksgiving. It is a nice slow walk when you have a 22 month old and a 4 year old on a mission to pick up anything that looks like a pine cone, acorn, hickory nut, or moss. It is a good reminder to be more observant and enjoy nature. Daddy rides his bike on these trails and we even passed some of his fellow cyclists that were out for a run.

The fairy house turned out fabulous and is now located in our back yard. All 11 sweet little pine cone turkeys have found new homes with family members.

I probably won't be able to post for a week because I am getting ready for my annual Studio Open House. I will have lots of handmade goods for sale and the wine is chilling.

Fall

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Doug worked :( and the girls and I spent the day enjoying wonderful food and a great time with family. The weather was actually warm enough for Jetty to take a dip in the pool with her fun cousins.

We are so ready for cool weather by the time fall rolls around. The backyard is calling for us to hang out , enjoy dinner outside, and hang out by the fireplace. We love the cooler weather.

The Fair

We took the girls to the county fair for the first time. I really wasn't expecting to stay long but it turned out to be a big hit. Jetty LOVED the fair. I never would have guessed it. My little girl who doesn't like loud noises and lots of stimulation couldn't get enough. We ended up being there for 4 hours. I really wasn't prepared for that and I didn't even bring the stroller. Doug rode most of the rides with Jetty and poor Ella wasn't big enough for even the kiddie rides. There is a photo of her standing at the gate looking into the ride. She got to the point she tried to pry the gates apart to get in... she didn't get upset she was just very determined. She did enjoy running around and having me chase her since I nixed the stroller. Next time I will bring the stroller:) The last photo is the rush she received from the sugar in the funnel cake. Ahhhh funnel cakes and fairs.