Vacation

Just a mish-mosh of cute pictures from the holidays.

Stella met Santa at Bear Hugs Christmas party. She just stared at him with big eyes and didn't say a word.

 Violet dressed us up. Look hard and you can see we have red noses taped to us. Violet is a sick reindeer with a thermometer in her mouth. I am Santa, and Stella has a little sign taped to her chest that says "Jesus". Maybe we ought explain this Christmas thing a little better.

 Ring pops.

We had a fun but crazy time in Maryland with Karen and Amelia as well as Stacey, my Mom and Julian, Jason's sister Tiffany and her boyfriend John. Did I mention it was crazy?

Knuffle Bunny is our new favorite book.

Will Trixie ever get her bunny back? Horrors.

Amelia and Stella are such good friends. So are Violet and Amelia, but I don't have pictures of them together from this trip.

Violet avoids cooking by spinning in the kitchen.

Stella and Amelia were in charge of meals. Stella is an A-1 barista.

 

Violet is an A-1 princess.

Stella is auditioning to be in a Dr. Seuss book.

After Christmas we mostly just hung out trying to keep the natives under control.

Here's Violet modeling her body sock. It's always fun to take pictures of the shapes she can make.

This toy was Jason's as a kid.

Hard at work with clay. Maybe later we will show you the claymation Blupi movie Violet and Jason made.

We had a big snowstorm, which is almost always good news around here. Stella isn't crazy about being out in the cold, but Violet adores it, and she and Jason found an icy patch and cleared it off to do some skating.

 

X-Squad

Violet has been taking gymnastics for the past three years. She started in the 3 year old class, where she would wander around, not really listening. When she did participate, she would just do the parts she liked and nothing else. She got better at listening, and she got better at following the coaches directions. Finally, this year, they decided she was listening well enough to join the X-Squad which is the exhibition squad. Most anyone can be on the X-Squad, so it was really sad when they told her no last year. But this year, yes. You should have seen her face the first night. She was so proud of herself. I can't believe I didn't have the camera.

A couple weeks ago, it was picture night. Violet had her picture taken with the entire team. She had to wear her uniform (well, the leotards are on backorder, so they wore their t-shirts, sweatshirts and little velvet shorts). Part of the uniform is two french braids. Yeah, you heard that right. Two. French. Braids. For my girl who won't let me get within three feet of her with a brush. (Though I have to say - at least she usually brushes it herself now).

Imagine my surprise when she sat still for the 20+ minutes it took me to put these braids in her hair. Doesn't she look marvelous?

 

 Don't be fooled. She is still the Violet you all know and love, no matter what her hair looks like.

She did really well for the group picture, but her individual picture - well - I'll have to show you when we get it back. It was part Walk like an Egyptian and part goofball. Pure Violet.  A couple years ago it would have bothered me, but no longer. I know when I'm beat.

Happy birthday, Violet

I know I am late with this post. Violet has been 6 for more than a week. She hasn't had a party yet, though, because the poor kid was sick the day it was to happen. She did bring cupcakes to school on the 22nd, though. And she went to her favorite restaurant, Applebees. Here is a little photo retrospective for you. All these were taken within a month or so of her birthdays.

6 years old

Practicing flying. Such a clever and determined kid.

 

5 years old

Oh, the attitude. Who cares if mom wants a picture.

 

Four years old

She definitely has her own creative agenda.

Three years old

Back in the day she still let me put fabulous pants on her.

 

Two Years Old

Determined and stubborn and funny and crazy.

One Year Old

Already funny and amazing, Violet was the queen of the land.

 

One month old

We could not even begin to imagine what was in store for us.

Happy Pagan Holiday

Violet had a very specific request this year regarding her Halloween costume. She wanted to be a bat, and she wanted to have all of her be black, including her face, which she wanted to have a black mask just like the Red Robin at the Red Robin restaurant where we went with Auntie Karen and Baby Amelia. Okaaaay. And just how do you ask for that kind of fabric at the store?

Stella just wanted to be a mermaid. And, as usual, she was pleased with whatever I did as long as it was pretty and sparkly.

We went to downtown trick-or-treating. It was a balmy fall day - 66 degrees - lovely. Crisp leaves, outstanding autumnal decor - this picture was at the Kennebunk Inn.

The only problem was; no one told us that downtown trick-or-treating was the day before Halloween. The town gets a big dope slap for that one. Why trick-or-treat on a Friday night when Halloween is on a Saturday?

So we headed over to Duffy's, the new decent pub/restaurant in town. And it was nice just to be together, in a restaurant, both kids sitting on their chairs and being restrained. It was nothing short of a miracle. And they have help-yourself-popcorn.

And then we trick-or-treated the residential section all the way home. Sort of. We hit almost a dozen houses before the kids were done.

With a little encouragment the kids made it the whole half a mile to Grandy's house, where in Violet's words "Bubby said I could take whatever I wanted." Violet's bucket was twice as full as Stella's if that gives you any idea of what she wanted.

And now the kids are in bed. We sorted the goods when we got home, and Violet and Stella did some shockingly good trading. Stella can't have the candy with milk chocolate, so Violet offered up Smarties, Skittles and a sucker in trade. I was impressed.

Something has happened to Jason, though. It's not the pensiveness - he is often pensive. He just seems different somehow. Maybe a little protective of his candy bowl? The trick-or-treaters were actually skipping our house.

I'm her mother. Of course I'm biased.

But tell me this isn't the most darling thing you have seen all day.

We were out exploring the Maine countryside, looking at a hydroelectric dam, when Stella had her first experience with a pile of dry leaves.

 

 And her first experience with milkweed pods. What do you see in there, Stella?

"Spider"

No, Sweetheart, it's not a spider.

Okay, then!

And Auntie Karen, this is for you.

Sweet, sweet girls

Last night as Stella was lying in bed in the dark waiting to fall asleep we had a conversarion that went like this:

"Mommy I have tell you somefing."

"What, Stella?" 

"I seeping. You take my picture I seeping?" 

"Yes, Stella, I'll take your picture when you're sleeping."

 

Despite the less than ideal lighting in these, I can't help but post them. They're classic Violet. All of them.

And Uncle Kentie, they love their jerseys. I'm sorry it didn't help.