Holiday Greetings... Part 4 (The Final One)

Wishing you holidays full of love, and a new year free of bad behavior...



With much love from Life with Lily and Anna!

Holiday Greetings... Part 3

But as I said, Hanukkah was early. And this holiday season is long. The celebrating didn't stop after all 8 candles had been lit.

LILY...

The Combined Federal Campaign is one of the oldest and largest charitable workplace giving campaigns. Ever. Originally dreamed up by President Eisenhower (same POTUS who dreamed up my Agency!), millions and millions and millions are donated every year by federal employees. Last year I think some $17m was raised by DoD employees alone.

This year has been a rather sporty one for our campaign at work, which resulted in us raising 173% of our goal! And since I was one of the keyworkers, I was very involved. Very. And when one of the other keyworkers suggested that kids singing at Christmas would very likely be a successful fundraiser, I immediately volunteered Lily.

It was, by the way. Successful. We raised almost $3,000 for charity that day.

Poor Lily missed the one and only rehearsal because I was in meetings longer than anticipated... and given that most of the songs at this "non-denominational" concert had more to do with Santa and Frosty than they did with dreidels... Lily held her own and did pretty darn great. And although she might not admit it, I think she had fun.





ANNA...

And while it was great fun to see and hear the kids sing for such a worthy cause, we also had a blast two days later seeing and hearing the kids sing at the Holiday Open House at Anna's school.

Now, after the Thanksgiving performance of 10 Little Indians, I thought that I was prepared for just about anything. And I almost was. I ALMOST made it through Anna's impersonation of an elf without laughing. Almost... But not quite.

Although she's in the 2 year old class -- the youngest in the school -- I personally think that they were the best. They stole the show. Now don't get me wrong... the 2 1/2 year old pint sized Elvis look alikes and the 4 year old Bolivian dancers were ADORABLE. K-RAY-ZEE cute, in fact. But the little dancing Elves stole my heart. And, no, I'm not biased at all.



Not to be outdone by the kids, there were a few very special visitors.



Of course, Dora got just a little too close to comfort when we attempted to take a class photo. I've never seen so many kids look so shell shocked...and then simultaneously burst in to tears...as I did that day.




My little Hanukkah elf...

Holiday Greetings... Part 2

Although amazingly... sadly... I don't have ANY photos from Hanukkah this year (how did that happen?!?), I was able to snap a few at the Hanukkah Family Service/Shir Joy Hanukkah Concert at Temple.

My cousin Susana and I got the "brilliant" idea to sign our girls up for the Temple K-2 choir this year. Without asking them. And although they've both protested at various points along the way, she and I seem to be winning the battle of the wills. Lesson learned: ignored complaints will SOME TIMES actually go away.

We missed the first Shir Joy choir concert. It was the same weekend as "the incident", and Lily was in no mood to leave the house let alone perform in public. So be it. By the time concert #2 rolled around, she seemed to actually be embracing the idea. And her beloved cousin.


I'm happy to say that Hanukkah was a grand-slam success this year. Noah and I got eachother...well...a brand new and much larger mortgage.

The girls got just about everything on their wish lists. Nothing really big. But big hits all around! Lily was so excited on the first day of Hanukkah that she came home and reported that she'd had a hard time concentrating in school. In my book that = mission accomplished.

Remember, this is the child who, when asked what she wanted for Hanukkah at age two replied...to sit on Santa's lap.


And while I couldn't be more proud of Anna and her super Spanish skills, it knocks my socks off that Lily is learning...REALLY learning...Hebrew. It's awesome. Uber awesome.

(apologies for the poor camera angle...which includes some awful, um, boob shots...but I had to be stealth since all cameras were strictly forbidden in the sanctuary... my disobedience probably doesn't bode well for me in the after life!)

Holiday Greetings... Part 1

Hanukkah this year was early. REALLY early. Which meant that the Holiday Season 2010 was (well, still is...) long. REALLY long.

We've celebrated over and over and over. The kids were really in to it this year. Which made it ten times more fun. At six and two, the girls knew what the holidays were all about. They had plans. And wish lists. And lots of activities they wanted to try.

Like gingerbread decorating.

Although we don't celebrate Christmas, we do apparently celebrate art projects and candy. And we REALLY celebrate when we get to combine the two. Which we do every year...in a lovely mother/daughter tradition that started a few years ago (2009, 2008, & photos from 2007 are buried somewhere in iPhoto...).

Although Lily was anxious to invite her old buddies again this year, we branched out to her new kindergarten friends -- plus cousin Camilla of course! -- and had an absolutely lovely afternoon. Each of the girls partnered with their moms to decorate AND name their houses. I was amazed by how different each house ended up...despite having all the same ingredients at each work station. The names were just as quirky and cute as the houses themselves. Sadly -- SHAMEFULLY -- I forgot to write them down. Bummer!

(Erin with the winning house, in my book...this one rocked!)

(can you see that Lily's gummy Frosty is on candy cane skis? Bonus points for creativity!)

Even the little girls -- who were simply candy "catchers" (as it fell off the table and in to their mouths) last year -- had tons of fun doing their own houses this year. And I must say, having the extra 2,000+ sq/ft of (real) house made ALL the difference when setting up to decorate 8 cookie/candy houses!

Broken...

A few weeks ago, late on a Friday afternoon, I got the call most parents dread. The call that starts with, "she's ok, but..." The call where in the background I can hear her screaming...while trying to focus on the words through the phone... "she was in an accident." An accident...


Luckily the call came just after I'd gotten a critical signature at work. A signature I thought I was going to have to wait until 6 p.m. to get. A signature that I could not have left without. But I got it. And then I got the call.

(Lily got lots of sweet "fan mail" and get well cards...including this dee-lish edible arrangement from Loly!)

We all joke and tease that Lily's middle name should be "drama" because yes, oh yes, she's the one and only...original...DRAMA. QUEEN. (she is, afterall, my daughter...) But when I heard her pained and scared little voice through the phone, my mama instinct kicked in and I just knew. These were no crocodile tears. Whatever had happened, my baby had a broken arm.

(6 year olds + sharpies + a rough surface = hieroglyphics! Lily swore she could read all the signatures...)

It took some time to get a straight story. And that involved a conference call with the school's principal...the director of Extended Day for the entire county...and the E.D. supervisor at Lily's school. But we eventually did get the story. She tripped... In the apparently slightly-less-than-perfectly-controlled transition between "school" and "after school," she tripped over a buddy's leg while trying to race to get in line. And when she tripped she fell on her arm in oh such a way that she broke it. Both bones. Radius and ulna. Which not only fractured, but buckled.

After a miraculously quick visit to our local pediatric emergency room (LOVE FAIRFAX PED ER!!), Lily left with xrays on a CD...arm splinted and in a sling...and a new appreciation for just how easy it is to get hurt. Poor kiddo.

Last moments in the cast...with very soggy skin underneath it, she was on her way to get it removed!

That first weekend was rough. Really rough. Painful and embarrassing. But we got through it and once the real cast when on, Lily's spirits went up.



It's hard to believe that that was so long ago she's now in a brace. With only one and a half weeks left of that! The cast came off a few days early thanks to "an incident" (that involved...um...water...don't ask). Thank goodness. It smelled. Pee-you GROSS!



Lily is well on the road to recovery, I'm happy to say. And we've all upped our calcium intake hoping to prevent a repeat experience any time soon!

Thankful

There's so much to be thankful for this year. So, so much.

1. Friends + Family (and friends who are like family -- you know who you are!)

2. Employment (that I find interesting, challenging and fulfilling)

3. Health

4. Our new house

5. Ms. Elisa (the angel who comes and helps our family every evening)

6. Health

7. Wonderful schools that my children attend (including a ROCKIN' PTA @ Lily's school!)

8. My mom, who helps our family in more ways than I knew possible.

9. HEALTH!!

10. My amazing husband, who has the patience of Job; and my precious girls, who try my patience but melt my heart.

I am also grateful that while my job may keep me on my toes and glued to my blackberry...it's also close to both the girls' schools so that I can zip over for Halloween parties (Lily's last month) or Thanksgiving concerts (Anna's last week).

Since we are new to the preschool this year, I had no idea what to expect out of the Thanksgiving celebration at Anna's school. She had been humming "10 Little Indians" for a week or so, so I assumed her little class of 2 year olds would serenade us with a song or two.

They didn't.

I apologize in advance for the sea-sickness you'll surely have by the end of this video. But I was so surprised by Anna and her peers (and they were SO. STINKIN. CUTE!) that I couldn't stop laughing. The entire time. And I didn't want to miss any photo opps, so I passed the video to my mother at one point so that I could get a few still shots. Right in the middle of the best part (check out the little boy, getting down, next to Anna...HILARIOUS!). Again, apologies for the quality of the video...but it was too good to keep to myself.

The best part, really, is watching Anna watch this video. She marches in place and giggles the whole time.



Man, there really is so SO much to be thankful for!

Six times three

It was like Groundhog Day. Only better. Because it was real. This year Lily got THREE birthday celebrations. After the whining demo she put on tonight, I think that she'd like three more...

Birthday Celebration #1
Lily's actual birthday fell on Election Day this year. The first time that has happened since the year she was born...





Election Day meant that public schools were closed, so off Lily went with Noah to the back-up daycare we're ever-so-grateful that his office provides. LUCKY for Lily, and for us, her new BFF from kindergarten was also there!! Yes, said BFF's mother works with Noah (yes, yes...it's a small world afterall). I was able to sneak away from the office and joined Noah and the girls for a wonderful birthday lunch complete with brownie M&M sundaes for the girls. And then we had a family celebration that night complete with fancy cupcakes from a new cupcake treasure in DC -- Something Sweet -- and presents.

Birthday #2
Apparently birthdays are a really big deal in kindergarten. Or at least in Lily's kindergarten class. So on the day after her birthday, we were told to send in a treat for all 19 Pooh Bears. And because Wednesdays are early release days, the group celebration fell in the morning. After much strategizing, Lily chose donuts from one of her favorite Arlington establishments, Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe. Hey, my child has great taste!







And the day went on from there... Lily got to chose what "jobs" she wanted in the class that day (PS, she chose ALL of them!). They sang to her. They read to her. They celebrated her. And, not shockingly to those of you who know her...Lily loved every minute of it.

Birthday #3
Although she now claims that what she really wanted was a birthday party at the Zoo (ahem...I did remind here that "been there done that" at age 4!), the plans this year called for a "Mystical Unicorn" birthday. For those of you wondering, yes, some poor pony had to dress up like a unicorn...

And even though the early November weather has been gorgeous for every one of Lily's (indoor) birthday parties to date, I definitely did fret about it this year. When I asked the pony company what would happen if it rained...and when they suggested that they could DO THE PARTY INDOORS...well, my brand new hardwood floors and I started praying. It worked. The air was a bit chilly but the sun was out and the kids didn't mind. Everyone got to ride to their hearts content and then "decorate" the pony with glitter, feathers and stickers afterwards. Kind of heavenly if you're female and 6!








The real MVPs of the party, though, were MY MOM (who volunteered to help escort the kids on the pony rides...and if you had smelled this particular pony, you would know why she won the award!); MY FRIEND RACHEL (who, although she doesn't have any kids of her own yet, volunteered to help wrangle a dozen and a half pint sized party-goers and help them decorate their cupcakes...among the many hats she wore during the party); and the HANDFUL OF MOMS who stuck around and volunteered to help with the temporary unicorn tattoos...the pinata (that. would. not. break!)...unicorn coloring and the like.

Another successful birthday under our belts. And although my little birthday girl would like a few more celebrations, I'm pretty sure that she's delighted with the three she got.

Happy birthday to my sweet Lily Lewis!

A Super (Hero) Halloween

It all started last Halloween, when Lily, dressed as Mulan, showed up at her school's Halloween parade (ps...more 2009 Halloween posts can be found HERE and HERE...lordy how they've grown over the last year!!).

And saw her friend Elizabeth dressed as Batgirl.

And made up her mind, on the spot, that she would don the bat cape and pleather pants for Halloween 2010.

Anna and her "peeps" from preschool!

As 5/6 year olds are some of the most fickle humans on earth, I fully anticipated a 180. SHOCKINGLY Lily stuck with the plan. When it came time to order costumes this year (yes, my children wear store-bought costumes...please don't judge!), she implored me to buy her Batgirl. And, oh, wouldn't it be fun if we were ALL superheros!

Um, yeah...

Nottingham Pooh Bear Halloween fiesta!

So those of you who know me well might know that while I ADORE dressing my kids up for the spook-fest each year, personally I hate Halloween. Not sure why...but I dislike the holiday. So while Noah immediately got on board, deciding to dress as Batgirl's sidekick, Robin, it took some major convincing to get me to join in on the fun.

Which I eventually did.

Sort of.

I ended up wearing a wonder woman shirt...which, secretly, I do love (reminiscent of the wonder woman underoos that I wore holes in as a child!).

Anna was super girl AKA "super princess" AKA "super dinosaur princess" (to appease a child who came home from school, the Friday before Halloween, insisting she was going to dress up as a dinosaur...nearly gave me a heart attack).

Nottingham Halloween parade...kindergarten lead hundreds from the school community!

After Halloween parties in both the girls' schools (for which I took the day off and volunteered -- we working parents grab every opportunity we can get)... And a Halloween parade in which Lily's entire elementary school paraded around their neighborhood behind a local middle school marching band... For the second year in a row, we tagged along with our cousins for a great night of trick or treating. This year I had a glass of wine in my hand as we went door to door...just what this wonder woman needed!