Yes, We are Still Here

So my big plan to document the Christmas season fell by the wayside thanks to everyday life. Then, like in the past, I got to a point where I hadn't posted in so long that it got harder and harder to make myself get back in here.

This post is simply a photo recap of Christmas, which took place exactly a month ago today.

Jilly and I saw the Rockettes at the John Paul Jones Arena. It is a show that I have been wanting to see since I was a teenager. I have always loved the Rockettes and their Christmas show did not disappoint me. Jilly enjoyed it, as well. She sat in her seat and was excited by all of the spectacular dancing, music, costumes and decor. It was an event that I hope we can continue as a holiday tradition.

One of the holiday craft projects JillyBean and I did this year was to make these cute Christmas trees using styrofoam cones and candy. This one was made of gumdrops and we did another using mini candy canes and one with round peppermint candy. We placed the trees throughout the house.
And, of course, we had our regular Christmas tree, times three. The tree we placed in our living room (the "official" tree) ended up being filled with some older ornaments that mom gave me last year. These were glass ornaments that we used on our trees as a kid. I tied silver, red, green and gold bows on them to spice them up a bit. Also on the tree were the brass ornaments that BeanieDad received each year as a child. It was fun looking at the years that were engraved on each one. Then we included all of the special ornaments that Jilly has received. This year her Auntie Pam in New Mexico started a 12 Days of Christmas ornament collection for her. It will be wonderful to add a new one to the tree the next 11 years. By the time these "family" ornaments had been added, I was left was a crate full of ornaments that needed a home. Most were Santas. Not being able to stand the thought of an unused ornament, I decided to get another tree and place it in the dining room. I am happy with my decision. And finally, I bought a pre-lit, 2-foot tall pink tree to put on Jilly's night stand. We decorated it with silver glittery bulbs and tied sparkly green ribbon to them. It was super cute. I actually haven't taken it down. Right now it's covered with Valentine hearts and next we'll put Easter eggs and bunnies on it for spring.
We traveled to Tennessee the week before Christmas and got to see Nana, Auntie April, Ma, Granddad, PawPaw, Sweetie and a lot of other family. While we were gone, a major snow storm hit home. While we missed the loveliness of watching the snow fall, there was plenty left for Jilly to enjoy.
Jilly tromped through the massive piles of snow, made snow angels and a snow man. It was fun and perfect for our first Christmas at home.
Grandma and Uncle Jimmy came for Christmas. On Christmas Eve Jimmy dressed up like Ol' Saint Nick and he and Jilly delivered cookies to our neighbors. The kids were a bit surprised to see Santa so early.
Christmas morning was a whirlwind. Santa brought Jilly a baby stroller, a baby high chair and a horse barn with horses. In addition, she got an Olivia doll, Olivia DVD, and lip gloss since she is no longer wearing diapers and doing a great job going potty by herself.
One of Jilly's favorite gifts was an Elmo plane given to her by Uncle Sean and Aunt Casie. She actually got three toy planes. Maybe she'll take after her grandpa and be a pilot some day.
Naturally, no major event would be complete in the Beanie household without Jilly's bestest bud and his family who came over for Christmas dinner. We set up a kids' table in the kitchen while the adults enjoyed ham, butternut squash, corn pudding, broccoli, and a bunch more good stuff in the dining room.

It was great being able wake up in our own home on Christmas morning and have Jilly walk down the stairs to see all of her gifts. And now we're just trying to get back to normal but have a third birthday to look forward to soon. Yes, planning has already begun...

Season of Peace

I am so excited to host Christmas at our house this year. It is something I have been wanting to do for a very long time and now, with a child, it's easier to accomplish. We get to stay put every three years and that makes me happy. Of course all of our family is welcome to come and celebrate with us. I would love nothing more than to have a house full of people to open gifts, enjoy company and celebrate our Lord's birth. Only my mom and uncle will be here. My brother and his wife had planned to come, but sister-in-law started a new job and can't take off any time to justify the criminal airfare to get here for a short time. Beanie Daddy's family has decided to stay put in Tennessee. But that's OK. We have good friends who will join us for Christmas dinner and it is going to a joyous occasion.

Looking ahead I am amazed at how our calendar is already slammed. My plan is to make this a peaceful month and a time where we can really enjoy the build up to Christmas. We are going to be busy, but we aren't going to be rushed. I want this to be a time where we can teach Jilly the anticipation of Santa, the fulfillment of giving to others, and the joy of God's gift to us. Since she is older and is building memories, I want to begin establishing traditions - little things that she will treasure and hopefully pass along when she has a family of her own.

I have enjoyed reading Simple Mom's 12 Weeks to a Peaceful Christmas. It has given tips on how to make this an enjoyable time and not one where we're so busy worrying about making the house look.just.right.

Some of the highlights for the upcoming Christmas season include:

• Lighting of the Lawn - an annual event that began in 2001 in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The event was intended to gather the community together as a way to appreciate all they had.
• Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Rockettes - I wanted to be a Rockette when I was a kid. I am so excited that this show is coming to the John Paul Jones Arena and JillyBean and I are attending. I hope to make this the first of an annual holiday "date" she and I have together.
• Hope Community Chest - This is a event coordinated by the Hope Community Center that allows families in need to receive clothes and toys. Jilly and I are volunteering with our MOPS group to receive and sort donations as well as assist on the day that families "shop."
• Toy Lift - a local event that collects toys for children in need

Mixed in with these festivities is a slate of activities planned for home. We have a home to decorate, cookies to bake, crafts to make, and holiday movies to watch. In order to make this as enjoyable and memorable as possible we are going to simply take on the Christmas season one day at a time.

Jilly is thankful for:
gifts she receives in the mail
friends
Smoky and Snoopy (her imaginary friends)
Thomas the Train

Scary Good Cause

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and I will have more about our plans later, but for now I want to spread some news.

Local photographer Dominique Attaway is going to be at Trailside Coffee (in Old Trail) taking photos of kids in their Halloween costumes from noon until 2 p.m. on Halloween. Each person will get a 4x6 picture of their child in exchange for a donation to HEAL Africa. Dominique says that whatever donation you feel comfortable with giving will be accepted; 100 percent of what she receives goes directly to the organization.

Dominique is an incredible photographer (she did some beautiful portraits of Jillian a year ago) and a very busy mom of three active boys, so the opportunity to tap into this amazing talent and help a worthy cause is the best Halloween treat you will get this year.

Cre8ive

JillyBean has been exploring her creative side quite a bit lately. She has always enjoyed painting, using modeling clay, and building castles out of blocks, but she is gravitating to these activities more lately. To encourage this, I have decided to enroll her in a couple of art programs this fall as well as our continuation of Kindermusik.

The first actual art class Jilly is taking is through the Charlotteville Parks & Recreation department and is called Messes and Masterpieces. I think it's a quite fitting title. I am really excited for this because it will expose Jilly to all art forms. The second program I enrolled Jilly in is through the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. I had originally gone on their site to find out what exhibits they have on display, only to learn that the museum is basically closed for renovations. However, their monthly preschool program is still in full swing. This class excites me because it will introduce JB to actual works of art while giving her the opportunity create her own.

Teaching Jilly art is something I need help with. Sure, we can color, paint and do projects at home, but I am not a very artistic person. In spite of being a professional writer, I have little patience for dealing with the details necessary to be proficient in art. I don't lose myself in drawing or painting like others do. I was never a big coloring book kid (drew outside of the lines and rarely completed a picture). I want Jilly to have a real opportunity to explore this side of her. Maybe she will bore of it and maybe she will excel. Either way, I believe it is important to grant her some exposure.

Consignment Time

It is hard to believe that fall is around the corner and that means that it's consignment season. The amazing Here Wee Grow Again sale begins Saturday, Sept. 26. In addition to providing a great place to shop for children's clothes, toys, and gear, this year's sale features Divine Consign, a consignment sale for women.

While I am very excited to be part of the sale again this season (this will make my third), I am a bit bummed by the timing. The deadline to get all of my items logged in the system is when we will be in Chicago and the sale begins while we are on our beach vacation. On one hand it's good because it has forced me to get started early. On the other hand it's bad because I won't be able to volunteer or participate in the pre-sale for volunteers and consignors. Hmmm...I bet BeanieDaddy would say that's a plus.

I started pulling out JillyBean's stuff this afternoon and am pleasantly surprised by how few things I felt the need to keep. I am getting much better at letting go, though there are still some items I feel the need to keep. I am also very happy that some of her clothes from last year will more than likely still fit this fall. That's why I love buying stuff from Mini Boden. They're sized in a way that she can get a couple of years out of most of the clothes so I don't feel so guilty spending what I spend there (though their sales are really great). Jilly's coveted pink jeans should still fit this year, which is a good thing because I haven't been able to find anything similar.

Spring Forward

The Dogwood Festival parade was a lot of fun on Saturday. JillyBean really enjoyed herself and loved the fact that she got to sit behind a "big truck" and wave at people. It was flippin' hot for an early spring morning, but we survived. Jilly talked about Miss Pam and singing in the parade the entire weekend. It was a fun experience and we look forward to doing it again next year.

Today we got a nice surprise in the mail. Auntie April sent us a disc with photos that she took while we were in Tennessee during Easter. There are quite a few cute shots, but these are my favorites:

I Love A Parade

The Dogwood Festival has been going on here for the past week or so. It's kind of an odd set up, in my opinion. I am used to festivals taking place over a long weekend and events taking place in consecutive days. These festivities are kind of spotty. But, this is the 60th anniversary of the festival so I suppose the organizers know more than I do.

Anyway, the festival comes to an end this weekend and the parade is set for Saturday morning (also kind of odd; I always think of parades kicking off an event, not closing it down). Featured in this year's parade is Miss JillyBean herself. She's not any sort of star, mind you, but she and I will be part of the parade riding the Kindermusik float with her fave teacher, Ms Pam (Jilly LOVES this woman and loves the class). According to the line up, we'll be behind the Little Miss Dogwood float. Maybe I can turn into one of those crazed pageant moms and get Jilly prepared to be the next Little Miss Dogwood...Yeah, I don't see that happening....

Jilly is so excited for the parade, even though she has no idea what a parade is. She is thrilled that she has a special t-shirt for the event and that she gets to wave at people. I figured that it would be a fun experience for her.

Wiggle Room

Another family friendly show is finally coming to the John Paul Jones Arena.

I am not a huge fan of The Wiggles, but apparently they put on a good show and the kids like them. The Australian group will be in Charlottesville on Wednesday, Aug. 26, as part of their Go Bananas tour. The Disney Channel recently changed up its morning line up and The Wiggles are now in a more premier morning slot. I can only think that change was made to help promote this new album and tour.

I first learned of The Wiggles when we lived in Houston. They came to Beanie Dad's building there and sold out two shows rather quickly. I don't know their appeal now, because the kids who saw those shows are probably the same whose parents pay thousands of dollars for Hannah Montana tickets today. It will be interesting to see how well this show sells. Maybe parents who have shelled out a few bucks for the U2, Metallica and/or Keith Urban concerts will be guilted into seeing this as well.