Dance

More Christmas

Vi had fun reading and playing with pop.

Sorry other family members! Didn't take many pics! ;(

Remembering Grandpa

It has been one year since Rich's dad assumed his place in the celestial hereafter. We miss him dearly and think of him constantly. Our hope is that we always keep his memory alive by sharing stories of his love and kindness. We are so blessed to have our families near so we can share these stories often.

Freddy would be so proud of his grand-girls and their joyous spirits and giving hearts.

We love you, Freddy. It's very encouraging to know one day we will all be together again.

Christmas 2009

Christmas in Buffalo scheduled for a late Jan time-frame.

More pictures to come!

Almost 3...

So, talking with Vi at one point today we started to discuss her birthday party (in March). She decided that she wants to have presents atop her birthday cake. OK, I think I can pull that off...

As we were talking about her party I experienced a pang of sadness because she's going to be 3 (I know it's still three months away - but still!). Little Viley is growing up fast.

There are so many things I love about this stage of toddlerhood, and I thought I should list some things that she's doing now so we can remember her as a 2 yr old!

- She can't quite pronounce 'th' in the words "Mother", "Brother", etc. It comes out as "Fairy Godmudder", "Efan (Ethan) is Mal's brudder". You get the point. It's pretty cute.

- Vi loves the idea of being a princess. I have had severe disdain for this concept since I was in high school. They make her happy so I've learned to accept and embrace Disney princesses. The genuine excitement and passion she exhibits when she is wearing princess dress-up is priceless. Now if I can just get her to understand that not every moment of every day needs to be filled with dress-up, princess loving bliss...

- Vi loves her Grandmas (and Grandpas ;). When she talks about them she refers to both of them as "MY Grandma", and if she happens to be playing with a toy or reading a book they lovingly purchased for her she invariably points out "Grandma gave me this" before she proceeds with her play.

- Vi is in love with music and she has taken to singing to herself at random moments throughout the day. I wish I had an audio clip to insert here so you could hear her. It's adorable. "Old McDonald had a farm..."

- When I get Vi from her nap she usually says something funny like "Hi, Mommy Queen, it's dark in here!" or "Oh, it's you Mommy froggy" the moment I walk in the room.

- Lately, every thing's a "competition". No - for real; "See Daddy? it's a little competition." while pointing to a drawing she just created. Or, looking out the window of a restaurant, "Oh, there's a competition." pointing to a car in the parking lot.

- Vi scolds her stuffed animals ALL day long and I REALLY hope she isn't completely mimicking me...it typically goes something like this: "You know what? do you want a little spanking? what? you don't? then LISTEN to what I'm talking about! OK - good job. BUT DON'T BE BOSSY! It's a little competition." oye

- We discovered that she knows letters by their sounds whilst listening to her play a computer game - she has a good audio memory so I think that's how she picked it up.

- Hannah (the cat) went to live at a new house almost a year ago...last week Vi said that when we move into our new house that Hannah will be there ;(

- Watching Syracuse football and basketball with Daddy has become a new tradition. She lays on his chest and they do fist pumps together. I think Rich has a sports watching buddy and I think he's pretty excited about it. ;)

- Vi has been spending two days a week at TT and Uncle Scott's house. I am so grateful to them for opening their home and embracing the opportunity to spend time with Vi. She doesn't bat an eyelash when I mention that she is going to their house, and she talks about Abel and Satchmo with a twinkle in her eye. That makes my heart happy. I wish all of our family lived closer, but I'm also thankful they don't live farther away.

OK - that's it for now. I'll probably get more emotional as her birthday gets closer...consider yourself warned.

Digging through the archives - found this gem:

Travels with Charlie

This is Vi's buddy, Charlie.

It is well known that our roads are dangerous.

Charlie is one trusty travel companion.

Violet was (obviously) frightened during a recent hayride, and

Charlie held her hand tightly to protect her from the scarecrows.