Willy gets a can of tuna in her stocking

Mermaid Barbie..... cool !

New Blanket

The Band

Right Foot Yellow

Maisie and her adopted whale "Yoda"

Cookies & Carrots

Willy checking out her stocking

Our take on Abbey Road Maisie.Grammy.Juliette.Cana.Matt.Kevin

Dangerous Boy & Daring Girl

Maisie has a true partner in crime and his name is Baze.  She's known him her whole life.  They dig for bugs together, search for "Bloody Mary", paint, play and run around like crazies.   Baze is her best bud.
For Christmas she was insistent that we get "The Dangerous Book for Boys" for him.  She as the "Daring Book for Girls"... so here they read together... then an idea is formed... "Let's go dig for bombs?"  WHAT ??  I told them that it was highly unlikely that there was a bomb in our back yard... but that didn't stop them from finding the shovels and rakes and getting down to business.  What ensued was lots of laughter, water, muddy clothes, cold and shivering children... and one beautiful hole.., minus the bomb.

Best Buds

Digging a hole

My daughter had the time of her life with her best bud Baze.  It will be their last adventure for a while.  Baze is moving with his mom to NYC and won't be back home until the summer.  I don't think the reality has really hit Maisie.  And if it has, she knows that every time he open up "The Dangerous Book for Boys"... her pal will be thinking of her.  We'll miss you Baze !!

The finished product

Dad vs. Daughter

Maisie makes a Strategic Move

Ice Cream Licks

Necessity is the mother of invention. - Jonathan Swift

The Inventor is pleased with herself !

Round and round she goes

Paper Chains

Apparently the Christmas Parade is a bit too LOUD for Jules

Adding just the right touch to the tree

Look at that smile.  Jules is so happy !

Christmas Fun

Leaving shoes outside for Saint Nicolas

Happy Saint Nicolas Day !!

Breakfast  Time - Hey, Hey, Hey

December is always a busy month at our house !  And it's a time for all of us to get into the spirit.  We've been having fun making our own decorations and trimming the tree.  Since it's so cold outside we've been trying to come up with things to do indoors.... and Maisie surprised Kevin with a challenge at the chess board.  What Kevin didn't realize is that she'd been practicing the game on his iphone and when it came time to play she was schooling him on some sweet moves.  That child NEVER ceases to amaze me.

Speaking of amazement... Juliette is REALLY into the holiday spirit.  She is thrilled with all the lights, decorations, presents and endless amounts of goodies.  The lightbulb has finally gone off and it is so rewarding to see how happy she is.   She is constantly thanking us... and it's so sweet (and unnecessary)... "Thank you mommy for letting me sit in Maisie's car seat"  "Thank you mommy for letting me decorate the tree"  "Thank you mommy so much, I love you."  "Mommy, we are a family"...
it is music to my ears.  This child is so very sweet and loving (until her big sister comes home then the attitude begins).... aaahhhh sisters.

However, they do have fun together.  The other day I was working on the computer and heard gales of laughter coming from their bedroom... when I went in, I found that Maisie had made a swing for her Orca that attaches to the ceiling fan... Willy was going around and around and the two of them were in stitches... sooooo pleased with their invention !  

Barbie, Ken & Sally

I haven't been back to my mom's house in Ohio for years and I was looking forward to rummaging through an old trunk that is stockpiled with bits and pieces of my life.  I always love to walk down memory lane but this time I was taking a few little friends with me.   My daughters.  I couldn't wait to open up the treasure trove and dig in... and to my delight both Maisie and Juliette stared in wide wonder as I brought out my baby shoes, baby blanket, report cards, and artwork (really mom, you saved all of this?)... but the piece de la resistance lay inside an old 1960's battered barbie suitcase.  The gasp that left Maisie's mouth was priceless.  Okay... it was more of a WOW !!!!

I just LOVE this vintage purple coat that Barbie is wearing.

Choices Choices Choices

Is there anything better than playing dress up with a Barbie?

And WOW is right... inside... vintage Barbie and Ken.   Still tan after all these years strutting their stuff in old school 60's & 70's garb.  I don't know who was more excited to play with them... me or the kids.
We all got right down to work spreading hundreds of outfits (many of them made by my mom and my dad's relatives) out on my mom's living room floor.  And right there in front of a roaring fire, we spent HOURS and HOURS changing their clothes, posing for fashion shows and going on all sorts of adventures.

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I LOVED to play with barbies when I was a child, and apparently still do.  It gave me such joy to be able to just sit and play with my own girls.  This is what memories are made of !!

Thanksgiving 2010 Judy, Matt, Kevin, Caryn, Maisie & Juliette

Over the river and through the woods we went...first  to Grandmother's (Grammy) house in Ohio where we feasted on a traditional holiday meal prepared by my mom.   The table was set with my grandmother's china.   Maisie made all of the place mats which I brought home with me to have laminated for future use.  This is the first Thanksgiving that Juliette really "got".... the girls were so excited when my brother handed them their own sparkling grape "champagne"... after our toast, we went around the table and gave thanks.  Maisie said she was thankful for her family and the world.  Juliette buckled under the pressure and just smiled sheepishly... but we all knew she was (and is) VERY happy !!  After dinner came the barbaric breaking of the wishbone... Juliette won... however, we'll never know what she wished for because shyness took over once again.

Maisie depicted herself as a Native American complete with her pet Orca.

Juliette is dancing by a fire.

Mom sailed over on the Mayflower

"Champagne" Toast

Make a Wish

After a visit with mom... it was off to an Ohio State Football game... where the girls learned all about fanaticism.  We were lucky to catch Brutus trucking through the parking lot on the way to the game.

Go Bucks !!

We left OSU country for the backwoods and farmland of Amish country... and the very small railroad town where my dad now lives with his longtime love and dog. There are no stop lights... only stop signs, but the girls were able to meet their extended family.  These are cousins, aunts and uncles that I haven't seen in more than 15 years.  I think they were overwhelmed by all the attention (and questions) but I know it gave them (at least Maisie) a sense of what it means to have more than just mom and dad that truly love and care for them.

Yeh Yeh, Ni Ni, Maisie, Me & Juliette

Look at the size of this thing !