Ho Ho's Lap

We didn't think last year was the right timing for Cindy Lou Who to see Santa. She was only 11 months old and still wasn't real sure of people other than her family. Let alone a big fat man in a red suit with a white beard. So passing up last year, we decided after a very successful trip to Disney and Halloween at The Zoo with all the characters she saw and loved there, this year was her year. She calls him Ho Ho. All the (45 minute usually takes 25) way to the mall she said, "Ho Ho's lap." Yes you are going to sit on Ho Ho's lap. She smiled. As if the 45 minute ride to the mall wasn't enough, how about the 45 minute wait to see Ho Ho? Oh the things we do for our kids. She waited very mostly patiently. When it was almost our turn, she did sit down on her knees and wait for the family in front of us to finish their visit with Santa. When it was finally her turn, she stood up, brushed herself off, and straightened her shirt. Gotta look good for the Big Man right? She walked right up to him, held up her arms to be picked up and just sat there. She looked at the other kids in line, looked ahead at the camera lady (but wasn't too thrilled with the jingle bells or squeaky duck used in a failed attempt to get her to smile), looked at Ho Ho and then decided it was time to get down. She didn't smile. Not once. So this picture is better than the one of myself at her age with Santa.

See. Told ya. It also looks like Santa's picked up a few pounds since 1980.

Okay, this post is two fold for me. I follow the McFamily over at www.mycharmingkids.net. Jennifer, the author of the blog takes wonderful photographs, edits them using Lightroom 2, and shares the finished product with all of us. She is also kind enough to share some of her editing tips/secrets so we too can get the "perfect" picture. As part of the holiday season she is giving away a copy of Lightroom 2 on her blog. So head on over, check out the McFamily, and see what she's all about!

Just Dance or Toot Your Own Horn

(Click Photo to Enlarge)

Around here that is about all we seem to do anymore! Thing 1 is super busy with dance practices preparing for an upcoming competition. She also has her studio class that meets twice a week... on the same days as after school practice, plus one private practice to fine tune it all. I love it. This is what being a mom (not a mother) is all about. Mothering is the loving, nurturing, taking care of side of things. A mom is on the sidelines cheering you on, laughing along side you, and being a friend. My kids are far from grown, but this is a wonderful season of our lives where I can enjoy them more and watch them grow instead of helping them grow up. Thing 2 had his first band concert this week. For a group of 11 year old kids who have no prior experience other than the first 2.5 months of school they did great. Thing 2 plays the French Horn. He enjoys it because it was his choice. We did not steer him in any certain direction of what to play. He has music influences around the house and it was nice to see him make his own choice. I look forward to his progress throughout the year.

I enjoy watching performances that showcase all the hard work my kids have put in. It makes me smile and warms my heart. This is only the beginning.

First Pumpkin for our Little Pumpkin

Vacation Highlights Vol. 1

No help
Originally uploaded by rhondaburkhalter

We spent Monday of our vacation relaxing in the pool and catching our breath after a busy day of travel on Sunday. Tuesday we were beach bound! I personally do not enjoy the beach. The sand sticks to everything, the water is full of wildlife and salt, and there is no escaping the blazing sun. I did enjoy it as a child, but I guess that is before I realized what a mess it was. I was excited for Cindy Lou Who's first trip. I knew that she would enjoy it very much. She loves to be outdoors and explore new things. I would have much more enjoyed an early start instead of being in the heat of the day, but we made it work. I captured some great moments that we'll be able to share with her when she is older. For example, while digging in the sand with Daddy, she thought the sand looked yummy enough to eat. So she scooped up a big handful and shoved it in her mouth. The faces that I caught in pictures after that are priceless. A little while later she lost her balance at the shore line and a little wave knocked her down. Mmmmmm, salt water. So with a little grit of sand and some sting of salt Cindy Lou Who got her first taste of the beach.

Only 1

Only one post for July? Really? None for August. Really? Wow. Sorry about that! The summer was super busy and I found it so difficult to sit down at the computer. A couple of other things contributed to my absence. Our computer ran out of memory, so I could not upload any of the pictures I had taken of our activities. Very frustrating. July 31st, 2009 was my official last day in the business world. My new business consist of breakfast, playtime, snack, more playtime, lunch, nap time, afternoon snack, and more playtime. I quit my job and now get to enjoy my daughter. It was a life change for our family that had to be done. I was growing more depressed every day about not being able to enjoy her and raise her. I was feeling guilty each morning as I dropped her off. So, it had to be done. I couldn't be happier. Staying at home with her (and watching a little boy to supplement John's income) does not leave any free time for blogging. At nap time I am busy picking up toys and sitting down to eat my lunch. Then the afternoon brings kids home from school, fixing dinner, homework, dance practices, baseball games, and bath/bedtimes. After all that, I fall onto the sofa and relax before dragging myself to bed to start all over again. I'm drained and haven't had the energy to think or blog. I am on my 3rd day of vacation and with Cindy Lou Who peacefully sleeping in the Pack-N-Play next to me, I blog. We are in Florida visiting John's Dad and Step-Mom (my in-laws would be the short version of that explanation). We left Louisville very early Sunday morning. Cindy Lou Who's first plane ride. She did extremely well on the flight from Louisville to Atlanta. The flight wasn't booked so we were able to use her car seat and all 3 of us sit together. She is under 2 years old and doesn't officially require a ticket, so we didn't buy her one. Which means we take the chance of having to hold her in our laps during the flight if there are no extra seats. Such was the case on our connecting flight from Atlanta to Orlando. This flight did not go so well. It was booked. Every seat taken. So we took a deep breath and crossed our fingers that she would do well. That deep breath was let out in several heavy sighs of frustration. #1, the flight crew was late getting off another flight which delayed us taking off. #2, because of their delay we had to be worked into the other departing flights taxiing. #3, we sat on the run way in "traffic" for a good 30 minutes while flight after flight departed ahead of us. #4, Madison was well past her nap time at this point and well past her tolerance of sitting still. She screamed towards the end of the flight for only a few minutes, but all the time before that she did not sit still one moment. She squirmed between John and I. Back and forth. None of the items we brought for her distraction she cared anything about. Not one thing worked. I don't "fly" well. I hate airplanes. Claustrophobic. Add to that some heavy turbulence on the way and a crazy baby in your lap. Not fun for me. After we arrived in Orlando, we had a 2.5 hour drive to the in-laws condo. Thank goodness his dad was driving. I was beat. Cindy Lou Who was too, so we slept. I'll do an entire vacation post and continue on with our experiences. I just wanted to update while I had the chance and was in the mood to do so. Oh! That pesky problem with our computer running out of memory because of all my pictures was solved with the purchase of an external hard drive. Once we arrive back home, I'll have pictures to add and update some more.