Up Close and Say HoHoHo!

I took Jocelyn to see Santa today.  This morning she was all excited about dressing up in her pretty red Christmas dress, tights and fancy shoes.   She couldn't wait to tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas...  until he was sitting in front of her that is.   Then she clung to me like a monkey.  I thought this year's Santa pictures were doomed.

And then Santa saved the day.  He got her talking about her wish list (my Christmas shopping is no longer considered done), then he asked for a "high-five" and a fist bump (I don't remember Santa doing those when I was a kid!), and then Santa dared to ask her for a hug! 
Next thing I knew, she was in his lap chatting and smiling and this is what I got!!!

I'm pretty sure these are the best Santa photos she's ever taken! 

Yeah for Santa!!!

After our visit with the big guy,

we went to have lunch with our favorite guy.

Daddy's even more fun than Santa!

Correspondence from the Big Guy

Santa has written to Jocelyn again this year. 

How does he find the time??!!

Along with his letter, he sent a photo,

and Dasher sent some bells from his sleigh harness!

We love Santa, and can't wait for his visit ----- 24 days and counting!

FINALLY!! But I couldn't be more proud

This is one of those posts that will have Jocelyn hiding her head many years from now, but I am bursting with pride for my sweet girl, so I just had to write about it!

It has taken over a year, but Jocelyn is finally using the potty.   I decided, again, last Tuesday, to start putting her in underwear, and having her sit on the potty.   And the light bulb went off!  She is far from totally potty trained, but she's only having one or two accidents a day, and she's starting to ask to use the potty on her own.  And today, she pooped on the potty for the first time!! 

This is where we were a year ago.   And then, after a month (no joke) of bribing, begging and eventually fighting, I gave up.  She was just not ready.   I've tried to start it up a few times since then, but got a very loud and clear "NO!!"

But a year later, she has made amazing progress in just 6 days!   We still do pull-ups when we leave the house, and diapers at night.  We still have a ways to go for total control.   But when I started this less than a week ago, I was prepared to be disappointed once again, so what she has accomplished, in such a short time, is wonderful!

She asked me today why I am so proud of her.  I've lost count how many times I've told her that this week!   It almost made me cry when she asked the question with that shy smile on her face.   Well, my Sweet Jocelyn, here is why.  From preemie baby to potty training, my girl has always made me proud.  Every achievement has been slow in coming, but so exciting when it came.   But finally seeing my big girl use the potty, makes me jump up and cheer!!!   Yes, I am the proudest Mommy in the world!

Fall 2011

Treasures! Treasures! Everywhere!!!

.....  and I do mean EVERYWHERE!

Many years ago, my good friend Joye told me about her daughter's Treasure box.   (She was about Jocelyn's age at the time)   Abbie carried around her favorite little toys in this Treasure box.   How cute!

Well the Treasure box has now invaded our house, but it is not limited to a "box".  We have Treasure bags, Treasure pumpkins, Treasure backpacks, Treasure bowls, Treasure purses, and on and on and on.   This was the collection as of this morning.  (And this is only the living room stash!)

Here is the queen reigning over her treasures.

Not really!  :-)  I just thought it was a funny picture of her watching TV.

And I'm sure you are asking, what could she possibly have in all those Treasure bags, etc.?   Well her "Special" items of course - her "Special" toothbrushes from the dentist, her "Special" pine needles, her "Special" water gun, her "Special" ping pong ball (I have no idea where that came from!), and 1001 other "Special" items.

Anyway, while she was in My First School this morning, I transported most of the pile to the basement or Halloween storage, or dare-I-say the trash can!  I just wanted to reclaim the living room and I knew I couldn't do it under her watchful eye. 

Jocelyn's been home for an hour and she hasn't even noticed.  Hmmmm.....  what does that tell me???

Picasso at Work Again!

Jocelyn's drawing skills have really blossomed in just the last couple of days.   It's amazing to see the changes from scribbles to this!
Here is Mommy and Daddy...

And Mommy, Jocelyn and Daddy...

She's mighty proud of herself too!

Trick or Treat!

Or how about just the treat!  Here's our Cutie - Abby Caddaby!

Jocelyn had a blast Trick or Treating.  It was colder than the last couple of years though, so we gave up at around 7:15, (though you would never tell from her haul!!).  But then Jocelyn had just as much fun handing out candy to the kids that knocked on our door.

Happy Halloween!

Graduation Day!

Yesterday, we took the front railing off Jocelyn's crib, added the guard rail and turned it into a toddler bed.  She will be 3 years and 9 months old tomorrow.  I suppose some would say it "took you long enough", but she never cared about climbing out, and we were in no hurry to give her the freedom!

But now she is officially a "big girl" in a "big girl bed" and as you can see, she's mighty proud of herself and loves her new bed!

Happy Graduation Day Sweet Girl!

Thoughts on Fall

It has been raining...  like...   forever.

But suddenly, the realization has hit me that Fall is here.    How can that be?   Somehow it snuck in when I wasn't paying attention.  The leaves are turning colors and starting to fall, the temperatures are dropping, and Halloween will be here in 5 days.  In a week and a half, the time will change and it will be dark before we sit down to eat dinner. 

I'm not ready.  I'm not ready to rake all those leaves.  I'm not ready for the bare, dormant world.   I'm not ready.   I'm not ready for cold and frost and scraping windows, and don't even talk to me about snow!

But I love dressing Jocelyn up in warm, fuzzy sweaters, and I love how her chilly nose feels when she snuggles with me to get warm.   I love sharing hot chocolate with her and cuddling under a soft blanket.

I can't wait to see her excitement when she gets her letter from Santa this year, and her uncontainable joy on Christmas morning.

And then...  In the coldest part of winter, we will celebrate her 4th birthday.   So hard to believe my baby will soon be 4 years old.
Could it be, that maybe that's why she came into our lives so early?  To give us the hope and belief that the world will be reborn in the Spring.

 

Meet you at the Zoo!

Yesterday, Jocelyn and I went to the Maryland Zoo with our MOMS Club.  We hadn't been there in over a year, so it was lots of fun to see her reaction to the animals.  I didn't take a lot of photos of the animals, because frankly, you can only have so many pictures of the rhinos, but I got some fun pictures of my own little monkey!

She LOVED feeding the giraffe!

And she had fun pretending to be a bird and a turtle.

And Ok, I did get some photos of these guys too. 

The weather was perfect and we had a really nice day with our friends.  Jocelyn really likes the zoo, so I guess we'll have to go back again!

Pumpkin Fun!

Last weekend we took the three girls to get pumpkins.  Jocelyn insisted on dragging around her own wagon.  This photo probably gives her more credit than she deserves, but I thought it was funny!

It took a little convincing, but I got them all to pose. 

Aren't they a cute bunch?

Then we brought the pumpkins home to carve and paint.

The finished product!

Picasso at work

Um...  Yuck...  I can only guess that Picasso had to start somewhere...

At least she had fun!

Down on the Farm

Today we went to one of our favorite places to visit in the fall...  Clark's Elioak Farm.  Jocelyn and I have been there every year since she was born, and every year, she has a great time! 

Fall 2008

Fall 2009

Fall 2010

Today we went on a hayride and found the perfect pumpkin.

Jocelyn fed the goats...

And rode on the Cow Train.

Once again, Clark's Elioak Farm doesn't disappoint!  I'm sure we'll go back "another one time" as Jocelyn says.  We can't stay away from so much outdoor fun!

Flight 93 Memorial

Our Pennsylvania trip was a lot of fun.  We enjoyed the reunion and the chance to visit family, but we added a stop on the way home that makes me appreciate all the more, the things that matter in life.

I have really wanted to visit the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, PA.  I have been to the Pentagon Memorial which is beautifully done, and eventually I would like to go to New York.  But I want to wait until the museum is finished there.

But there is just something about Shanksville. 

On our way home from our family visit in PA, we travelled a beautiful route through mountains and valleys and small towns, that eventually brought us to the Flight 93 Memorial. It is REALLY out in the middle of nowhere.... nothing but open land.
Sometimes when the anniversary of 9/11 comes around, or I read something about that horrific day, I feel like the heroes of Flight 93 don't get nearly the recognition they deserve.  Yes, I know nearly 3000 people died that day.   New York was by far the place of greatest loss of life and buildings, and the Pentagon is a symbol of what the U.S. stands for, but the 40 passengers and crew of Flight 93 were the only people that day, that knew what was happening in the moment, and knew the risks, and still made a choice to take control of their destiny to potentially protect others.   Ultimately, it is thought that they prevented the hijackers from flying that plane into the Capitol Building.  I can't imagine the devastation that would have been brought to our country and our government if their mission had been a success.  

The memorial is a work in progress, but there is a beautiful white marble wall, along the direction of the flight path, that shows the engraved names of each hero. 

And through the wooden gate is a view of the stone that marks the final resting place of those heroes.

I'm not sure how to describe the feeling I had being there....   pride, sadness, awe, emptiness....  I don't know.... but I felt their presence.   The presence of people I will never know, but yet we all know these people, in our own husbands, wives, children, friends....
I hope we will never forget these heroes, the sacrifices they made that day, and the loss felt by their families.

But in part, because of their heroism, I have a greater appreciation for what I have...