01-06-11 Scoot

It seems that Santa knew what he was doing when he brought Anna Kate a scooter.  It wasn't on her "list", and she was a little surprised to discover it on Christmas morning.
But, it's getting quite a workout.

01-05-11 Brrrr

38 degrees.
Too cold to play outside.
But, he convinced me to let him play, anyway.
I'll remember this when he whines that it's too cold outside.
Too cold to rake leaves, put up Christmas lights, or take out the trash.
I'll remember.

01-04-11 Celebrate

Fifteen years from now, I suppose this boy will be rolling his eyes and moaning "Mom!!" at me for immortalizing this moment. 
But, it's something to celebrate. 
This boy, who is 23 months old today, used the potty for the very first time today.  I know all too well that it may not happen again for weeks (or even months), but tonight, we celebrated.
All of us.  In the half bath.  At the same time. 
It really IS the little things that thrill us when we become parents, isn't it?

01-03-11 Yum

Fresh granola bread made from home made granola.
A sure sign that we haven't begun the new year vowing to improve our eating habits.
But wait - granola is healthy, right?

01-02-11 PINK

"I want to make my room fancy, Mama", She said to me as we read a bedtime book in early December.
Not knowing what exactly constitutes fancy to a 4 year old, I asked her.
"I want to paint my walls pink. I want streamers on my fan, a picture of me and my brother on my wall, and I want a chair for Pancake."  (Pancake is a much loved, yet grungy pink bear)
Pink.  Pink?  We are not people of pink.  Even Anna Kate usually chooses blue over pink. 
We are also not people of paint.  In the 7.5 years we've been in Charlotte, exactly 2 rooms - bathrooms - have been painted.  One, as a result of a renovation requiring it, and the other after removing very old and ugly Asian themed wallpaper.  Ben isn't a fan of painting, and I'm not very good at it. 
But, when we found ourselves with a few days at the end of December, we managed to paint a room pink. 
It made our girl grin from ear to ear, and that made the effort worthwhile.
The paint color she chose?  Princess.  Perfect. 

01-01-11 Read

While I was putting away laundry, I realized that all had gotten quiet.

Too quiet. 

Not a good sign. 

Then, I rounded the corner and saw the two of them in Ben's room reading.

The perfect way to start the new year!

A New Year; A New Goal

I'm not much of a fan of New Year Reslolutions, but I suppose I've made one despite my best efforts to avoid them. For the past 5 years, I've been vowing to be a better record keeper. I want to remember so much of the day-to-day happenings, but I just don't take the pictures I should or jot down the reminders that would preserve the memories.  I recently stumbled upon a website that hosts a picture a day for particpants:  Project 365.org.  I'm a realist; 365 isn't likely to happen, but perhaps I'll shoot for one picture for everyday of January.  A meager goal, but it's a start.
 2011 is certain to be a big year in the Marion Household.  For Anna Kate, 2011 brings birthday #5, the first day of Kindergarten, the loss of top front teeth (the bottom ones are long gone), and many more milestones. For BenIII, the year will bring a second birthday, lots of talking (we hope) and all the fun that comes with toddlerhood. For BenII and me, there are trips to take and a 10 year anniversary to celebrate at year end.
   So, here it is. My effort to preserve 2011. May it be a good one!