Dolly Week

This week was "Dolly Week" at dance. All of the girls brought in dolls and danced with them. Claire's choice, from her large collection of dolls, was a Cinderella doll that she sleeps with.

Pajama Day

Today was Pajama Day at Claire's preschool. Thanks to my friend, Gillian, posting about Pajama Day on Facebook, we didn't forget about it!! Claire was so excited to wear her "pajamas" to school. She thought it was hysterical when she woke up in the morning and I changed her from the nightgown she slept in to another clean nightgown for Pajama Day. At school, they read If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff and made pancakes for snack. This year Claire didn't want to eat pancakes, but I distinctly remember that she ate them last year because I bought Claire-safe pancake mix for Pajama Day '10. It was a special day that I know Claire will remember for a long time.

Click, Clack, Moo

This afternoon we saw another little musical at the Mayo Center for Performing Arts -- Click, Clack, Moo based on the book Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin. The book is not only clever, but it is funny and exposes children to some good vocabulary words (furious, strike, neutral party, ultimatum). We read it often and laugh every time. The musical took some liberties with the storyline, but it was still quite funny. Claire and I were able to discuss how the musical and the book were similar and different.

Snow Much Fun!!!

Yesterday all of the meteorologists were predicting tons of snow for today. In fact, according to many of my teacher Facebook friends, lots of school districts all over the county and beyond had snow days today -- and the districts notified them last night! So, in preparation, I checked out some movies and a new book from the library, hit Shop Rite for a few things and tried to make arrangements to have our driveway plowed since my husband is away.

When we woke up today and looked outside, we realized that we only got about 5 or 6 inches, not the massive snowfall that was predicted. Our street looked icy, so I canceled the small playdate I had planned. I finally reached the landscaper and made arrangements to have his crew stop by to plow the driveway and shovel our front walk. Claire and I hung out inside in our nightgowns, cleaning, organizing and watching tv until around 3:00 when we suited up and went outside to enjoy the snow.

First we did a little snow painting. We had fun making masterpieces in the snow.

Next, we went over to the hill next to our house and Claire climbed up and sledded down it many, many times.

After throwing a few snowballs at Daddy's truck, we went inside because we were both freezing. We made pizza for dinner. Claire loved helping by "painting" the sauce on the pizza crust using a silicone brush and sprinkling cheese on top. It was delish!!!!

Holiday Photo Cards

One of my favorite things about the holidays is receiving (and sending!) holiday photo cards in the mail. I love, love, love it! It's so exciting to see everyone's pictures and, if they're long distance friends or family, how much their children have grown. Claire loves seeing the cards from her friends' families and eagerly awaits our mail carrier Robin's arrival each day. All of our picture cards are displayed on our refrigerator and pantry doors until the end of January. I simply can't put them away right after Christmas!

Our Cards on Display

I also agonize about the holiday card we send out each year: Which picture should we choose? Which card should we choose? It is literally hours and hours of agonizing for me. It's probably a little OCD on my part. : )

This was our 2010 card:

Pinkalicious, the Musical

One of Claire's favorite books is Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann, so when I saw that Pinkalicious, the Musical would be playing at the Mayo Center for the Performing Arts, I bought tickets immediately!

The musical generally followed the book, so Claire was able to predict what was going to happen next. There was some audience participation, which she adored. When the show was over, Claire was disappointed that we couldn't go hang out with Pinkalicious. After going to Disney World, I suppose she thinks she can meet all of her favorite "stars."

After the show, we dined at George and Martha's, a restaurant we have been wanting to try.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Last night we had a great time ringing in 2011. Our evening began by meeting my parents at a fabulous restaurant: Varka. We hadn't planned on going there, but were excited to get last minute reservations for an early dinner. The food was exquisite! The atmosphere and dining experience were second to none. We will definitely go back to celebrate a special occasion in the future.

Afterwards, we drove over to a hotel where we had reservations for the night. My parents joined us because, as my dad told my mom, "I want to go swimming with Claire." So, we quickly changed, then headed for the pool. Apparently, our idea was not original. There were TONS of people in the pool. A few groups of friends/families clustered around the pool deck eating pizza and drinking, while their kids swam in the pool. It was slightly disappointing that the pool area was so crowded at first, but then, after we were in the pool for a little while, the crowd started to thin out. Claire had a blast jumping in, diving and doing cannonballs, in addition to showing off her strong swimming skills. We even spent some time in the hot tub.

A little before 9:30, we decided to return to the room and get ready for bed. My parents headed home. We got into bed and put on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. My husband fell asleep as soon as his head landed on the pillow. Claire and I were still awake, so I figured I'd see how long she'd stay up. At one point, Train came on the tv and sang their hit "Soul Sister." Claire tried to wake my husband up to tell him because she thinks it's his favorite song because it's plays on the XM Radio in his car constantly. It was very sweet.

Happy New Year!!!

We counted down at midnight while watching the ball drop in Times Square. Claire was excited. Then I told her it was time for bed. She said she didn't want to go to bed because it was "boring" (Her new excuse when she doesn't want to do something.). I turned off the tv and started reading my book. About five minutes later Claire was asleep.

We're looking forward to a terrific 2011!