Fake tree

I love Christmas trees. Specifically, I love Frasier Fir Christmas trees--live ones. That is why I shocked myself when I became determined to find an artificial tree this year. I've always had a major aversion to fake trees because--wait for it--they didn't look real. I never thought they were full enough and the "needles" seemed too flat and dull. However, I started to bend a little because I loved my in-laws artificial tree. I was completely converted last year after our live tree died two weeks before Christmas and a certain little person could not leave the tree alone. I picked up needles for months after the rest of the tree was long gone.

My mother-in-law was in the market for a new tree so we went out looking on Black Friday. (I'd already been out/up all night for 12 hours, but we turned around that morning and hit another six stores just looking at trees. I was determined!) At first, I thought I'd just take her hand-me-down, but then I found a tree I liked for a good price so I decided to get that one. However, once I got it into my house, that tree looked too small, so I returned it and went and got the exact one my mother-in-law had just purchased. (Apparently we have the exact same taste in Christmas trees. She'd already looked the day before and narrowed the choices in each store, and she was spot on for the ones she/I liked the best.) This tree is a 7.5 ft Himalayan Spruce with 700 PRE-LIT lights.

I LOVE having this tree and can't say enough good things about the switch from live to artificial. For a Christmas tree snob like me, this is huge. I never thought I'd be so happy with a fake tree. We have not had to water it, there has been absolutely NO mess, and it took less than half the time to set up and take down. There was no frustration over blown-out lights and the kids can mess with it all they want and the needles stay put. Plus, it looks real to me! (The kind of real that is a nice healthy tree, not one with white/brown wilted needles two weeks before Chistmas.) It's completely symmetrical, which is beauty to my eyes. It also fits perfectly into the designated spot for the tree.

The only negative of this tree was that my angel tree topper, which I loved, was too heavy and tall. I was hoping to find a new one on sale after the holidays, but the bar is set pretty high since I loved that one so much. However, as an indication that we'll be keeping with the fake tree for several years at least, and evidence of my resolution to get rid of things we don't need (this happens slowly), I gave my beloved tree topper to my sister. We went without one this year and it looked fine, so I won't even bother getting one unless I come across one I like.

For the record, I of course tried to get both kids in this picture, but one kid was not cooperating. That seemed to be a recurring theme for most of the posed pics I tried to take this year. Oh well, at least the tree was pretty!

Breeley's Christmas List

Does anyone have a place for us to keep a lion or elephant until Christmas?

Whew, good thing she asked for "a toy" or Santa may be in trouble!

Swiper

Zack tends to walk off with things and put them in random places. I've learned to check trash cans before dumping them. I've found pacis all over the house including Reesey's crate, the refridgerator door, and Brian's underwear drawer! I've spent way too much time searching for shoes and other things that I last saw him with, and he's currently being blamed because I can't find my camera case or battery charger.

Guess what I couldn't find this morning?

Pink Phone and Memory

What do these two pictures have in common?

November 2011

April 2011

These pictures were taken the last two times we have eaten lunch outside at our little picnic table. The first picture is from today and the second picture is from April. The kids and I have eaten outside between these dates, but I was always paranoid about Zack falling backwards off the picnic table and busting his head on the concrete, so we always ate on the front porch. Today Breeley asked to sit at the picnic table and I decided it'd be fine. Then she immediately started asking me to get her pink phone. I went through every phone in her toys until I finally remembered that the last time we ate at the picnic table seven months ago, she played with this phone and told me she was talking to her cousin Emma. It is actually a real phone (given as a hand-me-down from Emma) and since we don't have a land line, I donated this phone to Goodwill months ago so that another princess could enjoy it. We have not mentioned or talked about it since, so I was shocked that she made this connection and remembered that she played with it the last time we ate at the picnic table, which was 1/6 of her lifetime ago!   

Breeley has shown other incidences of having a good memory. When she first started in the Three's class at school, when she was one of the youngest, they told me about a memory game they'd played. They put pictures of 12 different color paint cans on a table. The kids looked at the pictures and then the teachers flipped them over so the colors were hidden. Then the teachers would hand them a paintbrush and they were supposed to find the corresponding paint can. Breeley got all 12 on the first try with no hesitation! I wasn't totally surprised because I've often welled up with tears of pride while playing memory/concentration with her. Beginning when she was 2, she usually remembers at least one match that I don't, and I'm pretty good at that game!

Brian and I both have pretty good memories. I'm good a remembering faces and names (this is actually not always a good thing because it can creep people out if you say hello while they're standing in line at Target and they have no idea who you are) and I can remember dates, directions, and pictures. However, don't ask me to recall what I was doing last week, much less seven months ago! I'm really bad at remembering things we did or places I've been, which is partly why I started this blog. Brian has a great short-term memory with numbers and facts. He got extra credit in high-school algebra because he memorized the entire poster of pi (as in 3.1415...) that went around the classroom. (Yes, it is a bigger issue that he was so bored in math that he was memorizing pi, when he should have been in a higher-level math class!)

Brian and I both recognize the pitfalls of memorizing vs. learning, so I'm anxious to figure out ways to develop Breeley's memory in a positive way. For now, she's keeping us on our toes as she repeats back things we uneventfully told her weeks ago and makes connections among things that happened months apart.  

Hair Photo Shoot

Breeley's hair has finally started getting some length to it, and by "length" I really mean more curls! When we are washing her hair and it's straight it goes halfway down her back, but when it's dry it is just at her shoulders. I used to always put it half up because it was in her face so much (and all over the place) and tended to be frizzy, which we call "crazy hair." It is starting to lay a little flatter, so I've been letting her wear it down a lot more lately, which she prefers. She'll say, "I don't want a hair bow; my hair's not crazy today."

I've been loving her hair more than ever, so I decided to snap a few quick shots the other night (without any combing or styling whatsoever since about 12 hours earlier). She was happy to model for me:

  

A cute little girl with red, curly hair gets a lot of attention. Just today at a store I overheard a woman say, "We're hoping for red hair... (voice trails off as she spots Breeley as we pass)... like THAT. Oh my gosh!" Breeley learned a long time ago to say "thank you" when people say they like her hair, which happens often.

Because of that, I was very confused to recently realize that people get picked on for having red hair. My college roommate and a good friend in high school had red hair, and I don't remember anyone making fun of their hair or calling them "ginger." That doesn't mean it didn't happen (it probably did), but I feel like I was with these two girls enough that 12 years later, I shouldn't have been completely naive and had no clue that "ginger" was used as a derogatory put-down. Now I'm noticing it more, and What Would You Do? even did a segment where a kid with red hair was being bullied.

Last year, when Breeley first switched to a new class, some older girls were giggling after something she said. I'm sure it was completely innocent and not even directed at her, but for some reason it hit me that one day someone is actually going to make fun of my child and mean it. I pictured her with head hung and a broken spirit, ashamed, embarrassed, and not wanting to speak up again, and the image nearly brought me to tears. That kind of thing can have a huge impact on a child's self-esteem and confidence, and I realize that one day, I won't be able to protect her. That is not a great feeling. But the thought of her hurting over the color of her hair, now that just makes me mad!!

For some reason, people think it's okay to make comments and judge based on hair color alone. (Think about all the blonde jokes you've heard.) It may be okay to joke with confident adults, but for the record, it's not very cool to comment to a 3-year-old that she must be a "fireball" or have a temper. Today at the grocery store (different store than above--it's impossible to go anywhere without hearing hair comments), the check-out clerk said, "I bet one of these kids has a temper?" I responded, "Yes, but it's not the red head!" I'm a big believer in the idea of "self-fulfilling prophecy" and I don't want either of my kids to hear negative things that they may start to believe about themselves, and then act on. I feel the same way about people saying, "I bet she's gonna hate her hair one day." I'm pretty sure most girls hate their hair at some point, but I don't want to give her any ideas or make her think there's some reason she should hate her hair. I hope she always loves her hair as much as I do!

SC Fair: Find Your Happy

I loved the theme of the state fair this year: Find Your Happy! This might be my new motto. It goes along the same line as "make it a good day," which is another favorite ditty of mine. They are good reminders that our happiness is largely up to us.

Here are some things that made us happy at this year's fair:

Breeley was big enough for many of the kid rides and she was fearless! She is often timid and cautious with new situations, so I'm amazed when she just jumps on by herself. (She did the same thing at Tweetsie Railroad.) She was so excited to wave to us on every ride.


 
We had fun riding with her on a few--except the swings. Neither Brian or I are fans of the swings. Brian did a "doubles swing" with her and admitted to feeling queasy afterwards. Later, I was hesitant to let her go on a single swing because I thought she'd freak out by herself. Nope, it was the only ride she asked to go on again!!
 

 Zack was too short for most of the rides, but he enjoyed watching Breeley, and he loved the few rides he got to go on.

We're in the second-to-last car. Breeley is laughing and waving at Daddy and Zack.

I love this picture! Zack was so excited!


Breeley ended up crying on this motorcycle ride, but not because she was scared. Another (older) kid started crying after the ride started, so they stopped to let him off. She thought it was over and started to unbuckle her seatbeat right as they were starting again, so we both jumped toward her and yelled to stop. Ever the sensitive one, it startled Breeley and she thought she was in trouble, so then she cried. Thankfully, we moved on quickly and all was well.

 

I like to watch all the shows, but it's hard to get there at the scheduled times and then get the kids to sit still if it's not highly interactive or stimulating. We watched the pig races, but the kids loved the High-Flying K9s the best. Zack loves dogs and was entranced!



View from the Ferris Wheel, with USC football stadium in the background.

Of course we had to indulge in some yummy fair food! I got a delicious Greek gyro and Brian got his usual polish sausage. The kids had corn dogs and fries. We aren't very adventurous with our food selections, but we did get the kids ice cream cones and let them go at them alone! Zack caused many passing chuckles because his ice cream ended up all over his face!


I always like checking out the animals, and these cows were HUGE!! It was cool to see young kids taking care of many of the animals. I often wonder what my life would have been like if we'd stayed on the farm and I grew up as a WV 4-H girl. I bet I'd be right at home with the sights, sounds, and smells of these barns!

Breeley making a pig face. She was also oinking.

We got to the fair in late afternoon and were there until after 10:00!! We didn't have time to visit the exhibits, which was only a disappointment to me, so I took advantage of free lunchtime admission and went during lunch at work one day. I browsed the artwork, checked out the giant sand replica of the State House, and found my friend Anna's prize-winning ginger cookies, brownies, and canned pickles! (I don't eat pickles, but she gave us a jar of her dill pickles and Brian said he agreed with the judges' first-place ranking!)

Helicopters. Swings. Smiling kids. Racing pigs. Flying dogs. Food. Ice cream. Family. Fun. I'd say we found our HAPPY!

Relaxing at the River

We always love spending time on the New River, so we were excited to combine our Tweetsie Railroad Daycation with a weekend at the river! The New River goes right through my hometown, and Brian's family has a camping spot further down the river (actually, I guess I should say up the river because, unlike most rivers, this river flows northward rather than southward). Another fun fact: the New River is the oldest river in North America and second only to the Nile as the oldest river in the world!

I don't think you have to be a history nerd like me to agree that the New River is beautiful!

Brian's grandparents joined us for breakfast on Sunday. As we enjoyed the morning air on the deck, I asked them questions about their childhoods and the early years of their marriage (they were married in July 1948--63 years ago!). All my grandparents have been gone for over six years now, and unfortunately, I realized too late how important--and interesting!--it is to collect oral (and written) history before they are gone. I'm hoping to be better with the three great-grandparents our children have left.

Of course, we think their four grandparents are great too! (We saw my parents a few weeks later.)

The kids didn't care that the creek was muddy and cold! What kid doesn't love playing in a creek?!


Following along behind Daddy. This is pretty typical because they LOVE their Daddy!

Zack does this hilarious thing where he looks at you completely serious--often getting right in your face--and starts babbling and talking like he's telling you something important, but you can't understand a word of it! (Overall, he's talking a lot more, but not sentences yet!)

Breeley entertained us by announcing, "Ladies and gentleman, introducing... Breeley Hudson!" and then singing for us into the microphone. She loved her Tweetsie souvenir hat and in one hilarious moment, she let it fall to her back, then dropped to all fours and announced, "I'm a turtle!" while grinning and bouncing. I almost fell out of my chair laughing!

Side note: We went home with a carload of hand-me-down toys and clothes from Lindsay (including the microphone pictured above)! We also scored a ride-on that made construction noises and a jogging stroller! I love hand-me-downs! Thanks, Lindsay! 

I also love the New River. It's so pretty in these pictures. And you SC folks, check out that effortless green grass!

Daycation Part 2 - Tweetsie Railroad

For our second daycation, we headed to Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock, NC. Brian had gone there as a kid and I had visited "Ghost Town in the Sky," which is similar, and we knew it was a fun family place. It has a fun railroad/cowboys/Western theme, and there's plenty to do for all ages. Also, it's 1.5 hours from Brian's parents' camper on the New River, so we could add some river fun and grandparents to our mini vacation.

We started out in the hoosegow ("jail" to city-folk)

then did a little dress-up with Zack at the Country Store.

Breeley was really excited to spot the train! It's a coal-powered steam engine and there's a little train robbers and Indians action along the 15-minute route.

Best picture of me all day.

Breeley's first solo ride and she LOVED it.

Zack got to ride this one and ring the bell. He looked like such a big boy riding all by himself.

The Deer Park (petting zoo) had pygmy goats, emus, European fallow deer, llamas, Nubian goats, burros, and pot-bellied pigs. Pappy bought some ice cream cones filled with feed for the deer and goats. Not surprisingly, Breeley was hesitant at first but warmed up quickly after Zack jumped right in.

The animals' tongues tickled and Zack giggled every time.

I was surprised how attentive both kids were during the shows, including a magic show and this musical show about Hopper the Rabbit and Porter the Turtle. Breeley even joined the "train" of children going around the audience.

Joy had a special part in the Can-Can show. They must have known it was her 29th birthday!

Zack and some ladies.

Breeley loved dancing along with the cloggers. I always wanted to do clogging so I'm hoping she wants to take a class at some point. (She's doing tap and ballet in her dance class this year.)

Chair lift to Miner's Mountain

Grandparents are awesome all the time, but especially on family outings! It is so helpful to have four more hands, eyes, etc.! It was also great because Doug, Brian, and I got to ride the Drop Zone (twice!) while Joy sat with the kids.

Ever since the NRV Fair Puking Episode, Brian has refused to go on any "round and round" rides. However, I love them and now I've found my ride partner! There were a few moments when I thought Breeley may get scared, but she grinned and laughed during the whole ride!

We enjoyed other rides too--the carousel, mini train, planes and helicopters, the ferris wheel, mini cars--there's plenty for little kids and adults!

Grandparents are also good for getting these adorable souvenir hats! I couldn't get a great picture of both of them, but Breeley looked very comfortable up on the horse.

Breeley watching the train on its final pull into the station.

Once again, the kids did awesome and we were shocked to be there almost until the 6:00 closing time. Then they were asleep within minutes of getting in the car.

This was a perfect day trip--plenty to do but not so much that you're overwhelmed and feel like you're missing something. It's small enough that there aren't long lines and crowds. I love the country/western theme. (The featured visiting entertainment was Riders in the Sky, a Grammy-winning quartet that sang old country, bluegrass, and even yodeled! I'm pretty sure the kids would have preferred Barney, who was there a few weeks earlier, but I could have listened to the cowboy group all day!) There was something fun for everyone, and the weather was even perfect. It was a great day!