I Love You, Sasha

Sasha, my baby girl, you are THREE!  Three years of a lot of changes and growing up for you, and for all of us.  You have transformed our family in so many ways, and I can't imagine our lives without you.  And even though you are turning my least favorite of ages (three is a doozy), I know this year will be full of surprises for all of us.  You will test my patience in ways I could never fathom, and you will make my heart grow to sizes I didn't know it could reach.  There are so many reasons I love you, but here are some of the big ones.

I love you for your fierce determination, even when you end up wearing the particular diaper, nightgown, unwashed pants, or no socks that drive me crazy.  Just when I think I can hold out longer than you, you let me know that you will not give in and instead, answer me logically with, "I think I will wear underwear when I am older."

I love you for your delicious giggle that erupts from your mouth full of teeth whenever I tickle you.  And you love to be tickled.  And I love to hear that giggle.

I love you for the way you dance through life, describing in detail your ballet class, the teacher, and students, despite never having taken a ballet class in your life.  (But I hope the one you start taking in January lives up to your dreams.)

I love how you squeeze Morgan so tight before going to bed, even though she usually doesn't want hugs.

I love your kisses.  The silly raspberry kisses you do to my cheek everyday.  The delicate ones you give to each of your baby dolls.  And the big, wet smooches that make me feel so loved.

I love your speed and agility.  The fact you can sprint down the uneven sidewalk in sparkly dress shoes  (or a snow storm) without falling or missing a beat amazes me.

I love your focus.  You try so hard to keep up with Morgan's many talents, like insisting on doing 'homework' just like her.  Your detailed coloring and long attention span impress me to no end.

I love your passion for mermaids.  From Disneyland to your Ariel Kitty build-a-bear to your halloween costume, you adore that little mermaid.  I hope you keep on swimming.

I love your silly faces and sense of humor.  You love to make goofy faces as well as work the word 'underwear' into as many sentences as possible.  You still have that adorable dimple on you right cheek, and the jokes you crack always make me laugh.

I love hearing the hilarious things you say.  Like how, lately,  you always ask 'Is that Santa singing?' whenever you hear a Bing Crosby song.  Or how you think the 'three nice men' were part of the nativity, as well as Baby Jesus, whom you insist is a girl.  When it snowed last week, you said "It must be Christmas!"  But when you discovered it had melted later in the day, you exclaimed, "Oh no!  Christmas is over!"  And of course you are really fond of saying, "Merry Christmas, Underpants!"

I love how you love babies.  This has always been something that was part of you, and now you are an excellent mommy to the two baby dolls you inherited from Morgan.  (One of which I am often delegated to care for too!)  While at times your passion for babies can be tough for me to cope with, I love seeing how caring you are or how you suck in your breath at the pure cuteness that you see in babies.

I love how much you love V8.  I have no idea where you get this appetite for tomato juice (and soup too), but I think it's pretty awesome.

I love your snuggles.  For the past year or so, I have let you come into bed with us some (ok, many) mornings when you wake up to snuggle and sleep a bit longer with us.  Hearing you say, 'I want to snuggle in your bed' has a great power over me.  You used to sleep on my chest but now you snuggle in close to me and usually go right to sleep.  I knew long ago this was a bad but incredibly wonderful habit that definitely won't last forever.

I even love you when you stall like no child has stalled before bedtime.  The drinks of water, the sudden willingness to use the potty (with logic thrown right back in my face: "It's good to use the potty before bed, right Mommy?"), the SNAAAAAACK that you are dying to have, the babies in their correct beds with blankets on, the particular stuffed animal that was left in the basement that you suddenly need, the light dimmed just right, etc., etc., etc.   You exhaust us but delight us too.

Thank you for this beautiful year of memories, cuddles, laughs, and for being the one and only YOU!  I will do my best to maintain my composure and keep my ego in check this year, while your ego and composure get lots of practice doing what three year olds do best:  become your very own little person. It's going to be a wild year, but I am so very glad that I get to be part of it.  I love you, Sash.  

Love always, 

Mommy

Fall in the Neighborhood and Grandma Time

After crazy September rain storms, we had such a nice October with lots of sunny, dry weather.  The girls, and rest of the kids on our block, have enjoyed the annual tradition of playing in piles of our neighbors beautiful red maple leaves that always fall early when the weather is still nice.  It makes for great after school fun.  We also got a quick escape to the beach house while the weather was still beautiful.  The girls loved exploring the rocks and tunnel, we got to carve some pumpkins, and Sam and I had some quality time sitting on the deck in the fall sunshine!

Oceanside rock climbers

Sunshine girl

The sun lit up her jack-o-lantern.

Since Halloween was on the heels of our Disney trip, I knew that my girls would probably end up some kind of princess this year. And they were.  While in Disneyland, Sasha's obsession with all things mermaid led her to choose an Ariel costume, Morgan really wanted to be "Sophia the First," a new tv show about a girl princess.  Unfortunately, they don't have a Sophia costume, so she settled on Sleeping Beauty, I mean "Princess Aurora," which we were often corrected on.  And despite there being large amounts of glitter around the house for a few weeks, both girls looked fabulous on Halloween.  We had a lot of fun trick-or-treating in our neighborhood with friends.  The weather was perfect and there were so many more kids this year - our neighborhood is really growing.  Some neighbors even made a piñata for the kids to do before trick-or-treating.  It might become a new Halloween tradition!

Ready for candy!

Sasha had no problem keeping up with Morgan.

 Morgan was the only brave girl to whack at the piñata.

Awesome, adorable neighbors!

Princesses, astronaut and transformer attack the leaves!

The girls also had a lot of fun doing "Grandma Art."  Ron and Dinda came over for dinner, and Dinda brought over a whole bag of art supplies so the girls could make owl puppets.  Dinda is so thoughtful and, ever the teacher, always coming up with great ideas for the kids to do.  Even with limited vision, she dives right in to help them, and I love listening to the conversations they have together.  Grandma Dinda always explains things in a way that makes perfect sense to kids (and adults!), and I love how she makes everything you do totally okay, mistakes and all.  She is such a great model for her granddaughters.  And the fact that she thinks they are the most brilliant children in the world makes her even more amazing!

I believe in MAGIC!

After talking about it for a while, we decided to go for it and take the girls to Disneyland.  Originally it was to be only Morgan as part of her 6th birthday, but we decided that to leave Sasha out of this special trip wouldn't be fair.  And even though she's only two, she really does know shockingly a lot about princesses and Disney (thanks to TV and her big sis!).  I always shied away from all the Disney princess stuff in trying to raise strong, confident girls, but now I find myself dancing along to the Mickey Mouse Club or singing the Doc McStuffins song when the girls fall and get an owie.  And then hearing that all Sasha wanted to see at Disneyland was "Ariel" (she would lean in and whisper it) was beyond sweet.

So for three days and two nights we dove head first into the magical world of Disney.  It boggles my mind that humans can create so much well-choreographed happiness and entertainment and fun, but I loved every minute of it.  From waiting in line in the morning, hearing the dramatic theme music playing in the background (and trying not to tear up), to hearing Morgan sing along proudly along with Mary Poppins at the evening parade while sitting atop her dad's shoulders, to seeing the girls eyes light up when they met five different princesses at a special lunch.....it was SO MUCH JOY!

What delightful travelers.  Our best flight yet!

We made it - happy smiles!

She can hardly contain the excitement!

First ride together:  It's a Small World!

Night view of California Adventure - wow!

We decided to splurge and stay at the Grand Californian Hotel so we could easily go back and rest mid-day.  Our short legged travelers needed naps every day, so it was worth taking a break to do that.  It was a really nice hotel and everyone was so friendly.  Because it was Morgan's birthday (well not technically, but two weeks late), she got to wear a special button that said her name and birthday on it.  At first she was reluctant to wear it, but once people started saying "Happy Birthday, Princess!" or "How old are you, Morgan?" she realized it was pretty darn cool.  I loved seeing a sweet smile appear on her face every time a staff member said that, and for the next two days, she made sure she didn't leave our hotel room without wearing it!

HAPPY HOLLOWAYS!

Auntie Love

Dumbo or bust!

 

I was happy that the girls were able to meet so many characters too.  I knew we would see lots of princesses at the special (and especially expensive!) princess lunch that we had planned.  But we also saw lots of characters throughout the park.  The girls didn't mind waiting in line, especially to meet Tinkerbell and another fairy, Silvermist, at Pixie Hollow - for about 40 minutes!  Disneyland truly is magical because your children will do things that amaze you!  They walk (and even skip!) for hours without whining or asking to be carried!  They hug their sibling spontaneously with genuine love and affection!  They agree on things instead of pushing each other's buttons until screaming ensues!  And they suddenly have the patience of a Tibetan monk as they wait in line for a ride they can't see or know anything about!  PURE MAGIC, I tell you!

Waiting in line....with smiles!

You'd think she was the Queen of England

The Queen herself

Donald is so much fun!

In the presence of cartoon royalty... 

ARIEL!!! Sasha acts cool but is beyond excited!

And Goofy is, well, so goofy!

Cars Land on a moonlit night

Seconds of chocolate milk?  Where all your dreams come true!

Brave girl post-Matterhorn.  Not a fan...yet.

I am so happy we did this trip when we did, when the girls were this age.  Things never go quite as planned, but somehow, someway this magical trip came together and was fantastic. This first trip was so special and magical to witness in our girls' eyes.  They really had no idea what to expect, and seeing them delight in surprise and wonder around every corner was such a gift to see as a parent.  I know we will go to Disneyland again someday, but the girls will be older and the magic will be a little bit different.   We are so lucky to have been able to go as a family and make these memories together.

Another princess appears! OMG!

Pure JOY!  At the Disney Jr. Live show.

While it all may be manufactured to be a happy place, the joy that it creates is genuine.  That is the Disney magic.  And I think all of us, Ron, Dinda, and Kim included, felt it.  I know I felt it.  It has taught me that there is magic all around us, not just at the 'Happiest Place on Earth.'  So now, especially if I am having a bad day or feeling overwhelmed, I look for magic.  And guess what?  I find it.  It is everywhere.  In a dewy spiderweb.  In the brilliant color of fall leaves.  In my daughters' sparkling eyes.  And I can truly say I'm a believer.  Thanks, Walt!