New Year's Eve Eve

Happy New Year's Eve Eve! We are celebrating in style over here. Violet and I ventured into the Big City to have lunch with Emily and Air Force Jen today at the Flying Biscuit, and tonight we've been invited to a dinner party in the neighborhood. Sweet Jody volunteered to babysit last minute (whew! I must get a running list of available sitters going!) so Violet will be headed to her house to hang out with Jody and her nieces - girls night!

Ladies who Lunch. Violet had more fun feeding Jen than she did eating herself!

Yesterday we reunited with our neighbors for dinner, and Violet got some late Christmas presents, not one but two baby dolls! A. really wanted to be the first to buy my sweet girl a doll, but her mother somehow beat her to it! (I just love when people who barely know Violet love her so much!) Anyway, this morning she and I had so much fun playing with the dolls. I'm wondering if Violet might have actually said her first word (other than Dada and Mama). After spending a good ten minutes listening to me talk about the "baby" and removing and replacing the baby's hat, I heard Violet saying under her breath "bababa". That's totally "baby"! And she did it spontaneously, not just mimicking something I was saying at the time. So we'll see what happens next time she sees the dolls.

My baby with her baby.

And for another first, Violet pulled up yesterday! She was sitting by the coffee table, wanting to bang on the top of it like her Uncle Lukas taught her. Then all of a sudden, she was up on her feet, all by herself! She's also getting really good and moving her feet, walking-style, once she is up, so who knows what will happen next. Alas, she plopped down on her butt at some point (girl hasn't learned the importance of gravity and/or holding on to things) and it might have scared her a bit - she hasn't tried the pulling up trick since. But still, cross that milestone off the list!

The Rest of the Best

More scenes from our holiday week...

Taking a winter walk in Mimi's bargain basement stroller - five bucks!

Violet and Aunt Danielle - reunited and it feels so good!

 

There's nothing quite like bath time in the kitchen sink!

 While they might not have been instant best friends, Violet did eventually warm up to Uncle Tatum. See how peacefully they're existing in the same room?

Loughman Family Christmas

It's taking me a while to get all these pictures posted... we're just too busy having a holly jolly time over here! But anyway, here are a few memories from this year's Loughman family celebration.

Violet in her Christmas best, getting ready for more presents!

Violet's favorite toy of the year - her new kitchen!

We spent the morning leisurely opening presents, once again going from youngest to oldest. It seemed like it was always my turn to open something! There was truly an embarrassment of riches under the tree this year. I got a lot of new books (yay!) and some great new things for the kitchen. Now that I host a neighborhood dinner once a week, I can really put some of these new serving dishes to use. After the wrapping paper carnage, we indulged in one of my favorite holiday pastimes, laying around in exhausted splendor. Then, miracle of miracles, it actually started snowing! And the snow stuck! We had a white Christmas after all! It was beautiful watching it fall from inside the cozy house.

Someone thoroughly enjoyed her Christmas dinner!

And after the feast, it was time for a much needed bath, assisted by Brooke!

Yay bathtime!

After the bath, it was time to unveil one of Violet's cutest presents, courtesy of her cousin Brooke...

Matching PJs!

Monday's Child

44 Weeks

 

 

Violet has discovered the point-and-whine. And boy is she good at it. Fun times. I'm never exactly sure what she's pointing at or whining for. She sure seems to know, however, and expresses great disapproval when I can't figure it out fast enough. So this phase will last for, oh, the next five years or so?

Yesterday Matt and I left Violet with Mimi while we went to the movie theater for the first time in over a year (we saw Harry Potter, in case you were wondering). It was so nice to just be off by ourselves, doing something we wanted to do. We've really got to start using babysitters! Although by the time we pay the sitter, buy the movie tickets, eat dinner... talk about an expensive date night. But it was definitely a nice treat for us last night. It's funny how I used to be so nervous leaving her. We took off last night with barely a second thought. Part of it is that I know Violet loves being with my mom. And I'm used to leaving her every day at daycare. Plus she's so much sturdier now, not the helpless, fragile infant she used to be. It's amazing how much she's changed in just 10 short months.

Christmas Wrap-Up

Ah, Boxing Day! I'll admit, I'm not really sure of the significance of this day, but we're enjoying it all the same. We enjoyed our Christmas, too! Here how Christmas Even went down, Fortunato style...

In her Christmas Eve best, ready to head out to the candlelight service.

 

Waiting to open presents.

Violet decided she couldn't wait and got a head start without us.

One of her favorite presents this year, the singing mailbox.

Great minds think alike!

Christmas Eve in the Fortunato household turned out to be quite the event, as always. We spent a long afternoon getting to catch up and hang out with the family. Tatum and I enjoyed our annual book talk, where we discuss the best we've read all year and compare notes on our writing lives. Violet and Danielle got to hang out and my sweet sister-in-law showed off her ability to rock the baby to sleep. As the afternoon turned to evening, we feasted, headed to church, then regrouped around the Christmas tree for the present opening. In this house, we take turns unwrapping, youngest to oldest, with much oohing and ahhing in between. I think I speak for everyone when I say a good time was had by all. Then we headed to bed to rest up for the next day's festivities, Christmas 2.0 at the Loughman's!

Merry Christmas!

"For unto us a child is born..."  

Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas! May your day be filled with family, laughter, love and memories old and new.

With much love,

Matt, Kristine & Violet

Oh Holy Night

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." 

 Luke 2:10-11

On this most Holy Night, long ago, the world held its breath and waited for the silence to be broken by a baby's cry. I pray that you, too, find a moment to pause and listen to that still, small Voice that calls out to all of us. May you awaken tomorrow into a world filled with peace, joy and love.

Home for Christmas

Hey blog family! Just wanted to drop a quick note to say that we're heading home for the holidays today. Getting ready to enjoy some family, food, friends, relaxing, chasing my crawling baby as she wanders into un-babyproofed spaces, eggnog (spiked please!), present wrapping and unwrapping, the whole doo-wop. So... if you find me absent on the blog for a couple days, fear not!

Enjoy the season, treasure the time with your loved ones, stay safe and warm and I'll talk to you soon!

Love,
Kristine

Tradition

Starting a new family also means we get to start some of our own holiday traditions... I'm still trying to work our what ours will be. I know a tradition is made over many years (after all, tradition is defined as something passed down from generation to generation, a continuing pattern, etc) and I shouldn't worry about inventing the wheel in one day here, but it's exciting to think about starting something that will be continuing when Violet is old enough to understand Christmas and she can look forward to certain things always happening.

So in that line of thinking, what are some of your family's favorite holiday traditions?

I thought we'd be starting the Christmas custom of trekking to the tree farm and sipping hot cocoa as we merrily bickered over which tree to chop down and haul home for decorating. Alas, my type of Christmas tree (Fraser Fir) doesn't grow here in Georgia. So we started the new tradition of driving a few blocks across town to our local Lowes to pick one out. (Mild bickering still ensued.) So much for that idea. But I grew up with real, live trees, and Fraser Firs at that, so I guess I'm still carrying on that tradition.

Funny how things get stuck in our heads... it just wouldn't be Christmas with a fake tree (although I know many people who sport perfectly lovely fake trees). The year my mom misguidedly decided to go fake, my brother and I revolted in horror and insisted Christmas would be ruined if she didn't return it immediately to the store and do penance at the local Lowes. (She admits it was her dumbest idea to date.)

Now that I have a child of my own, I need to decide about the whole Santa thing. Here's the deal: I never believed in Santa. I don't know if my parents just didn't encourage the fantasy or I was too practical of a child to really believe there was a jolly old guy who managed to hit every chimney in the world in a few short hours. But part of me wishes I had believed, so I'm bound and determined to make sure Violet does. So here's the question: should "Santa" wrap the presents? Should there be special Santa paper that only he wraps in? Should the presents just be displayed in all their glory under the tree come Christmas morn? At my neighbor's house, Santa leaves three unwrapped gifts. At other homes, he leaves one giant present. Still other people have wrapped presents from jolly old St. Nick. So many options! What does Santa do at your house?

And don't even get me started with the whole Elf on the stinkin' shelf! I had no intentions of starting this tradition until I realized every single kid at my elementary school has an Elf at home, and most teachers have them in the classrooms. Violet can't be the only one without! But while some elves are content to just move from place to place each night, others are mischievous. The Elf next door has been known to make hot chocolate in the middle of the night, toilet paper the boys' rooms and swing from the chandelier. Good grief!

So I ask again, what are some of your favorite traditions for this time of year? Do you get a new ornament every year, or perhaps a special pair of PJs on Christmas Eve? Is there a favorite food you look forward to, something that only appears this time of year? Do you look forward to the Christmas Eve candlelight service or a live Nativity display? Perhaps you enjoy driving around your neighborhood gazing at (and criticizing) the decorations. I'm eager to find out what customs you take part in!

The Godfather

Violet had a blast hanging out with her Uncle Lukas yesterday! He and Danielle are back Stateside for Christmas and were planning to hang with us over the weekend, but a nasty stomach bug put a wrinkle in our plans. Fortunately, Lukas was able to come up yesterday and hang out all afternoon. And of course, we're looking forward to seeing them for the annual Fortunato Christmas Eve tradition in just a couple days. But since we only get to see them a couple times a year, I was thrilled to get a little extra time in yesterday.

Last time Lukas saw Violet, she wasn't even five months old. She had no teeth and hadn't fully mastered the concept of eating rice cereal yet. The changes she's made since July have been quite dramatic!

Then...

... and now.

Now Violet is crawling, eating everything in sight and "talking" up a storm! In fact, the only similarities between then and now might be the amount of drool she is producing! At least she has five teeth to show for it. Her uncle spent the afternoon playing, teaching her how to drum on the coffee table, and wowing her with his juggling skills.

Discovering that the coffee table makes an excellent drum set.

 

 Someone thinks her uncle is pretty cool...

Monday's Child

43 Weeks

It's been a busy week for Violet around these parts. Not satisfied with merely crawling (amazing how I was so worried about her ever learning this skill, and within two weeks she's a pro!), Violet is now determined to crawl over things. Alas, she hasn't figured out how to master this hurdle yet, and just ends up balancing on her belly in limbo. Only a matter of time...

Her other favorite skill is clapping. She discovered the open handed clap (as opposed to the fist to palm, preparing to give you knuckle sandwich, clap) and now gives herself a round of applause whenever the mood strikes. When the music comes on, she dances and claps. When she does something impressive and we shout "yay!" she claps. Finishing her bottles takes three times as long now, because she insists on pushing it away, clapping twice, shoving it back in. Repeatedly.

Who's number one? This girl!

It's a Wrap

Confession: I'm a terrible present wrapper. I have such good intentions. Everything gets measured properly, I have the tape dispenser ready to go. I start with the creasing and folding. And then it just somehow goes wrong. Even the most straight forward gifts, books or DVDs, end up with a bubble of paper where there should be a nice clean line. Or it takes eight pieces of tape to hold down one side. Sigh. It doesn't help that I have a hard time spending money on decent paper and doo-dads, considering it's all going in the trash within minutes.

 Can't wrap? Bah humbug.

Still, I really envy those of you who wrap so creatively. My mother-in-law is pretty good when it comes to wrapping. I think her secret is the stockpile of garnishments she has ready to go - sprigs of holly, ribbons of all color and shape, pre-made bows, bells, fancy tags, glitter this and that - anything looks chic with some glitter and a sleigh bell attached. Most of the time I don't bother wrapping anything until I get to her house and hit up her supply stash!

Some presents don't need paper...

 

After the craziness of the last day of school, with the overdose of holiday parties and cookies and crazy kids and crazier teachers, I was ready to throw the towel in on Christmas. But I'm getting my holly jolly spirit back, thanks in part to the First Annual Neighborhood Night of Lights held this Saturday. We gave Violet her bedtime bottle, threw her in the car in her pajamas, and we set out determined to drive down every single street in our neighborhood to enjoy the lights. An hour and a half later we were finally home again! Apparently our 'hood is rather large. Matt and I enjoyed ourselves immensely, indulging in one of my favorite holiday traditions, criticizing other people's light displays. Man, there are some hideous decorations out there. (I won't tell you what they looked like, lest you realize that your own house is on the offenders list.) But needless to say, we had a ball.

 

 I've been good this year, Santa, I promise! I tried my best!

 Santa Baby

These pictures were our Christmas present from Violet's daycare, taken by her favorite teacher Tracey. Thanks Tracey! We love you!

Ice Princess

So we had a snow day yesterday! Rather, an ice day. Which actually only turned out to really be a rain day. But either way, school was canceled! I went to bed knowing we were on at least a two hour delay (goodbye alarm clock!) and awoke to find the whole day called off.

 Dad and Violet watching some videos on the phone before heading next door for dinner.

The weather was actually pretty nasty up here, not thawing out until about ten or eleven (at which point I finally ventured out to the MinuteClinic - the 45 MinuteClinic - to get some meds for this blasted sinus infection). But things turned balmy pretty quick, and with Matt taking the day off as well, we had some family fun time.

Proof that Violet doesn't mind the carseat anymore. She is like a giant marshmallow mummy in her winter coat - her arms stick straight out and she can't reach down to pick up her toys when they fall to the front of the seat. Hilarious! (For us. Not so much for her.)

I'm looking forward to finishing up school today and starting Christmas break. Two weeks off, whoo hoo! The shopping is almost done, the wrapping hasn't even started yet, family is starting to arrive in town and I'm ready for this party to get started!

The snow baby sets out on her long trek across the kitchen floor.

(Is it just me or does Violet look like a fluffy pink buffalo in this pose?)

Aren't you going to pick me up already?!

Christmas Carols, Violet Style

Said the Little Girl to the Daddy Dear

Do you hear what I hear?

 Floating through the air, Daddy Dear

Do you hear what I hear?

A song, a song, played on the guitar

It will bring us... 

Wait. You're doing it wrong. If I could just help you a little... 

Here, let me see that. A little bit closer. It's this string right here. You did it wrong again! If you would just listen. Stop! Stop that!

 Well, I was just trying to help you! Sheesh!

Push Up

I may or may not have a sinus infection (again), so in case my judgment is being clouded by the raging pressure in my ears (and oddly enough, my teeth) I decided to let my esteemed better half choose this week's winner. (Also, the entries were just so good I was having trouble narrowing it down - great job all!)

"As if crawling was too easy, Violet has also mastered the one-handed push-up!!" 

- Joanna

The Last Book

Our book club read the last book of the year - Fantastic Mr. Fox. I was excited to read it, but more excited to get to the movie. It probably veered the most from the text of any adaptation we watched this year, but that's typical of a film made from a children's book. We purposefully picked a shorter book for December; it's tough enough to get through the holidays without the added pressure of wading through a brick of a novel. I really enjoyed the movie, in part because the main character is voiced by George Clooney. Yum. He really does make everything sound better.

Merry Christmas from the Mook Club!

Since we've reached the end of another successful book club year, I thought I'd run down the list of everything we read this year, in case you are looking for something to put on your Christmas wish list or wanting a new book to get you through the holidays. And for those of you who don't remember, my book club (the Movie + Book = Mook Club) only chooses books that have been adapted into movies. We read a new book each month, then get together to watch the film.

January

We started a new year by going back to an old favorite, Pride And Prejudice. We always try to keep January's book short, although the language of the Regency Period made this a story that took its time. All of us had read the book before, so the only real debate was which movie version to watch, the BBC epic Colin Firth (rrrrowl!) edition, or the more recent Keira Knightly adaptation. We opted for the newer (and just as excellent in its own right) version.

Some pictures of Violet from our December book club get-together, randomly scattered throughout this post to reward you for reading such a wordy blog.

February

We timed this pick, Alice in Wonderland, to coincide with the theatrical release of its movie counterpart. Alas, Violet was all of two weeks old and not theater ready, so this is actually the only book club movie I have yet to see. I had read this classic in my youth, but on the reread, I was surprised at how...bratty...Alice is.

March

We read The Class. Not my favorite, and if I polled the group, I have a feeling this book would end up at the bottom of the stack. It is written by a teacher in the French school system about... oh who cares, you guys are bored already. What interested me initially in this book was that the movie adaptation was actually a documentary-style film and nominated for a best foreign language film Oscar. The author played himself as teacher and real students played his class, ad libbing their way through the movie. Perhaps it would have been more interesting if we spoke French...

We spend the first 30 minutes on the very official book club business of getting Violet to crawl on command. Charmingly, she obliged.

April

We needed a pick-me-up for April, so we went with Out of Sight: A Novel. We all enjoyed our last Elmore Leonard book, Get Shorty, and we all looked forward to watching George Clooney in this one. Yum!

May

April showers bring May flowers, so we decided to go with a springtime theme and read The Secret Garden. This book is another perfect example of a book for children finding new life through the eyes of an adult reader. When I checked it out of the library, I stumbled on The Secret Garden Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett's THE SECRET GARDEN and came thisclose to whipping up some crumpets or porridge for our afternoon movie. I didn't, but it's the thought that counts, right?

June

June is the month of weddings, so we had to pick something to correspond to the theme. Behold, Wedding Date. It was a nice, light chick read, perfect for the beach or a summer trip to England (where the story is set). Apparently British people (or at least our main character) are obsessed with a gummy candy known as Wine Gums, so my friend Joyce tracked some down and brought them to our movie so we could really get in the spirit. They were yum! (And can be found at your local Publix, we belatedly discovered.)

Violet had a lot of fun meeting Philly, Joyce's dog. Philly had less fun meeting Violet. My child learned a very hard lesson that day - not everyone is going to automatically like her. The pup eventually warmed up.

July

We wanted something patriotic for the 4th of July, but weren't really up to reading any war stories, so I suggested the next best thing - Forrest Gump! In this instance, however, the movie far outweighs the book (in my humble opinion). As outlandish as the movie seems, the book is an even taller tale. But it was fun to read it hearing Tom Hank's voice in my head.

August

Finally, football season cometh, and we celebrated by reading The Blind Side.  This book was fascinating, not just because of the Michael Oher story, but because it included some pretty amazing football facts about how the game has evolved over time and really created the position that Oher was born to play.

I was worried that Violet would be too much to handle at book club. After all, it's not fun watching a movie when you're chasing a baby everywhere. But Matt gave her a talking-to before we headed out and explained that if she couldn't behave, she couldn't be part of book club anymore. And there is a very long initiation process to get readmitted: She'll have to learn to read. But Violet was a doll and will definitely be invited back again. (More accurately, I'll probably be kicked out if I show up without her!)

September

September was a downer, I'm not going to lie. The Boy In the Striped Pajamas is about the Holocaust, after all. But the book told the story from a child's point of view, letting us see the events of the time through a child's innocent, uncertain eyes. It was actually quite a beautiful story, and an excellent movie adaptation.

October

To put us in the mood for Halloween (see how we tend to theme our picks? gotta keep it fresh!) we read Coraline. Looking back, I'm realizing just how many books for kids we've picked. But for the record, Coraline is straight up spooky and I would think twice about letting you little one read it. The movie was pretty creeptastic too. Very Nightmare Before Christmas-esque.

November

Ah, Crazy Heart: A Novel. The book was great, but I preferred the movie ending. Sure, they went a little Hollywood with it, but in this case, I'll take it. I prefer my books/movies ending on a hopeful note. Both book and movie were excellent, although the movie has the added benefit of a great soundtrack.

 Me and my girl. (Heaps of thanks to Emily B. for taking all these pics with her fancy new camera!)