It's a Faux Christmas

Today your Mimi and Grand Daddy Sam left after a whirlwind 3 day visit which not only included a trip to the largest tamale festival, and Wild Lights at the Living Desert...but it also included the official start to your Christmas. In fact, the start was so much like Christmas that I am almost thinking we are done with the holiday! Well...I know that won't fly around here, but it was worth a try! ;-)

We had a great time. We picked a tree with Mimi and Grand Daddy and you had a lot of fun decorating it. When you woke up Friday morning Mimi had filled it full of presents, mostly bearing the name Finley. Oh did your eyes twinkle when you saw it all! The very best gift of all was your Thomas trains and starter track. I've bought you a full on 120 piece all wood train set for Channukah, which you will get in a few weeks, but this was perfect as a starter train set and you cannot stop playing with it! You got a Thomas & a Molly train, and some fire truck trains. You looked at me and said "where's Percy and Emily?" HUH? When did you figure them all out like that...must be all that time at that Benjamin's house...oooh, he's going to cost this family a pretty penny on trains! ;-) (Actually Finley, when you read this when you are a mother yourself I want you to know the price of a single wooden Thomas train is about $18 in Dec 2008. I am curious if that will be shockingly cheap, or shockingly expensive in 30 years from now...).

Anyhow, a great couple of days with our family celebrating half the traditions of our family. You will have so many traditions girl, you'll be relieved when December is over each year!

Love you sweetie pie.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know it's been at least 2 weeks since I've posted. It's a busy time of year! We have your Mimi & Grand daddy Sam visiting us in a few days...so it will be even busier!

Forgive me for not making a big deal out of thanksgiving...but I never celebrated it growing up since my parents didn't grow up in North America (and thus they never celebrated it!) so I didn't quite realize the importance of this holiday around these parts! Anyhow, we had a really wonderful night at Bubbie & Zaydie's house where you & Fiona (Bubbie's daughter Shannon's little girl) had a blast playing together. I think she is 9 years old...and the moment you laid eyes on her you were smitten ;-) You love girls who are at least twice your age and you love to watch them and play with them. You and Fiona had a blast playing with balls, or running around the house counting all the paintings on the walls, or searching for colors (that's a great game by the way, thank you Fiona for creating it!).

We had a double thanksgiving because 2 nights later we spent it at the neighbors with Dave & Rob and some friends. Though you never actually sat down to eat, you did have an incredible time running around the house with your toys everywhere. It's easy going next door, that's for sure! They have the most beautiful tree every year and you loved looking at it and naming all the animals on the ornaments.

I think your dad i about ready to get you organized for Christmas...while I need to find a way to trump Christmas with some kind of phenomenal Chanukah bush or something. Hmm...better start thinking about that one. It's pretty impossible to trump the beauty of a Christmas tree and a jolly fat guy in a red suit. Oh, and the presents. I cannot wait to give you our present!! We got you a great wood train table and set and I think you are going to love it! Just need to figure out where to put it in your shrinking playroom.....