The BEST Toy Ever!

Before I really begin this post, I would like to point out the above photo. This room WAS tidy 10 minutes prior to the toy tornado (a.k.a. Chloe) coming through. Honestly, my patience has been worn thin as she moves from one item to another, rifling through her toys, throwing them everywhere. I have been seeking a toy that would hold Chloe's attention. She is an only-child (for the forseeable future anyway) and I am her main playmate.

Watching Chloe play at the science center this past weekend, gave me the idea of a new toy. Well, it's not so new. When Chloe was going through sensory therapy after she arrived home, this was a recommended toy---much to her displeasure. Her therapist had recommended that we fill a bathtub full of rice and put in some stacking cups for Chloe. Chloe with her sensory issues hated it, but 3.5 year old Chloe loves this toy now. Of course, I didn't fill a bathtub full of rice, I filled a large, square container with rice and placed in some spoons, measuring cups and a small pitcher. It provides hours of entertainment and she scoops and measures.

Yesterday, playgroup was at our house and all 5 kids were gathered around the rice box for 2 hours. Chloe will sit and play in the rice now forever. I had to pull her away for dinner tonight...not without some struggle.

Now, it isn't clean either, but I will opt for vaccuuming up rice off the floor of the playroom to a disaster area all over the house.

Visiting the Science Center

Matt went skiing last Sunday and since Chloe and I were still recovering from the sniffles, we ventured to the Liberty Science Center for the day. It was really hands-on and Chloe enjoyed all the exhibits (even if she didn't understand them).

Chloe moving sediment in the mock Hudson River.

Chloe inside the science center with Lady Liberty in the background.

On the rock wall.

Cold-Weather Walk

Matt had MLK day off and we decided to scope out some of the area ski slopes and to go for a walk. We also found a nearby open-space/park that we had never been to and went for a walk. One of the things about living in this area are the "surprises" you can come across. Shortly after we began our walk, we turned the corner on the path to discover a huge pond, frozen with people ice-skating and playing hockey. Chloe enjoyed the walk and picking up leaves with her walking stick.

Ski Princess

Its a BANNER day in our household---Chloe learns to ski. Matt, Chloe and I went to the local ski shop and rented Chloe some skis for the season and purchased her the thermals, harness, helmet and ski gloves. Chloe loved the entire outfit and wore it most of Saturday evening (she even wore it to eat dinner). Sunday we all donned our ski attire at a local ski park run by the county. Its a small operation but was a fantastic place to teach a 3.5 year old how to ski. Matt talked with Chloe about "french fry" skis vs. "pizza slice" skis. We let Chloe get her balance on the skis and Matt did several magic carpet/bunny slope runs with Chloe.

Chloe had great fun and that was the biggest concern. We wanted to keep skiing fun. We did have one meltdown as the snow-making machines blew snow in her eyes and made her goggles scratchy (also is well-past nap time). But, after a break with snacks and chocolate milk, Chloe hit the slope one more time.

Catching Up

Chloe, Uncle John and Lizzie.

Matt and Chloe checking out the new guitar on Christmas morning.

PaPaw, Aunt Deanna, BeBe, Uncle John and Chloe at the Botanical Gardens train show.

Happy 2008!! New Year's here wasn't a huge celebration. In fact, it was quite the snooze-fest - all of us in bed at 9:30 p.m. I never think of myself as old, but man, I am not as young as I used to be! I am just knocking on the door of mid-30s and already I am going to bed on the most festive night of the year at the same time as lights out at the elderly care home! I guess I will just have to rock it out to 10:30 p.m. on Chinese New Year next month.

Christmas really took it out of me. My parents, sister and brother-in-law came for the holidays. We had a great time but we also had a series of unfortunate events-one after another-that took the wind out of the sails. It all began with the "skunking" and just continued on.

On Christmas day, my Dad checked on the turkey and had the disposable aluminum pan collapse, spilling turkey grease in the over and creating a grease fire in the kitchen. Fortunately, no damage was done (except for a 3 hour clean out on the oven) which was amazing. My Dad and I were the only two in the kitchen and I was mesmerized by the 4 foot flames shooting out of my oven. It was amazing that my Dad wasn't injured. We did get to enjoy Christmas dinner and turkey until I went down to the basement to discover sewage spewing out from the pipes. What a holiday surprise! Matt and my brother-in-law John got to spend the day after Christmas snaking the line to clear the blockage. It was also the day after Christmas that I discovered that the 3-month old hard drive on my laptop was fried taking with it the newsletter I design for Newcomers. The newsletter I was supposed to drop off at the printers that day. Later in the week, Matt, John and Chloe went out for a drive in the Porsche and Matt was pulled over by a local policeman for speeding. He came home with a ticket for failure to possess a copy of his driver's license (which was a lucky break). There were a few other incidences, but they deserve posts all unto themselves.

As for the holiday itself, it was nice. Santa brought Chloe all that she wanted and more. Our attempt at a smaller, cheaper Christmas failed (mostly thanks to BeBe and the vast quantities of presents she had shipped to our house). Eventhough Chloe requested and got an i-Pod and a guitar, the biggest hit was the keyboard/microphone combo that she got from BeBe and PaPaw.

During the visit and in between the annoyances we were able to get in trips to the NY Botanical Gardens train show, NYC, a visit to my favorite spa in the city, and a food tour of Chelsea Market which we all loved so much.

Now that the holidays are over, my laptop is back, the ticket is paid, the pipes and basement are clean and working, we are settling back in and getting back into the swing of things.

Channeling Mahalia

The Sunday before Christmas, the children of our church put on a Christmas pageant/performance. The middle school/high school kids take an active part in the performance writing the script, acting and singing solos. The younger children dress as angels and shepherds and sing in the choir.

A few Sundays ago, Chloe was sent home with a sheet of 4 songs that we should practice for the pageant. Chloe only wanted to sing one of the songs, "Go Tell it on the Mountain". The fact that Chloe chose to love this song is riotous and ironic as it was mine and my sister's favorite Christmas song of time. During the Christmas season, we would put Mahalia Jackson's version of "Go Tell it on the Mountain" on my parents record player and belt it out with her. It's a favorite memory. So, when Chloe took a liking to the song, I had to find Mahalia Jackson's version for her to practice with. Chloe practiced the song with Mahalia and Aretha Franklin. She knew all the words.

The Sunday morning of the performance, Chloe had to be a church early for a rehearsal. It was during rehearsal that I learned that having Mahalia and Aretha as tutors for your 3 year old probably wasn't the best idea. Chloe was belting it out 10 decibels above the other children. All you could hear was Chloe's version of "Go Tell it on the Mountain". She was bringing it and feeling it. Luckily, the choir director loved her enthusiasm for the song as well as she was the only pre-schooler who knew all the words (along with Aretha's special opening of the number).

Unfortunately, Chloe's jubilation and soulful rendition did not come out during the church service. During the performance, the little girl next to Chloe pushed Chloe and told her to sit down after they finished singing "Away in the Manger". This angered Chloe who then ran down the aisle of the church seeking me out to tell me of the offense. After telling Chloe the little girl was just trying to help her we sent her back up to sing "Go Tell it on the Mountain". Chloe was not pleased to stand next to her new arch nemesis, the little girl, and proceeded to pout and not sing "Go Tell it on the Mountain". She just wasn't feeling Mahalia anymore.

Naughty or Nice?

I am placing my dog on Santa's naughty list. She tore through a trash bag last night, eating her way through Chloe's dirty pull ups and spreading coffee grounds all over the kitchen floor. Disguisting. As if that weren't bad enough, one hour later she went outside and got "skunked". Nasty. I do not think I will be able to smell again. My nostrils still burn from the skunk aroma from the dog.

Chloe would like an I-Pod and a guitar for Christmas. It all began when her Fisher-Price kiddie headphones went haywire and died. Chloe loves the dance parties she has with Daddy and helping him download his music and podcasts to his I-Pod. Thus, when her headphones gave out, she wanted an I-Pod like Daddy's. The guitar, well, she's always been mesmerized by them.

So, at dinner tonight I asked Chloe if she thought Santa would bring her the items she wanted. She said yes, she knew Santa would bring her a blue I-Pod (which is a fancier one than Daddy's BTW) and a guitar. I asked her how she knew that and she gave me the basic, expected response of a three year-old...because I have been a good girl.

The Holiday Performance

At Chloe's pre-school on Wednesday was the classes holiday performance. The kids have been rehearsing for some time now with their music director. All the classes were on the stage and sang some Christmas classics like "Frosty the Snowman" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town".

Chloe was front and center on the stage. The music teacher told me after the performance that it was planned as Chloe had quite the reputation for her cute clothing. Yes, yes, I am one of those moms who get a holiday outfit for EVERY holiday.

I got some good video footage, but I won't bore you with that. I included some photos I took at the performance.

Christmas Bounty

Chloe's last day at pre-school for the holiday break was Wednesday. She had a bounty of gifts for us and for herself. Pre-school is such fun!

Chloe holding a "reindeer candy cane" that she and I made to go in the goody bags for her classmates.

"Reindeer food."

Chloe's ornament/portrait.

Our present Chloe made for us, a candle that she colored and glittered.
The front of the card that Chloe made for us--its a reindeer.
The inside of the card. Chloe had help from her teacher in signing her name.

A Guitar and an I-Pod

When we purchased our Christmas tree, Chloe also visited Santa. It's no secret that Chloe doesn't like Santa, she's only been talking about how much she doesn't like him since last Christmas. After some coaxing, she sat all by herself on Santa's lap. We were so proud. She says she likes him now...or at least she will tolerate him if he brings her a guitar and an I-Pod.

A Cuppa

A BIG thanks to Nana (Matt's Mum) for sending the care package of tea all the way from her Majesty's purveyors. Nothing beats having a cuppa of the finest on a cold day.

Getting Festive

We went on Saturday and purchased our tree. Chloe helped me decorate. She did her best, putting about 7 ornaments on one branch. She thought it was beautiful, which it was, but during nap I had to rearrange the ornaments to keep the branch from snapping in two.

More Artwork

Chloe has been busy in pre-school creating all sorts of artwork. I have included the "Family Tree" she created. She insisted that Emma Claire be added to the tree. It's rather sweet. I love the captions about us (we all LOVE to swim). The other shot is of the Christmas tree Chloe decorated. Apparently Chloe is into the "less is more" theory of decorating. She refused to put any more decorations on her tree and barely tolerated the glitter glue tinsel being added.

The car, oh excuse me, the drawing of the Porsche is by Matt and Chloe. Daddy came to co-op at Chloe's pre-school last week and this was his artistic creation with Chloe.

Winter

Its still fall, but winter has alread reared its head here in the NE. I snapped some shots of Chloe helping Matt clear off the sidewalks during the last snow fall over a week ago.

(Really, it's all about how cute she looks in her snowsuit.)

Daddy Got A Red Motorcycle!!!

Chloe trying on Daddy's red motorcycle helmet in anticipation of the scooter's arrival.
Chloe and Matt on his new, red scooter.

While we were in Colorado Matt received a job offer from a financial investment firm to be their Chief Technology Officer. It has been Matt's career goal to be a CTO and we are so proud of him for achieving this success. This means that he will no longer have to travel and will be working exclusively in the city. After receiving the job offer, Matt began looking for a scooter to take him to the train station (you don't have to have a parking pass for a scooter) so that Chloe and I will not have to get up at the crack of dawn to drop him off. He found a red Piaggio scooter that was in mint-condition nearby while searching the internet while we were in Colorado. When we returned home we went to look at the scooter and purchased it on the spot. It was delivered to us Wednesday.

Chloe was so excited when the man arrived to deliver the scooter (which she calls a motorcycle). She kept running around the house yelling, "Daddy got a red motorcyle!". I was talking to my mother on the phone when Chloe came running in, climbed in my lap, grabbed my face to look at her and said, "Daddy got a red motorcycle. It has a compartment to keep his stuff and a seat!". Yes, that seat is a nice feature.

Native American Princess

We left for Colorado early and missed the Thanksgiving feast/re-inactment at Chloe's pre-school. Chloe's teacher sent home Chloe's costume for the party on Monday of this week. Chloe made a necklace of pasta and clay beads, a vest with feathers, a head dress and a placemat. She was so proud of the items she made.

Fall Leaves

It has been a late fall here in the northeast. We have been waiting for the leaves on our trees to fall. Of course, as luck would have it, they all dropped while we were in Colorado. We returned home to a yard that looked like it belonged to a vacant house. Several hours of raking returned us one broken rake, several large piles of leaves and a restored lawn.

Looking out our front door at the walk up to the door. Its covered in leaves
A "before" shot of our front yard.
An "after" shot.

Thanksgiving in Colorado

We spent this Thanksgiving in Colorado this year with my parents, my sister and brother-in-law. Chloe and I flew out on Monday before Thanksgiving and Matt came out on Wednesday.

Monday was a beautiful, warm day in Denver and we enjoyed dinner at Deanna's house alfresco on her lovely patio. By the time Matt arrived on Wednesday the weather had changed dramatically and snow was on the ground.

Other than spending time with family, one of the highlights of the trip was then evening concerts played by Chloe and her Uncle John (my brother-in-law).

Of course, after their concert was over Chloe insisted that we all form a band and handed out instruments for each of us to play. Deanna played the wooden, musical pig (don't ask, I can't explain it), PaPaw played a mean accordian, Chloe was on the guitar, John played the drumsticks on a puzzle box, BeBe played the tambourine with a jangle bracelet and I was on kazoo. It was a feast for one's ears. We could not control our laughter but Chloe took the music very seriously.

On Thanksgiving Chloe and I were in charge of decorations and we made leaves for everyone's glasses. On the leaf, each person wrote what they were most thankful for. Uncle John's leaf won the prize with "Every Day I Wake".

Chloe loved playing seeing BeBe and PaPaw, Aunt Deanna and Uncle John and the snow.

Preparing for Thanksgiving

Chloe is old enough now that she gets what holidays are all about. I wanted to teach her the message of Thanksgiving and that we should all be thankful for the abundance and gifts in our lives everyday. I purchased the book below and we read it together. I then asked Chloe what she was thankful for and made a list. I traced her hand on construction paper and then wrote one thing Chloe was thankful for on each hand. We then glued the hands on to a tree that I had made on a poster board. After all the hands were on the tree we hung it on our refrigerator to look at and be thankful for each day.