Traditions: Ornament Edition

One of my favorite things about the holidays is bringing special traditions from my childhood to now do with Eliza. When we were little my mom bought each one of us a new ornament for the tree each year. The coolest thing about these ornaments is that they usually reflected or represented things that we were involved in or things that we had done as a family.

Long before I became a mom, I knew I wanted to start this tradition for my family. This year as we decorated the tree Eliza was super excited each time I gave her one of her special ornaments to put on tree.

Here is a quick look at her collection so far:

Christmas 2007:

Even though she wasn't born yet, I decided to initiate the tradition. Since we did not announce her name until she was born, we just called her "muppet" because Stephen said that one of her ultra sound pictures reminded him of a muppet. I found Elmo at a Christmas store and knew he was the perfect ornament to begin our tradition with.

Christmas 2008:

This ornament came to us from Aunt Mare and it says "Baby's 1st Christmas" on the back. I love that it represents her first Christmas as well as reminds us what she looked like during that time.

Christmas 2009:

This was the first year that Eliza was allowed to pick her own ornament. Out of all the ornaments in Target Eliza decided that she wanted Elmo (this was during the time of her brief Elmo obsession). I actually think it is sweet that we have two Elmo's to represent two very different milestones.

Christmas 2010:

Before she could really walk or talk, Stephen started teaching her how to do the Hook'Em Horns symbol. As soon as she saw Beevo at Hobby Lobby last year, I knew that we had found her special ornament for the year.

Christmas 2011:

This year's ornament also came from Hobby Lobby but we bought it in September. Eliza started taking dance lessons this year and she loves to pretend that she is princess so a ballerina princess is the perfect way to remember 2011.

This is one of my very favorite traditions and I can't wait to see what will grace our tree next year.

On the Nice List

Eliza got a message from a pretty special guy. Click the link below to see what he had to say.


http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/gyr4Zsubtyv04CxzjpifpmQ?utm_campaign=share-video&utm_medium=share&utm_source=copy-paste

Dear Eliza

Dear Eliza,

If you're reading this when you're older, I want you to know that while I frequently talk about how I think parenting a three year old has been exponentially harder than parenting a two year old, there are special moments that make me want to bottle you up and not let you grow up. Because I know that I have a tendency to look at the glass as half empty, and I frequently forget to focus on the golden moments rather than the rotten ones, I figured I'd document some of the things that I just love about being a mommy to a three year old.

You have started to say "you're killing me momma!" And I can't help but laugh. When I ask you why I'm killing you, you respond, "well, because...." haha. It makes me laugh every time.

Sometimes the minute I walk into a room you'll look up and say "Momma, you look so pretty." It gets me every time, and is probably one of my favorite things about what a true and genuine heart you have. I know that you aren't trying to butter me up or get on my good side - you speak the truth as you see it.

You are OBSESSED with the video "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. Your Dad put it on the iPad for you and you love to watch it over and over. I thought that you might be frightened by the zombies and monsters but they don't phase you at all. You have started asking us to dance with you and you always want us to do the "Thriller" dance . It is quite comical.

You have started having more imaginary play. You will "talk" on the phone (usually to Aunt Mare or Aunt Kristen) . I often spot you in your playroom with your purse and sunglasses and you will tell me that you are going to Target or Costco (and sometimes you'll tell me you're going to "the farm" to see Grammy and GrandDaddy-- I think you miss them!).

When I get on the on ramp to the freeway, you always look at the cars below us and say "Hello down there." You like it when the car is moving fast and you often tell me to go faster. You apparently like fast cars, which makes me TERRIFIED for you to turn 16 and start driving.

You've started wanting to pick out your own clothes for school each morning and your are a fanatic about matching. We recently had a very serious discussion about how black matches everything and it is OK to wear black shoes even if your dress doesn't have any black in it. You still prefer dresses over pants and you have yet to object to my affection for frilly and smocked dresses. I know this will not always be the case.

You are have recently started to ask if you can have a baby sister (you appear to have no interest in a baby brother). You are also under the impression that baby sisters can be purchased at Target . . . .if only it was that easy.

You are just like your Dad and must listen to stories/music when you go to bed. You have your own little pink iPod loaded up with all your favorite songs and stories. Your current favorite right now is Silly Songs by Lisa Loeb. Scooby Doo, Disney stories and super hero stories are favorites as well.


I love how when I pick you up from school you always ask me how my day was and then you say "I had a really fun day !" Makes me smile.

Eliza, thanks for showing me that life's too short to not cherish the little moments, for making me smile when I feel like frowning, and for teaching me that in the grand scheme of things, there's a lot more to cherish than regret. I love you with everything in me and you will forever make my heart happy! ~Momma

Halloween

This year was by far my favorite Halloween. Eliza was so pumped about trick or treating and she seemed to really grasp what all the hoopla was about. She and I had our traditional "pumpkin time" where I carved and she painted. This year she picked the design for me to carve - a Kitty Bat. We also added a face to her pumpkin masterpiece.

She was so excited about trick or treating but she did indulge me in my need to take a few action shots first.

This is was her response to the question, "How is Super Girl going to save the world?"

This is Super Girl and Mom doing their best scary mean face.

Super Girl in action fighting an evil villain (played by Dad).

After a walk around the neighborhood and a full bucket of candy, we were able to meet up with our sweet next door neighbors. Eliza and Reggie have become the best of buds. I love this sweet picture of the two of them. I think the sky looks so super cool behind them.

Reggie's older sister, Abby, is Eliza's baby sitter extraordinaire. Eliza absolutely adores Abby and I am pretty sure that the feeling is mutual. Abby looked great as Jane from the Twilight series. She had fangs and red eyes - very cool.



Reggie's brother Adam and his his BFF George were boys after my own heart. They were Fred and George Weasley from Harry Potter. Got to love kids who dress up as characters from books for Halloween.



We had a terrific Halloween and are already looking forward to next year.

Trick or Treat

This Supergirl is ready to save the world . . . . and get some candy too!

Shoe Shopping

Recently I took Eliza to shopping for new tap shoes and new ballet shoes. After we found what we needed for her I decided to look around for me. I didn't find anything I liked but Eliza found a perfect pair for me to try on. Just because I love my daughter, I did try them on. The heels were so high I truly felt like Andre the Giant. Luckily trying them on was enough to make her happy and we were able to leave the shoes at the store for someone else to buy.

Reunion

Last weekend we headed to Brenham for a family reunion. This reunion is held every year on the weekend after Labor Day and draws a pretty big crowd. I believe the count this year was over 90 adults!

Eliza was truly on her best behavior and entertained the crowd with her wealth of super hero knowledge. She never shies away from being the center of attention.

Eliza was so excited to see that Candice and Chelsea were there. They are the daughters of Stephen's cousin Tommy and Eliza just loves them. Candice is an elementary teacher and Chelsea is a high school senior (and considering going to Texas Tech! Guns Up!). They are both super sweet, delightful to be around and always so kind to Eliza. I hope we will get to see them again soon.

Puppy Love

Does life get any sweeter than this?

July 4th

I recently realized that I never blogged about our super fun, family filled 4th of July weekend at my mom's house. Well better late than never!

Grammy and Eliza showed their patriotic spirit by making a flag cake. I think a majority of the star marshmallows ended up in Eliza's tummy rather than the cake, but they sure had a good time and were very proud of their creation!

Eliza was so excited to see her Aunt Mare and Uncle John. She was even more excited to teach Uncle John how to play bowling on the I Pad. I am pretty sure that Eliza even won a time or two!

We went out to dinner to celebrate Mare and Grandad's birthdays. Eliza thought it was so cool that Aunt Mare and Great Grandad had fireworks for their birthday. We had dinner at The River City Grill and had a nice view of the fireworks over the lake. We were lucky to see fireworks this year because most places in Texas cancelled the fireworks displays because of the extreme heat and fire danger.

The next day we headed back to Houston, but we had the best time hanging out with family and celebrating the 4th! The only downside was Eliza is still asking if she can have fireworks for her birthday!

Weekend Road Trip

Last Friday as soon as school let out, Stephen, Eliza and I hit the road to spend the weekend with Grammy and Grandaddy. We had a really fun filled weekend except for the fact that Steve got sick.

Even though Saturday was one of THE hottest days ever recorded in Texas, we still wanted to take the boat out on the lake. As soon as Uncle Jim, Miss Carolyn, Great Grandad and Miss Louise arrived we headed for the marina because we knew that we wouldn't be able to stay out too long because it would just be too hot.

Eliza loves riding on the boat with her Grammy and even did her "King of the World" impression a few times.

After we returned home, Grammy fixed a fabulous lunch of fried chicken and mac and cheese. While Grammy was cooking up a storm in the kitchen, Eliza and Miss Carolyn played a few games of Candyland.






After lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon laughing, visiting and playing Chickenfoot. I really enjoyed having a relaxing weekend and time with my family. I was so glad that Granddad's friend Louise was able to join us. She is a lovely lady with a great sense of humor and she is one heck of domino (Chickenfoot) player.

We capped off our weekend with a trip to Stephen's favorite comic book store in Austin. Eliza was giddy with excitement because her dad had promised her that she could get a new action figure. Eliza has been to a comic book store before but she had never seen one this big before. She was in super hero heaven. After much consideration she finally decided on a super girl action figure.

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

This summer Eliza and I discovered a new love . . . . . frozen yogurt. Lucky for us a really cool fro yo place called Orange Leaf opened in our neighborhood. With all of the blistering heat we have had in Texas this summer, we visited Orange Leaf multiple times a week. We frequented it so often that Eliza and Kyle (the high school kid who worked behind the counter) were on a first name basis. When we walked in, Kyle always greeted with "Hey Eliza, welcome back!" and they would high - five each other. It always made me think we were as cool as Norm from Cheers!

Eliza favorite part about going to get frozen yogurt is that fact that everything is self serve and there are over 20 different flavors and tons of toppings to choose from.

The funny thing is, we are both creatures of habit and we always get the same thing. I get pineapple and coconut swirled together with blackberries, strawberries and granola. Eliza gets cotton candy with M&M's, mini chocolate chips and rainbow sprinkles. We never seem to deviate, even Kyle knows what our favorite combination is.

Now that we are back in school, we have decided to make going to Orange Leaf our Friday afternoon treat. Eliza knows that Friday = frozen yogurt! The one sad part is, we no longer see Kyle because he is back in school . . . . here's hoping he comes back next summer!

Book Worm

Grandma and Grandpa came over to eat fajitas with us today and after lunch Eliza decided that today she would turn the tables and SHE would read to Grandpa.

I know Eliza enjoyed the story but after the fourth time she read it to him, I think Grandpa had had his fill of Barbie: Island Princess!

Reunited and It Feels So Good

After a month long vacation in Colorado, Eliza's Grandma and Grandpa returned home on Thursday. Eliza was truly giddy with excitement to see them. . . . . I think Grandma and Grandpa were a little excited too!

How We Roll

I have never been a fan of grocery shopping and I am really NOT a fan of grocery shopping with a with Eliza. She certainly can be a bit of a handful. She doesn't want to ride in the cart "like babies do" but letting her walk is always a disaster in the making. However we have recently found a solution we are all happy about. God Bless HEB for making it cool to ride in the cart again!

Changing Spaces

A few months ago we played "musical beds" at our house. Steve and I purchased a king size bed (love it) so the queen that was in our room was moved to the guest room. The double bed that was in the guest room was moved to Eliza's room and her crib/toddler bed was taken apart and put in storage. (sniff sniff).

Since that time I have been working to make Eliza's room more of little girl's room rather than a baby's room. I really tried to bring in items and colors that reflected her spunky personality but still gave the room a relaxing feel. (Can you tell I have watching A LOT of HGTV this summer?!?!)

Here is what her room looked liked when we first moved into our house in 2009.

I really loved her nursery - it was safari with a girly twist. The colors were soft and sweet - there was pink but not an obnoxious amount. I loved her bedding and cute little animals still melt my heart. I know not everyone would agree, but I have always thought that a baby's room should look like a baby lives there - not a adult in a baby's body.

And here is what it looks like now:

Eliza picked the bedding for her new big girl room. I did some serious cringing while we were in the store because it wasn't my first choice. I soon realized that this room is about her not me and this set suits her personality and looks adorable in her room.

The most special thing about this room is that the bed and dresser once belonged to my parents. They are antique pieces that they bought at an auction and had restored. I love that their furniture now has a home in my sweet girl's room. I love that this gives her another connection to her Grammy and Grandpa Joe.

Eventually I plan to move the dresser away from the window, but for now it is a necessary evil. Eliza's bedroom faces our backyard and our neighbors backyard. Eliza is crazy about the kids that live next door and she was caught standing on the window ledge trying to see if her friends were outside. Hence the dresser in front of the window.

Another thing I love about her room is her book corner. There is plenty of room for all of her books on the book shelf and there is also a place for us to sit and read.

And finally, since this is a little trip down memory lane, here is what she looked like when we first moved in to our house.

And now . . . . . .seriously time really needs to slow down.