Sophie asked Santa for a scooter. We thought that would be her favorite. I bought her her first doll—the kind that has hair you can brush, and eyes that can open and close. We thought that would be her favorite. She got a princess dress from her grandma, a handmade doll from Nini, Candy Land [...]
We also celebrated Christmas with my mom’s side of the family and my dad’s side of the family. I was so busy chasing the kids around and talking to family I hardly took pictures! Mangan family Christmas Gebhart family Christmas It’s all I’ve got. But I cherished both days—some family members I see hardly ever [...]
balled-and-burlap Christmas tree handmade gift wrap + tags glass snowflakes and reindeer hanging from chandelier gifts! playing with gifts Mom, Dad, Katy and Tom My mom made one of these dolls for each of the children. I love them, the kids love them, anyone who comes to our house loves them. Thanks, Mom and Dad, [...]
While Andy’s family was in town we went to Cincinnati Zoo’s Festival of Lights. It was cold, so cold that Andy and Jill—who had forgotten hats—bought new (matching!) ones at the gift shop. James, who refused to wear a hat all summer, is obsessed with this hat now, and wears it on a daily basis. [...]
Christmas evening my parents and brother joined us for a delicious meal, which my in-laws cooked for everyone. It was our last evening to see Kyle, so I was grateful for the time together. Sophie “reading” to Kyle Kyle brought our children gifts, including a “band in a box” for Sophie. I told him I [...]
“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.” —Andy Rooney
We tried to visit Santa earlier in December, but the wait was too long. So we left.We didn’t get back to Santa until December 23—when the wait was three hours. Thankfully we were able to give Santa’s elves our cell phone number. So we spent three hours lunching at Dewey’s, visiting Joseph-Beth Booksellers and shopping at [...]
Sophie, all dolled up for her preschool holiday party. “When in doubt, wear red.” —Bill Blass
Last month we went with Angel, Zoey and Mya to Cincinnati Museum Center‘s Holiday Trains Exhibit. Owen kept saying “choo choo” and “wow.” The exhibit included a small train children could ride, sans adults. While waiting in line I kept debating if I should let Owen and James ride it with Zoey and Sophie. I [...]
Watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” last year. Watching “The Grinch” this year. “The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.” —Rabindranath Tagore
