Recipe For the Perfect Day

Crisp winter air, an energetic toddler, a cuddly puppy and lots of fallen maple leaves

Play, play, play

That pretty much describes the remainder of the day. I'm feeling like a lazy blogger right now, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words. If that's true, here are about 18,000.

Doesn't Ernie look down right devious here? He is always planning some new and exciting way to torment us.

The little puppy she is holding wasn't a Christmas present. It was a birthday present from Grandma and Grandpa Wilkinson.

She has grown wise to Ernie's antics, though. She no longer just sits back and lets him torment her. You can't tell in this picture, but this is her going after him trying to smack him because he won't leave her alone. I know we shouldn't make her think its funny to slap people, but if you saw her expression while she was doing this, you'd laugh too.

See how much he enjoys it. How many Daddies do you know that would play tug-o-war with their toddler to try and take away a beloved toy just to see her reaction? He's so mean.

But Lily can hold her own in a struggle. See how proud she is when she finally gets it away from him?

But soon he finds a new way to harrass her. But really, Lily can't get enough of her Daddy. They both had a great time breaking in her new toys. Hands down, her favorite toy was the box of musical instruments we got for her. But....

Take a close look at this collage and guess what Lily's super special Christmas present was...

CHRISTMAS!!!!

Christmas is soooo much more fun when you have kids to share it with. When Lily woke up on Christmas morning we told her Santa had come. Her smile grew when she spotted her stocking and the cute table and chair set Santa had left her. She ran into the living room and yelled "SANTA!!!" Then she grabbed her stocking and walked around saying "Ho, ho, ho!"

She then spent the next hour or so playing with her Lily-sized table and chairs, puzzles and ball that Santa left her. Now, keep in mind that she has never waited longer than a few minutes before demand in no uncertain terms to be fed. So it is very significant that she waited over an hour to eat breakfast on Christmas.

After a special breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs and sausage, we opened gifts. We had a blast opening gifts, but we ran into a bit of a problem. Lily wasn't content to open a gift and set it aside. She wanted to play with each gift before opening another. So it took us a bit of time to get through all the gifts.

I love the toddler table. She can do arts and crafts and play with her puzzles much easier now that she has a place she can get into or out of on her own. We are so glad Santa had the forsight to bring such a useful gift this year.

And I can't forget this adorable little hat from Aunt Denise. It comes with a matching shawl that is soooo pretty. And it is the only hat I have ever put on Lily that she will keep on for any significant length of time.

She spent the rest of the day playing with her cool new toys...but that is for the next post.

Christmas Eve...the adventure begins

Our Christmas was filled with laughter, love and fun. And far too many pictures for just one post. So here is the first...an account of our delightful Christmas Eve.



I remember growing up hearing about friends who were allowed to open one gift on Christmas Eve. All five of us begged and begged every year for our parents to let us do the same, but to no avail. So we've decided that one of our Christmas traditions would be letting Lily pick one present to open on Christmas Eve. So of course, when we asked which one she wanted to open, she went right over to the largest box under the tree.

And I think she was happy with what was inside. Elephants are Lily's favorite. Every time she sees a toy elephant, she points and laughs and makes elephant noises until she realizes we aren't going to buy it for her. That is when she begins to say "elephant," in a sad voice with a forlorn expression. She says it over and over and over until we leave the store.

So when she finally got a toy elephant, she loved it. She kept tackling it and squealing with glee. I think it was a hit.

Although, I think the giant box it was wrapped in was at least equally as popular...both with her and with Ernie.

Once she finished playing with the elephant and exploring the box, we set out milk and cookies for Santa. Lily was so funny. She ran into the kitchen and pointed to the counter saying "sit!" I let her up and she very carefully picked out three cookies for Santa's tray. She inspected each cookie in the carton (yes, they were store bought. I know, I'm a failure as a mommy), and if it didn't meet her standard, she put it back in the carton and moved on to the next one. We spent about ten minutes on that. Then she helped me lay it out by the tree. The rest of the night she kept pointing at the platter saying "Santa!" It was very cute.

Twas the Night Before Christmas [to Lily]

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

There were crayons on the floor and paste on my blouse.

The stockings were hung on the mantel with care

In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there.

After tantrums and rants, we finally coaxed her to bed

While visions of sleeping in danced in our heads.

While I sat in the chair stuffing stockings with glee,

Dad sat with a half-assembled toddler chair on his knee.

When up on the roof we heard hooves clitter-clatter,

I rubbed sleepy eyes and sighed "Now what's the matter?"

Then Jolly Saint Nick, with his eyes all aglow

Came up to the door saying "Ho, ho, ho, ho!"

"I've a special gift for you that I've handled with care."

So he opened his sack with a flourish and flare.

It was filled with sweet kisses and giant bear hugs,

And attached was a message, "To Mommy, with love."

My eyes filled with tears, my heart started to soar.

I smiled and told Santa "No gift could mean more."

As he flew out of sight with his eight reindeer all,

I crept into the nursery to see my daughter so small.

We'd had sleepless nights, dirty diapers galore.

But with her love in my heart it was hardly a chore.

So this special Christmas Eve was particularly bright,

As I whispered "Merry Christmas, my love. May you have a good-night."

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Eve!!!! We love you all!

Silly Lily

I sort of like to think of myself as Wonder Woman. I mean, who wouldn't want to dress up in a red, white and blue leotard and fly around in an invisible airplane? And have you seen those the super cool, bullet-deflecting fashion accessories? But as much as I like to believe there is nothing that life can throw at me that I can't handle, every once in a while something happens that shows me the importance of the people in my life and the help they give me.


Ernie had to work night shift all last week. He left the house at around five in the afternoon and didn't get home until between seven and eight the next morning. If we were lucky, we got to see him for maybe half and hour in the morning before I had to drop Lily off at daycare and run to work. And Lily and I usually don't get home until around 5:30. Even with the help of some wonderful friends (you know who you are), by the end of the week, I truly appreciated all that Ernie does for us and was ready to have him back. And as much as I tried to step in and compensate for Daddy's absence that week, Lily really missed him. No one can replace Daddy in Lily's eyes.

And as much as I love her and do everything in my power to make her happy, that includes me. Her relationships with Ernie and I are different, but both are vital for her happiness. And nothing taught me that as much as being without Ernie for a week.

Making Christmas Traditions

Finally, we decorated our Christmas tree. And we will have a grand total of seven days to enjoy it before the big day. My mother, whose decorating routine has always been an elaborate ordeal, would be ashamed of me. Not only did we wait until the week before Christmas to buy and decorate our tree, but we misplaced our holiday decorations. So instead of our cute Christmas village and door wreath and our snowman candle holder, we have a Christmas tree. Nothing more. Not even outdoor lights. I'm sure people in our neighborhood think we are the Scrooges of the block. Oh well. Next year we'll be better, I hope.

My expectations for decorating the tree with Lily were low. I didn't think she would show much interest. Boy was I wrong.

We bought cookies and hot chocolate and spiced apple cider for our tree trimming ceremony. And since I'm paranoid that Lily will fall and hit her temple on the corner of a table, we have no coffee table in our living room. So I set the cookies out on the floor for Lily to dive into. And she certainly did just that.

What do you think her favorite part of the evening was? You'll notice that her mouth is covered in chocolate and cookie crumbs, so this is not her first cookie of the evening. I don't even think it is her third. Maybe her fourth?

I think Lily believed the ornaments were actually alive, because before she put any of them on the tree, she would bring them to Ernie and me and insist that we kiss them first.

You wouldn't think a fifteen month old would be at all particular about where the ornaments are placed. But you'd be wrong. I tried to help her with a couple of her ornaments. I would put it on a branch and ask if it was good. Lily would respond with a very decisive "NO!" and pull it off in search of the perfect spot. Between the plateful of cookies (of which she ate at least half) and the excitement of decorating, Lily went to bed an hour and a half after her normal bedtime. But I was surprisingly okay with it. And besides, she slept in until almost 8:30 the next morning.

So here is the finished product. I think it turned out pretty well. I didn't put the strung cranberries on because I imagined Lily getting one loose and chocking to death on it. I didn't put the ribbon on the tree because I was certain she would get it stuck around her neck and keel over. And all the ornaments are 100% wooden and lead-free. Some may call me paranoid. But I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Oh yes! I can't forget to show you Lily's special contribution to the tree. It is the box that the tree lights came in. She was so proud of herself for putting it on. Since then, she has also contributed a stuffed tiger, a little toy mirror, a chicken nugget, a rubber bouncy ball, and a package of baby wipes.

Oh Tannenbaum, Oh Tannenbaum

I've been pestering Ernie since Thanksgiving weekend to get our Christmas tree. Finally, tonight he gave in. You can tell by the look on his face that he was thrilled. This is the biggest difference between the two of us. I am perfectly content to enjoy myself and follow Lily endlessly until she wears herself out. Ernie, however, walks in with a one-track mind. He is focused on the goal. Get it and get out. Ernie focuses on the end goal while I enjoy the journey, with little thought to the end result. And it is the times when he gets in his "zone", that my blasé attitude annoys him to no end.

But I refused to be rushed. I wanted Lily to have a good time running through the aisles and picking out the perfect tree. Some of my favorite memories of Christmases past are of picking out Christmas trees. And Lily, following in her mommy's footsteps, was thrilled by the experience. She especially liked the "snow" covered trees.

I'm sure more than one person there thought I was insane for taking so many pictures of a Christmas tree lot. If I had been an outsider looking in, I know I would have. But Lily was being so dang cute that I couldn't stop myself. And now, since I can't decide which pictures are my favorites, you've got to muddle through them all.

Just in time for our excursion, temperatures dipped below freezing. The smell of pine coupled with the crisp, frigid air made it a quintessential Christmas experience.

And yes, we did take our baby out in thirty degree weather without any mittens. But this is California. It isn't supposed to get this cold, and I admit that we were unprepared.

As a result, she walked around with her hands in the air almost the entire time. I guess it was easier to keep her tiny hands covered with her coat sleves that way?

But even though we were bad parents and didn't have mittens for her, we did have this adorable and super warm and cuddly coat.

The tree lot was also selling these lovely mistletoe-like cuttings. I know it is a rip off and not real mistletoe, but I couldn't help myself. I had to buy one.

I love this picture. You'll notice the look has come back. Or perhaps it never left? I still haven't decided if it is annoyance or determination, or maybe a mixture of both. And I love Lily peeking out around her hood. What a cupcake, if I do say so myself.

Don't you just love the expression on my and Lily's face in this picture? Ernie so thoughtfully caught us as we were blowing kisses at the camera. From the look of it, we are either right at the beginning of a good pucker up, or right at the end. Either way, it is oh-so-flattering.

This one is marginally better, and I like the tree in the background. But he still caught me with a less-than-flattering look on my face.

Finally, we both look normal. Too bad Lily's hand is in front of her face, or this one would be perfect.

On the way out, Lily noticed this little guy and fell in love. And yes, I bought it for her. I think I'm setting bad precedents here.

These are the trees that Ernie wanted to choose from. But don't worry...

This is the tree we got. I wanted a seven-foot tree and Ernie wanted the mini-tree, so we compromised and got a six-foot beaute. Okay, so maybe a compromise between a two foot tree and a seven foot tree is more like a four foot tree...but I've never been good at compromise...