Not a baby anymore!

Emma turns 7 in just a couple of days - yep 7, no typo there!  Hard to believe how fast it went, I literally feel like we skipped a few years.  I'm starting to really understand the whole "they grow up in a blink of an eye" and "they'll be grown before you know it" statements!  This is the last year she legally has to ride in a booster seat and her last year before officially reaching tweenhood!  CRAZY!  This last year has been one of the hardest parenting years to date - I've shed many tears and punched many pillows in the last week year.  Sometimes I wonder where I've gone wrong and while some things I recognize there I could have done different or handled a differently, other things I realize they are just her personality and I don't know how to parent her personality effectively.  The last year or so has also been the transition to making sure her morals and values are shaped and she knows why not just making sure she looks both ways before crossing the street and reminding her of her "please" and "thank you's".  I now how to worry about boys and monitor what she watches on TV since she has moved past the safe zone of what was once Noggin.  Not only does Degrassi come on during the day but I've had to put a stop on shows as simple as iCarly that encourages lying and being sneaky - Emma's two biggest issues.  Last year I had to address a SERIOUS issue with the teacher regarding inappropriate behavior from a boy in another class.  This year when she announced she had a boyfriend, her teacher thankfully addressed boyfriend/girlfriends with the entire class.  Other kids were encouraging her to kiss the boy.  What happened to boys having cooties in first grade?  The internet is obviously, also, not a safe place.  She has to play near me and only on nickelodeon, disney or pbs websites.  Last night, we were looking online for images of horse cupcakes for her birthday and a photo of a woman with icing on her bare breasts popped up.  Emma giggled and asked why that was there and we discussed how it wasn't appropriate.  We kept scrolling and another woman in a very skimpy bathing suit popped up - we had to end our search.  It's so hard to protect our daughters when you can't even do something as simple as look for images of how to make horse cupcakes! 
As she approaches the upcoming years we'll be reaching the birds and the bees.  YIKES!  She has already mentioned to me that she knows how to spell s-e-x (she spells it, but doesn't say it) but I haven't been able to ask her what she thought it meant.  She won't be getting the details of sex just yet, but she'll be learning a little more about her body this year. 
She asked me last night why I was married twice.  Thankfully she got up right after asking, because I had not yet thought of what I would ever say to that.  She knows her Dad and I were married but she assumes Matt has always been around (funny the way kids think!).  My brother and his wife are separating.  My sister has gone through a divorce and then remarried while Emma has been old enough to know what is going on.  I worry this might skew her image that marriage is supposed to be forever.  I don't want her to think that relationships are dispensable. 
I know this blog has been all over the place but it's hard to believe she'll be 7 and all of the ways I now have to think of to protect her.  What is she hearing on TV? What are those song lyrics (ahem Katy Perry and her music video that gets played on Nick)? What are the kids on the playground telling her?   What types of clothes are they marketing to her age?  There is so much I have to teach her before she reaches the critical teen years and I wonder how successful we'll be! 

New Additions

On Saturday, the girls, my Dad and I headed down to my nephew Richard's 5th birthday party.  I was super excited because I was going to see my two newest nephews, Noah and Thomas.  I had not yet met Noah so I couldn't wait to see him - he was so adorable, super handsome and at that super fun age (8 months).  Thomas reminded me so much of Hannah - super clingy to Momma.  I did get to hold him and rock him to sleep once but he usually cried for his mom whenever someone else had him - brought back MANY, MANY memories of Hannah!  We had a great time spending time together and I'm really looking forward to spending Christmas night with them all again!

The newest little one, Thomas

Grammy (my mom), Richard, Emma and Hannah

My Dad with his grandkids (plus Rachel since that was the only way Thomas wouldn't cry)

Beautiful Noah

He was so gosh darn cute

I could have eaten him up all night!

My sister, Rachel with Thomas (I don't know how this one ended on the bottom - oh well!)

Visit with HoHo Man

Since school was closed on Friday for snow, we took the kids to see Santa.  We got there during his break and Matt insisted we get in line since he was due back in 30 minutes, but I said, there's no line, lets go get my camera!  Big mistake - we came back 15 minutes later and the line was huge!  But we got to watch many kids sit on his lap, some happy, some not so happy!  Hannah was very excited until the moment she said on the strange mans lap!  She looked down with her classic frozen "I don't see you" face and Santa had to lift her face up.  We never got a smile out of her, but she didn't cry either!  Merry Christmas!

Letters to Santa

Time for those letters!  Emma wrote on at home with me and one at school so she has two! The first one is the one from school written just as she wrote it:

Dec 1, 2010

Dear Santa

For Crismus I wod like grl puppy and a grl cat.

For my sister she wants a dorwo dans toy.

For me my vare own lop top.

I want a horse.

I want a hat.

Love

Emma.

To translate she wrote:

Dear Santa

For Christmas I would like a girl puppy and a girl cat (despite my repeated urging that Santa doesn't bring real animals!)

For my sister she wants a Dora dancing toy.

For me my very own lap top.

I want a horse.

I want a hat.

Love

Emma.

The letter she wrote at home reads:

Dear Santa

For crismus I woud like a more d.s. game. I wood like a kamra. Pelow pet. unickun. I wood like a grl puppy.

Thac uw.

Love

Emma

Translated for you:

Dear Santa

For Christmas, I would like more D.S. games. I would like a camera. A unicorn pillow pet. I would like a girl puppy. Thank you.

Love

Emma

Hannah's letter is quite humorous:

Dear Santa Claus -

I earned lots of tokens this year! For Christmas I would like:

-a DS just like my sisters but purple

-my own refrigerator and my own bathtub

-a kids laptop

-a bumble bee pillow pet

-a robot dog (see she listened when I said Santa doesn't bring live animals!)

-my own princess Christmas tree upstairs in my room

Thank you very much!

Love,

Hannah Grace

The bathtub seems to be a reoccurring theme for her - when I asked her what she wanted to get her Daddy for Christmas, she said his own bathtub!  Kids are classic!  I just want gloves that allow me to use my touch screen phone in this frigid weather - other than that, I'm open to whatever Santa can bring!  What did you ask for this year?

The Christmas Spirit

I LOVE Christmas!  I love giving gifts - finding that perfect gift and waiting in anticipation for weeks to give it to that special person.  I love baking this time of the year - when else do I need batch after batch of truffles, buckeyes, or sugar cookies?  I love our Christmas traditions - hmm, that's another blog idea there!  And most important, I love the meaning behind Christmas - I mean, we received the best gift of all that day in Bethlehem so long ago!  But what I struggle with now at 28 is what Christmas is supposed to feel like.  As a kid, there was the anticipation of waiting for Christmas break, all of the school-related Christmas activities, Christmas lasting ALL day.  Now, there is almost a disappointment because I don't know what to feel.  

I love to shop!  I look forward to Black Friday for months leading up to it.  This year my Dad came with me and we shopped from 3am until 7pm.  I was excited, I couldn't wait to get a ton of stuff crossed off my list - but once I purchased my items my excitement wore off.  What was I supposed to do for the next month?  So, in an attempt to maintain some sort of Christmas Spirit throughout the season, I'm trying to spread some stuff out.  This past Saturday we invited some of Emma and Hannah's friends over to ice and decorate some cookies.  Then on Sunday, the girls and I spent some time wrapping everyone's presents.  We're hoping to get out to the Bull Run Festival of Lights, and of course drive around to look at Christmas lights.  I still have some baking and wrapping to do as well as a few more things to buy.  To remind my girls of the reason for the season, we'll be having a birthday party for Jesus as well.  

While that takes care of activities leading up to Christmas, I still don't know what Christmas is supposed to feel like that day.  Maybe I'm crazy and no one else knows what I'm talking about (I know I'm not - the BFF confirmed the feeling!), but it just doesn't seem the same as I grow older.  Each year I seem to detach myself more and more from the childhood, excited feeling of Christmas.  Maybe if everyone sent me really cool things for me to play with all day, then I'd be OK!  :)  

Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?  Is Christmas any different for you now that we approach (and for some of you - already in your) our (gulp) 30's?  What do you do to maintain the spirit of Christmas? I'd love any suggestions!

Creamed Chicken and Biscuits

Need an EASY, QUICK and CHEAP dinner for a night you really don't want to cook?  I found this over at momswhothink.com. Everyone enjoyed it so it is definitely going on the "make again" list!  Sorry I don't have a picture - we were too ready to eat to snap a picture!

Ingredients:

¼ cup butter
¼ cup plus 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 egg yolk, beaten
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped (*I boil my chicken until done allowing it to shred or cut easier)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 can refrigerated biscuits

Directions:

1.  Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat; add flour, blending well.

2.  Gradually stir in broth, then milk.

3.  Reduce heat to low; cook until thickened, about 2 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly.

4.  Remove 1/4 cup milk mixture and gradually stir into egg yolk.

5.  Return egg mixture to milk mixture.  Add chicken, salt and pepper; heat through.

6.  Serve creamed chicken over hot biscuits.  Serves 4 to 6.

YUM YUM!  Enjoy!

Homework for Parents

As if I don't have enough school work to do already, Emma came home with an assignment for me (yes, ME) a few weeks ago.  It was actually kind of neat and I had a little while to think about it (but I have a horrible memory and could only come up with a few things!).  

Here was my assignment:

Homework for Parents????? Yes, it's true! Our class is learning that things in the past are different than they are now.  We would like to hear how things have changed since you were in first grade.  We would like for a parent for grandparent from each family to write a paragraph about what life was like when you were in first grade.  Please focus on things that have changed.  When I thought about this topic, I realized that a lot of technology we have today did not exist when I was in first grade.  Your assignment is due on Tuesday, December 4th.  Yes, they may be turned in earlier.  Grades will not be give on this assignment.

And here is what I turned in:

When I was in the First Grade
By: Mrs. Elliott (Emma’s Mom!)

When I was a kid going to school was a lot like it is now - I had lunch, recess, P.E., and even time at the library.   We recited the Pledge of Allegiance every day, had science and math but… a lot of things are different now than they were when I was in school!  In the first grade, I went to Belvedere Elementary School and my teacher’s name was Mrs. Davis.  I didn’t get to ride the bus – I had to walk a VERY LONG way to school, even when it rained (and snowed)!   We only had pizza on Fridays, but I always packed my lunch those days because it wasn’t very good!  We were just beginning to learn to read in the first grade – we weren’t great readers like all of you are now!  And computers? We didn’t have computer lab until at least the 3^rd grade because I don’t think computers existed yet!  If we had to do a project about something we couldn’t just look on the internet for the information, we would have to go to the library and find all kinds of books on what we wanted.  And then we had to write EVERYTHING with BIG, FAT pencils!  

I know it kind of just ended, but I wasn't sure how to end it since it was only supposed to be a paragraph and focusing on the differences and they are only 1st graders.  I'm surprised I came up with these things because I barely remember them - I have a few more memories of elementary school altogether, but not of just the first grade.  I hope I pass!