William loves Jessie.

The first time we saw Santa this year, he asked William what he wanted for Christmas. I could see that William really wasn't sure how to answer this question, so I suggested, "How about a Toy Story Jessie doll?"

"Would you like a Jessie doll?" Santa asked.

William considered that for a moment, then smiled broadly. "Yes," he said, "That sounds good!"

Each of the other THREE times we saw Santa, William requested a Jessie doll. So naturally Santa brought him one. And William was delighted, and played with her and Buzz and Woody and Mr. Potato Head and the space alien most of the day.

Tucking him into bed Christmas night, Chris said, "Did you get everything you wanted?"

And William said softly and happily, "Yes. I got Jessie."

December Daily 2011 | Day 13

Dear Hannah,

It's not easy, playing the piano. It's not easy to learn to read music. It's not easy to translate those symbols on the page into motions in your hands. It's not easy to do that on the fly, in the rhythm and tempo of the music. It's not easy to develop the discipline of daily practice. And it's not easy to put yourself out there, at the mercy of a live audience.

So the fact that you did it - and did it well - makes me all the more proud of you, and what you have accomplished this fall. You did super fantastic on your Christmas recital tonight. Just like I knew you would.

Love,
Mama

December Daily 2011 | Day 7

Dec 7, 2011: An Ordinary December Day

10:40am: up, breakfast
11:05am: William's bus
12:25pm: lunch
2:40pm: waiting for Hannah
3:35pm: jazz class
4:12pm: tap class
4:45pm: ballet class
5:36pm: in the drive-thru at Chick-Fil-A
5:52: visit Birdie
5:55pm: Buck's
6:06pm: Domino's
6:34pm: dinner &Mythbusters
7:16pm: Hannah practices piano
7:31pm: some playtime for the kids before bed
8:05pm: goodnight, William. Hannah is reading Monster High: The Ghoul Next Door
8:56pm: surfing Ali's blog, uploading photos, and upgrading to iOS 5.0
9:13pm: tuck Hannah into bed.
9:45pm: the upgrade to my iPhone is a no-go. Too many errors, too much frustration. Giving up and going to watch 24 with Chris (streaming Netflix thru the Wii).

December Daily 2011 | Day 4

Our wish lists for 2011:
Chris: shirts for work, PS3, Zelda Skyward sword
Heather: sunglasses, sheet music, stop mute, new Lord John book, horn CDs, kokeshi dolls, Adobe Lightroom
Hannah: Monster High video game, Tangled video game, American Girl stuff, Monster High dolls
William: dinosaurs, Little People, Power Rangers figures, Mario Bros. stuff, Toy Story stuff, Cars 2 stuff
Keepin' Santa busy this year!

December Daily 2011 | Day 3

Today we put up the Christmas trees. Of course the main tree is in the living room (the big 11-footer). We only have 1 new ornament this year: a space shuttle for Chris, to commemorate the end of the NASA space shuttle program. Then there is the 2-footer that was mine when I was a kid, which Hannah has been decorating for a few years now. And we have a new 2-foot tree this year, a purple one! (Hannah decided that her American Girl doll Candie had to have one.) Well of course we couldn't leave William out, so he now has his own tree, shiny gold and 18 inches high. He was so tickled to decorate his own tree. :)

December Daily 2011 | Day 2

Tonight I played the first of 2 holiday concerts with the Clear Lake Symphony. This year, my horn choir, Esprit de Cor, is being featured on a 10-part horn arrangement of Amazing Grace. Not technically a Christmas song, but I think it fits in the spirit of the season. Plus, it's just a beautiful piece, and a stunning arrangement. This fall we have been playing it in various churches in honor of our friend Bruce Brown. We were hoping that he would be able to play this Christmas concert with us, but sadly he lost his battle with brain cancer just a few weeks ago. So we play this concert in his memory. We even had a stand for him on stage, which I thought was a really nice touch.

William got totally caught up in Hannah's excitement this evening. He loved listening to the Christmas music and was even bouncing around to Jingle Bells. The biggest surprise came at intermission when he actually gave a hug to "Mr. Stuckey"!

On another note, I am not feeling well today. My ears feel full of cotton. I spent most of the day sleeping. Chris is ill as well; he actually took a sick day. The children, of course, are healthy as can be, and as full of energy and Christmas joy as ever.

Packages are being delivered to the house nearly every day now. So many wonderful Christmas surprises. :)

December Daily 2011 | Day 1

Hello, friend elf.

The kids are so excited you're here with us again, watching over them. They know that your arrival means that Christmas is almost here.

Hope you're enjoying hanging out on the gingerbread house that Grandma made. :)