A Holly Dolly Christmas

No, we didn't go to Dollywood. But our Christmas was much ado about a doll. More about that in a minute...

We tried to prep Maddie for the big day. We talked about Baby Jesus and we talked about Santa Claus and we even watched the Grinch on TV. I'm not sure any of it sank in, but she's still young and there is time.

I really wanted to incorporate some of Frank's German traditions into our holiday. I found a recipe for Spiced Mulled Wine (Gluehwein) and we enjoyed it with cheese fondue on Christmas Eve. Frank's family traditionally ate fondue for Christmas Eve dinner. His family also exchanged presents on Christmas Eve, while my family sometimes opened just one. We opened one present each on Christmas Eve this year.

The Gluehwein was amazingly good -- too good!

Maddie's favorite fondue-dipped food was the mushroom!!??

I have been planning for months to give Maddie her first doll. Frank made the doll a wooden bed and I made an attempt to make the doll a matching blanket, pillow, etc. We were pretty proud of our efforts and hope when she gets older, she'll want to pass it along to her little girl (or boy). We wrapped everything except the doll lying in the bed. We were hoping for a magical Christmas moment when she came into the room.



Her eyes lit up when she say the doll and she snatched it out of the doll bed and hugged it and smiled. I'm not sure who was more excited, me or her.

Prompting her to open the other wrapped presents was challenging. What could possibly be better than this bald shoeless wonder in pajamas?? But after a break for sweet potato pancakes and pecan butter -- YUM! -- we "helped" her open the rest of her presents.

Hippo and mouse hand puppets from Oma and Opa were a hit!

Feeding the baby doll.

It's never too early to learn banjo. Now Daddy and Maddie can play together.
Note the way cool doggie sweater!

A cool lap tray from Grandma and Grandaddy. No more lost toys while riding in the car!

Santa was good to all of us, as they say. We hung out at home all day and snacked and played. It was just a wonderful, memorable day. The first Christmas we have ever spent at our house.

On Dec. 26, we headed to see my parents and have our family Christmas with them. We had an awesome lunch followed by the gift exchange.

Maddie's Aunt Melissa styled her hair with too many pigtails to count!

Daddy even made Sillybub, a family favorite. A liquid and foam concoction that contains homemade wine, some kind of whipped topping and ...... I think that's all! He swears he didn't add the homemade wine until after he served Maddie. But from her smile and slurping, it was hard to know for sure....


On December 27, we went to Maddie's Great Grandma's house on our way out of town. We stayed longer than planned, but Maddie was having loads of fun and we don't see that side of the family often. Lots of family stopped by and the house filled up quickly.

Such a warm day that Maddie found her way outside, with Great Uncle Michael. I think he has a soft spot for her. They played in the leaves and played chase. She had a blast!

No child was harmed during the swinging, although we think Janet pulled her back!

Oh the lights.........!

Just a quick update on this past weekend's happenings: The first few days of Christmas week are going to be "parents-are-on-vacation-and-Maddie-is-still-going-to-daycare-so-Mommy-
and-Daddy-can-have-a-little-time-to-themselves" week. The prelude to this much-anticipated week started off right with a burger dinner at Red Robin with Robin, Waylon and Noah Friday night. Both kids were sitting on booster seats and kept falling over to the side which was funny at first but quickly lost its luster after a few times. Combined with repeated dive expeditions under the table to rescue lost crayons it made for a somewhat, ummm, "active" dinner.

Saturday greeted us with some rain but we stuck to our plans to drive to Meadow in the afternoon to meet Stella Dot and her parents, Amy and Grant, for a good old-fashioned country dinner ...oh and see THE Christmas lights display. Unlike our lonely visit last year, the one and only "Meadow Restaurant" (yep, there's only one in that little hamlet) seemed to be quite popular with both locals and Christmas light-seekers alike resulting in an hour-long wait at 4:30 in the afternoon!!??? Nonetheless, the first glance of the dessert buffet quickly calmed down the female contingent of our little expedition while their male counterparts got equally excited about the fried meat offerings. The kids? Well, they were being good and eating their veggies -- followed by massive amounts of cake. Hey, why should they do without? Plus, Maddie kept sticking her fingers in every concoction we returned with: coconut cake, banana pudding, chocolate sheet cake. Oh yeah!

Mo' cake!

Discussing the merits of chocolate cream pie vs banana pudding.

It was pouring rain when we left with our bellies as full as jolly old Saint Nick's. But we pressed onward, waiting in a long line of light-seekers to view what we'd been promising the kids -- lights, lights and more lights. We managed to get our tickets fairly quickly and soon we all were on the choo-choo train and rumbling through the light displays. The girls had a great time and we all enjoyed ourselves. "There's an igloo with a duck...uh, no it's a penguin!" "Look girls, it's a racing car. There's a reindeer, and another."

Waiting for the Choo-choo train

Ooooohh the lights!

Mo' lights!

Lights can be tiresome!

We waved "bye-bye" to the choo-choo and headed to the general store for ice-cold sodas (that's pop to some of you) and some bulk candy. A fun-filled Christmas trip to be sure. Amy and Grant vow they'll be back to Meadow Restaurant with family in tow. We're still dreaming about the banana pudding and layer cake.

On Sunday, mommy was trying to teach Maddie how to catch grapes with her mouth. It almost worked. Check out the grape flying in front of the fridge!

I'm gonna get you!

Almost gotcha!

Squeaky fiddles and interpretive dance....a musical journey from Appalachia to Down Under

This is Frank blogging while mourning the end of my one week vacation.

Kudos to you if you can figure out what the heck this blog title is about......but we'll get there!

Some might and some might not know that for the last three years I have been compulsively obsessed with Old-time banjo and Old-time music in general. For those not familiar with the genre, accurate definitions would be: OT music: "Squeaky fiddle music from way back when", and OT banjo:"Follows the squeaky fiddle."

For reasons unbeknownst to me, the organizers of our departmental christmas party requested a few tunes during the festivities. At this point it was not entirely clear whether they were looking for a quick and brutal way to end the party and clear the place or whether they were foolishly considering serious entertainment. Turns out they were quite serious. I agreed to the task after recruiting Charley P., an accomplished fiddler, to join me in this endeavor to embarrass myself...he happily agreed.

The party started at noon and we waited a little while until everyone had had at least a couple of drinks to ease the pain, before playing a small selection of mostly appalachian fiddle tunes. Quite interesting experience: Roaring applause after the first two tunes, then the background noise level picked up to the point where we could barely hear our instruments....the novelty had waned and people got back to discussing more important issues such as how to not dry out the turkey this year and whether feathery fluffy pink slippers are the ideal gift for not-so-loved in-laws...but I digress.

Charley assures me that the same thing happens to him every time he plays at one of these parties...so I'll take his word for it. I was actually pretty pleased with the musical side of things and if you dare, you can listen to one of our tunes. The background noise illustrates how captivated our audience was at this time.......sigh!

Soldiers Joy

At home we were treated to Maddie in a super mood. It was already getting a little bit late and we were about to let her wind down before bath time when all of a sudden she announced that she was ready for some dancing. Ok, who are we to spoil the fun?
Before the dance we had to practice a bit for future photo ops:

Maddie, say "Cheese"

Then on to some warm up tickles:

Maddie says: "Mo' tickles"

And at last, the grand finale....Ladies and gentlemen hold your breath and enjoy interpretive dance moves accompanied by the Wiggles, Australia's kid's music sensation:

Oh the places we'll go...

This weekend was a busy one by our standards. We had a fun family event each day and laughed so much it hurt!

Friday night was the annual Christmas play for Maddie's daycare center. Before the play, we met Robin and Waylon and their little boy, Noah, and Amy and her little girl, Stella Dot, for some yummy food at a local kid-friendly eatery! Silliness ensued after the kids were finished.....but we managed to untangle them, stuff them in coats and drive them to the church where the Christmas play was being held. Robin has some funny pics of this on her blog.

Imagine 100 boys and girls in their holiday best marching to the front of a sanctuary, standing more still than wiggly, and trying to sing Christmas carols. It was so sweet!

Maddie and her little friends were supposed to sing, but we think it was mostly the other kids and teachers singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

Yep, that's Maddie wedged in her teacher's lap.

After the play, we hung out for a while with Maddie's buds, Noah and Stella Dot and their parents. And there were cookies.....

Why is this kid smiling??

The cookie is as big as she is -- Stella Dot and Noah plan their attack!

Saturday meant a trip to the shoe store for Maddie and Mama. The line was L-O-N-G but we got our two pair and shared some goldfish snacks on the ride home. That night, we joined Noah and Stella Dot and their parents again for a casual night in. Thanks to Robin and Waylon for letting us have the run of your house!! Maddie had such an awesome time with her friends. She has to be the center of attention most of the time, but with six adults and two other little ones, there was always someone to play with.

Maddie and Stella Dot are caught in the act!

All it takes is for one to sit on my lap...then they all pile on! Noah has the coolest books!

Our church's Christmas Cantata was Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. We managed to get dressed and ready and make it on time. Amy and Stella Dot met us there so we could all enjoy the Christmas choir and band together. The cantata was really beautiful, but the girls kept egging each other on to be silly -- OK, it was mostly Maddie -- but they lasted 30 minutes before we had to move their little party to the nursery. At one point, Maddie was doing the motions to "Wheels on the Bus" while the choir was singing.....probably not the same tune. But her heart was in it!!

We rested and relaxed for the rest of Sunday, wrapping presents and eating and listening to music. That's what the holidays are really about, right?

Grandmama sent Maddie a doggie Christmas card!

Jazz hands :)

BREAKING NEWS! The potty gets used!!

We are so proud of Madelyn! She used her potty for the first time last night!

*Warning: The following detailed account of events may be graphic and potentially harmful to non-parental readers!!*

We have been trying hard not to push her into potty training, but we have been letting her sit and play on her potty daily so it's a normal, non-threatening routine. She normally lets us know after the event(s) have passed. I was even thinking about buying some pull-up diapers soon so she can practice pulling them up and down by herself.

She must have read my mind. Last night we were playing after dinner and she became quiet and said "poopy." I asked her if she wanted to go to the potty -- and to my amazement she said "yes" instead of her usual head-shaking "no."

We rushed there and made it in time. She settled right in and we hung out and read books together. Then, in a voice an anxious parent can appreciate, she said "all done." And meant it!!!

Sure enough, she was! I called for Frank and we clapped and hugged her and told her what a big girl she was. I even gave her a BIG Dora sticker and a Fig Newton! Everything short of a parade, I know.

It may not happen again for a long time, or it could happen again soon. But we are so proud of her for becoming more vocal about her needs and recognizing what goes where (smile)!

Who's that weird guy in red?

Guest Blogger Frank, aka Daddy writes:
Another week in the life of our sugar pea went by quicker that you can say "Don't do that!" Actually Maddie was a real angel these past few days, very loving and for the most part low maintenance. You often hear about the "phases" but hardly anyone ever talks about the good ones. The little wiggles get a bad rap undeservedly. Here we show her chillin' with Dad watching Youtube kitty videos.

Maddie says, "Mo' Kitty cat."

Friday night, Janet Christmas shopped until she almost dropped. While she was gone, Maddie was literally horsing around and injured her other eye on her wooden rocking horse......but like all cowgirls, she saddled up again -- after a cookie!

Saturday morning we went to experience "Breakfast with Santa" at our church. It's a nice kids' event where they get to eat Santa pancakes, do some crafts and hang with Santa (or not).

Santa pancakes

In order to keep the peace and curb the anxiety of meeting the big red guy, several stations were set up where the kids got to do crafts. Here Maddie is putting together a Christmas card that will be sent to our troops far away from home for the holidays. Since Maddie is a certified sticker pro she handled this task spendidly.

Merry Christmas and a safe return home.

After all the distractions, anxiety and frustration of having to wait for yet another three wiggles to have their turn, it was finally time to meet Santa.........or was it? The fuzzy, red-robed, jolly big fellow was met with skepticism and no amount of cajoling, jingling bells or other silly tricks convinced Maddie to touch him with a ten foot pole......aaaackkkk!


After the Santa (non)experience and a good nap it was time to get things moving again. Below Maddie demonstrates her new dance moves. Rock on, Wiggles! We're not yet sure if we want to take credit for her rhythm.

Twirls and Tantrums or Things to Do When It's Raining and You're Bored

Note the alternate blog titles above. Pick your favorite. This will cover both.

We were hopeful that the final two days of our long five-day weekend would be as cheerful and fun as the first three. But it was not to be.

Saturday began with me sleeping in (I think Frank felt sorry for me because I wasn't feeling so great on Friday). Maddie and Frank had already had breakfast and serious playtime when I came downstairs. The TV was already on -- a sure sign of a grumpy little girl and a tired Daddy.

We formulated a plan to head to the mall and snag a few items early in the day. It was raining Saturday -- all day Saturday. The tantrums began in the car. Promises of carousel rides were greeted with "OK." On a good day, this means she understands and will cooperate. Not today.

The local Macy's stinks. They have nothing advertised. Maddie cried during the entire 15-minute visit with the grumpy sales lady (Merry Christmas!) 'Nuf said. We moved on to the promised carousel ride. Success! She was one happy little girl. She loves horsies.

The rest of the mall excursion is a blur to me. She fought us the entire time. We then headed to the next shopping center -- in the rain -- to get a few things. If you were in DSW on Saturday between 11 a.m. and Noon, thanks for dodging the running toddler. She was shrieking and running up and down the aisles, having a blast, so we gave up and headed home for lunch and a nap.

After lunch, she was happy again but just for a while. It was a long rainy afternoon. Here are some things to do at home when it's cold, rainy and you're losing your marbles with a testy toddler:
Play dress up, puzzles, dance to Wiggles, watch Sesame Street 35th Anniversary Edition (it rocks!) at least four times, eat, watch Crunch Salsa Workout (don't ask), call friends to see if their squirmy toddlers need a playmate (no luck!), eat again. Is it bath time yet??

Dress up with the duck!

I think she's practicing the princess wave they taught her at daycare...

Sunday held the promise of a playdate with Noah and Stella Dot. Hooray for other Mommies and toddlers!! Another pouring rainy day, so inside activities for Maddie were so welcome!

Maddie had an awesome time playing with Noah's cool toys and boogying to tunes on the stereo. Although she is clingier than the other kids, I'm telling myself it's her age. She needs constant attention these days, but the plus side is she has been so loving and snuggly (smile).

We played and ate lunch together and went home for nap time. Frank surprised us with the Christmas tree assembled and lights already on!!

Maddie was smitten with the tree and lights and was in an awesome mood after the nap, so we went ahead and decorated. She loved hanging the "cranberries" and did really well with the ornaments for about 30 minutes. Then she'd had enough, threw a tantrum and tore apart one of our favorite ornaments. I guess for her first real Christmas, one ornament sacrifice is not so bad.

So adorable!

Does this look OK to you??

Hanging her first ornament...check out the cheeks! She is really concentrating!









All done! Notice the toussled-haired toddler running away from the tree...

Hooray for Turkey Day!

We took Wednesday off work and headed out of town after lunch so Maddie would nap along the way. What is that saying about the best laid plans?? She woke up halfway there and screamed and fought with her safety harness for the last thirty minutes. Big fun!

But all was well once she saw Grandmama and Grandaddy and the "doggie" and "kitty cat." How easily they forget...

Once the visiting hunters (boo!) left the woods behind my parents' house, we all went for a walk down to the pond. Maddie is obsessed with the remnants of the harvested corn. There are stripped corn cobs by the thousands in the fields and she has to stop every time she sees one that strikes her fancy. Read: It was a long walk!Is that a corncob I see??

We really enjoyed our time with family. My Grandma spent Thursday with us and it was good to see her feeling so well and really enjoying herself. Of course, Maddie was the entertainment as usual.

Maddie in her Thanksgiving frock.
Although she rarely wears them, we think she likes dresses.

Whee! Granddaddy gives the best swings!

Everyone brought something and the food was delicious. That night, we just hung out and my sister-in-law, who is in school to get her nail technician certificate, gave us all manicures (smile!). We were even treated to a paraffin wax dip and my Dad even got one! Maddie got a special manicure also. Pink with dots on her fingers and toes. She was still as a statue -- why can't she do that for us, we ask??

Maddie's first manicure. Aunt Melissa has a way of making Maddie sit completely still. Notice the bright Hello Kitty socks over her striped tights. When Aunt Melissa gave these to her, she wanted them on -- now!


On Friday, Frank went fishing for a while at the pond behind my parents' house while I got a very late start on the after-Thanksgiving shopping. I met my sister-in-law, who had left much earlier that morning. The crowds were gone by the time I arrived. Yay for me! We didn't buy too many presents, but made up for it with yummy Mexican food for lunch -- Syncronizado rocks. It's an "old favorite" Mexican tortilla sandwich with avo slices.

After Maddie napped, we packed up the "wiggle" as we so lovingly refer to her, and headed back home. It was awesome to have some help with her this weekend and some time for ourselves. She has fully entered the terrible twos. Actually, I think she entered that stage between 13 and 16 months.

'Bout time for a blog...

Since Maddie is closing in on two years old, we have family near and far away, and also because this may be my only published work, we are now blogging.

We are looking forward to sharing with family and friends the extraordinary and extraordinarily mundane events of our lives.

To explain a bit about the name of our blog: There is no shortage of sass around here. And Maddie thinks she wears the pants in the family -- and yes, sometimes we let her think that.

This one's for you, Sassy Pants!