Gummibunny

Lee always does well with my birthday and Christmas presents, and this year was no exception. In addition to some very cool and very me presents (like my Twilight/Vampire Baseball shirt and two Harry Potter-related books), he also wrapped up a pair of these:

Oh yes. Tickets to UGA's bowl game. I was ECSTATIC. It has been years since we've actually seen the dawgs play in person, and these days it seems impossible to find an affordable pair of tickets to a game at Sanford Stadium. We were in Miami the few days before and after the bowl game, so Erin and Alva graciously agreed to take care of our sweet girl while we made the day trip to Orlando for the game.

We both wore our jerseys - I was Matthew Stafford and he was Knowshon Moreno (in the black-out jersey). I realized how out of practice I was at this whole gameday business because I left my face tattoos and our stadium seats at home. We lost our car flag a few years ago when a window was inadvertently rolled down on the highway, and it was never replaced. But what we lacked in paraphenalia, we made up for in spirit.

I screamed like a Banshee. I made a fool of myself. I actually teared up a little when the band formed the arch on the field and started playing fight songs. I know - I know - it's crazy. I'm crazy. But I just love that school and I love that team and I had missed them so.

I'm so glad we won, although even if we hadn't I think I still would've walked out of that stadium a happy dawg for having watching my team play in person. It was a little disorienting seeing live play after so many years of televised games. I kept looking for that yellow "first down" marker, and longed for the instant replays that help me figure out what the heck just happened. But I wouldn't trade it for the chance to roar with the crowd and do the "Go Dawgs, Sic 'em!" cheer amid a sea of red and black. Can't wait to do it again some day.

Christmas morning was great. For the first time in our married years, Lee and I spent Christmas Eve and morning in our own home. That didn't seem nearly as important in years past, but it's something I'd like for Camille to experience and remember.

When I was in 3rd grade, my family moved into a home with stairs, and those stairs factor mightily into my Christmas morning memories. Anticipation mounted with each descending step, until I turned the corner to see what Santa had in store. This year, I was excited to take Camille down her steps on Christmas morning.

Here's a little Christmas morning video recap!


A Merry Little Christmas from Ginger on Vimeo.

In just the last three weeks, we've driven more than 2700 miles, traversed 5 states, been hosts to family members and then the guests of family members, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We just arrived back home tonight after spending New Year's in Miami with Erin, Dave, Baby Jones and Boo.

There are so many things I'd like to write about and so many pictures to share, but tonight I need to unwind. However, I couldn't resist putting together this clip of Miss Camille on Christmas Eve making cookies for Santa Claus and Rudolph (and herself, apparently).


Christmas Cookies from Ginger on Vimeo.

Miss Camille was so excited to be invited to a milk and cookies playdate today at Elsie's house. The two friends enjoyed reindeer sugar cookies in Elsie's new playroom before posing in front of the tree as the two cutest reindeer EVER.

Lee gets all the credit for this holiday recycling idea, 12 months in the making. We saved all our Christmas cards last year and are reusing them this year to make gift tags. We're cutting out certain parts of the cards, punching holes in the corner and tying them to the gifts with ribbon. I think they turned out well - like this glittery snowman for Baby Jones:

And this cute bear:

We're using more than just characters. Sometimes festive patterns make a nice tag, too.

I have enjoyed looking through last year's cards, being a little creative with the tags, and not spending a penny on the project! Score!

Happy Twenty-Nine Month Birthday sweet girl! Just a few minutes ago, I put you in your crib and watched you scoot as close to the wall as you could - just like you do every night. You reached a hand through the rails and began rubbing your open palm over the lavender plaster bumps on the wall. Apparently, this has become a self-soothing technique and I think it's so cute because it's so ... you. You came up with it. It wasn't something we suggested, and nothing a sleep book could suggest, it's just something you decided you enjoyed. And that makes it cute.

Last weekend, when we visited Nana and Granddaddy you slept in a pack-and-play. When I laid you down to sleep I thought about your plaster wall and wondered if you'd miss it. If you did, it didn't show, but we still discovered another of your adorable self-soothing techniques. Not long after I'd closed the door, I heard a whispering sound on the monitor. We turned it up and tuned in. You were sleeping with your beloved Foofa doll, and I realized you were singing one of her songs.

You've become quite the songbird lately, and that's one of the many things I've enjoyed about this last month. Your current favorite songs are Jingle Bells (which you originally sang as "Tinkerbells, Tinkerbells...") and Rudolph. Yesterday, I also got an earful of a Yo Gabba Gabba song about using inside voices. Except the only part you would sing was, "OUTSIDE VOICE! BIG AND LOUD!" Over and over. Silly girl.

But I think you love making monkey noises even more than singing. I'm not sure how this began, but I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that your Daddy is a very convincing monkey. He makes us both laugh with his antics, and you like playing along too. You regularly tap us with your magic wand and say, "Abra-cadabra you! I turn you into monkey!" and we have to hop around sounding like monkeys until you tap us with the wand again.

All this monkeying around has become quite helpful for getting you to go upstairs for a bath. In the past, you weren't always too keen on beginning your bedtime routine. But one night, Daddy exclaimed, "Let's be a monkey family!" and started climbing up the stairs making monkey noises. You bolted for the stairs to join him faster than I thought possible. Now, every night we head upstairs as a monkey family (sometimes an elephant family and robot family too.) I got this video one night when we were all going bananas (pun intended):


Monkey Family from Ginger on Vimeo.

It has been fun watching you play with your cousins this last month, as we were lucky enough to visit with Jones over Thanksgiving and Stella last weekend. At Nana and Granddaddy's, you were such a good sharer, and even wanted to include Stella in your play. She tolerated being your patient as you tried out your new doctor's kit.

And even sat still long enough to join you for a tea party!

I began to have visions of what these gatherings will be like in the future, or at least what I hope they'll be like. Nana and Granddaddy have a play room upstairs, and I can picture you two bounding up there together in a fit of girlish giggles to play with toys, watch movies together, and just be buddies. I imagine one day, when the pack and plays have been sold off at yard sales and are a distant memory, you two will even have slumber parties together in that room. I enjoyed my cousins growing up, especially the days we spent together at my Grandparent's farm, and I wish the same for you, too.

Camille, one of coolest things about having you in our lives is how you help us rediscover the wonders of childhood. And few things were more wonderful for me as a child than Christmas. Watching you discover this season has been so fun. From decorating the tree, to Christmas parades and stockings, you've soaked up every bit of it. And Santa Claus hasn't even come to see you yet!

Despite the trimmings and holiday lights, it definitely doesn't feel like Christmas right now. The temperatures have been in the 80s the last several days, and at first I was really annoyed. I get frustrated enough that we don't get any snow, and feeling like I'm going to start sweating in December is like adding insult to injury. But after I came to terms with the fact that I cannot change the weather, I decided to embrace it. Apparently you had the same thought, because yesterday morning you said, "Mama, I want to go to beach." And I thought, "Why not?"

It was a little strange listening to Christmas music on the way to build sand castles, but I didn't fight it. There were only a handful of other people there, parking was a breeze, and as we walked over the sand dunes we could see dolphins in the water. It was perfect.

You split your time between playing in the sand and chasing away the birds. They wanted some of our snack, and when they got too close you'd jump up and run at them, waving your arms wildly and yelling, "Go away birds!" I caught you in mid-yell in this photo, and it makes me laugh.

Oh sweet girl, you make me laugh so much. Best of all, I think you're happy too. Today, as I got you out of your carseat to go to a Christmas party at your preschool, you announced, "Mama, I'm happy." That's really all a parent can hope for their child, and I'm so glad you're happy. You make me very happy too. I love you sweet pea.

Last weekend we enjoyed our annual pilgrimage to Tennessee for a Christmas celebration at Nana and Granddaddy's house. It's always a fun weekend, but I found myself looking forward to it even more this year. I couldn't wait to spend some quality time with the whole family, including my recently mobile niece, Stella. The last time I saw her she wasn't walking yet, and now she's running and climbing and ready to PLAY! Camille seemed happy for the company too.

Nana, of course, got matching outfits for them again this year. Here's a photo from Christmas 2007 of the girls in their matching red.

Look how they've grown! Here they are - Christmas 2008 in beautiful blue.
 

While watching dolphins break the surface of the Savannah River today, Camille says, "Those dolphins are a little bit gay."

Sure, she meant gray. But that's not what she said.

I love how much Camille's vocabulary is growing, and I adore all the funny things she says as she tries out her new language skills. I can't keep all these unintentionally humorous sayings to myself and I want to document them, so I'm going to start posting some of them here under the heading "Cam-Speak."

Here's a nugget of joy from yesterday:

"Mama, I need put on my sunglasses. They keep my eyes warm."

And earlier tonight, she said to her Daddy (Dee-dah as she calls him these days):

"DeeDah, I need to rock and roll. I need help."

I know, I'm ridiculously sappy, but watching Camille at the Christmas parade tonight just melted me. As each float or marcher wound by our spot in Reynolds Square, Camille waved with a mittened hand and called out, "Hi! Merry Christmas!" I felt all misty-eyed, and I'm not even sure why. It was just so sweet, and I loved watching her get caught up in the excitement. More than once I thought, "this is totally why we have kids."

I don't have any pics from the parade because it was a night-time parade of lights and not easy to photograph. But the parade was just the icing on a very Christmas-y day. This morning, we went to Riverstreet for a downtown Christmas celebration, and Camille loved checking out all the decorations outside one of the local hotels.

Then this afternoon, we picked out our Christmas tree. She seemed to enjoy the outing, but I believe the highlight for her was not choosing the tree, but receiving a candy cane from the workers!