Apple

aunt kate!

uncle jonathan married aunt kate yesterday, and we could not be happier.  penny and i lit a candle together, and penny did an amazing job and was so well behaved and delightful at the wedding.  there was a point where she changed into pajamas, and she and i were sitting on a couch together while dinner was being served, and she was chatty and funny, and she totally made me laugh.  it was a great moment together at a wonderful, joyful event.  i am so happy to welcome kate into a family that has so welcomed me.
today, though we were all exhausted, penny was just as terrific (except for the couple of minutes that we tried to skype with aunt dana & family, when she went out of her mind).  we played games and had a dance party on the moon and went grocery shopping and had a fun day as a family.  it's nice to have penny around.  we like her.

well, now i know where i stand.

penny was doing a great job of taking care of herself this evening, and i told her that she didn't even need a mama anymore.  she looked up at me with her giant blue eyes and said "sure i do - for sandwiches".

there you have it.

it's the start of ladies week!

alex is off to LA for the week, and we have kicked off our girls only time in high style!

of course, because she's alex's daughter too, when she saw the oval sticker in the middle of her palm she said "i look like iron man now!" and then sang an iron man song.

where's my family?

a family game of hide and seek (i was "it") produced the best hiding spot i've ever seen.  see if you can spot penny & alex:

happy new year!

i am very pleased to be saying farewell to 2012.  there were plenty of good things that happened this year, but overall i'd say it was challenging, and i'm eager to get a fresh start and kick off an awesome 2013!
penny has come leaps and bounds this year, thanks to her school, her friends and her awesome family. we were discussing resolutions this morning, and she has resolved to become batman this year.  and, if i remember correctly, eat more candy.  she is super close to accomplishing all of her resolutions from last year - though she can't read yet, she can recognize all of the letters, and knows what sounds they make.  i'm going to keep reading as a resolution for this year, and add being able to write her name, and corresponding with friends more.

i wish you and yours all of the best for 2013.  we all deserve a break this year, and i hope that you and those you love get all that you need and more.

picture book

this morning on our walk to school, penny was making up songs.  mostly they were about things that we passed - christmas decorations, cars, trees, etc.  she told me that she had a couple of songs that she had written that i hadn't heard yet - for chanukah, for the fourth of july and for christmas.  then she told me that she had written some books.  picture books.  i asked what kind of pictures were in the books, and she said "naughty pictures".  uh oh.  i asked her to tell me about the pictures - what were they pictures of? "kicking, hitting, yelling, not being nice to friends...a book for naughty kids."  oh, ok.