Ho Ho Horror? No more!

Margot has come so far since last year's visit with Santa! While she wouldn't actually sit on his lap (who can blame her?) she did get up close enough to tell Santa that she wants "toys" for Christmas (she wouldn't be more specific) and to ask what was in his big bag.

The funny part was that our friend Dave is under all that Santa get-up (he graciously agreed to be Santa for the Wharton Kids Club holiday party) and there was a very long 4-5 second interval where Margot appeared to recognize his voice. But she didn't say anything, so I think maybe she was just mesmerized by the beard.

In case you've forgotten about last year, please visit the archives.

Let it Snow, Let is Snow, Let it Snow!

Today we had a surprise (and minor) snowfall in Philadelphia. Margot and I held a photo shoot in my search for a perfect Christmas card photo (we succeeded). I won't post the winning photo here, but here are some that didn't make the cut.

Tales of a Flowergirl, Part I

We just returned from a weekend in Washington, DC (Margot's first hometown!) and the long-awaited event of her Aunt Katie's wedding.

Margot was one of three flowergirls in the wedding, and the youngest. All in all, she performed exactly as I expected she would: she tore off her headpiece immediately after walking down the aisle (actually, she tore it off before heading down the aisle, too, so it was precariously perched atop her head on the way down), she cried because her flowers were not as big as mine and pouted throughout the pictures (as a bridesmaid, I got to carry a full bouquet while Margot's flowers were more appropriate for her size), and she stopped about one-third of the way down the VERY long aisle and just waited awhile until one of the other flowergirls came back to retrieve her and lead her to the alter. She wasn't frightened, but I am sure that aisle just seemed like a long tunnel of faces and she wasn't sure where to go.

But she was also Margot in her truest form: she spun and hopped endlessly on the dance floor, she asked the hotel pianist if she knew the ABCs (on her own, without any prompting) and then sang them alongside her to the amusement (or annoyance) of the guests in the lobby, and she glowed while wearing her princess dress.

The weekend has taken its toll, however; today she is asleep on the couch with a fever and vomiting. Ah, well, it's a good day to be sick - it's 38 degrees out and sleeting.

I will post pictures when I get my hands on some (our camera is still broken).

Thanksgiving Recap

Margot, Brodie, Portia and I spent Thanksgiving 2007 at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Maryland. The day was unusually balmy and so Brodie and I crammed in as many outdoor activities as possible, including lots of walks, some kite flying, swabbing the decks of the sailboat, kayaking, and sailing.

Margot got to do a little kite-flying, which she enjoyed immensely. It's amazing how quickly she is growing up; this past summer I wouldn't have trusted her to hold a kite string long enough to fly it, but now, in November, she was able to fly the kite by herself for a brief period.



Brodie and I had an adventure of our own. In fact, I think that Thanksgiving 2007 will go down in history as "the year B & C were stranded at sea." We took my folks' new sailboat out since the weather was so nice (although, foolishly, without the motor attached, since the motor had already been removed and stored for the winter). We had a great time zipping along for about 30 minutes but when we tried to return, we couldn't get past the off-shore winds and outgoing tide. After 30-40 minutes of frantic paddling (which did nothing but keep us in one spot, as the wind tried to push us farther from shore), some neighbors happened by and towed us to shore. Ah, good times. Luckily, Margot was on solid ground with Grandma while all this took place.

She Laughed, She Cried, It was Better than Cats

Some pics from Thanksgiving 2007