Sweet E. Claire

October 23rd was my last post and couple of things have happened since then... Evie developed an obsession with Annie and has delighted us with frequent renditions of "Tomowow," Matt decided to become serious about his frequent flier miles collection and went on seemingly constant work trips, and as for me, well, I've been working on my ability to stay sane. Here's a little recap of my past two months: I discovered I have a half-sister, my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer, I fell at Disney World and need wrist surgery and because of that, our long-awaited IVF cycle is indefinitely delayed. Yeah. Everything I listed was unexpected and a lot to deal with, but I should be clear that the discovery of my half-sister has been nothing short of wonderful. I will write a separate post for that story, but she is a remarkable person and I'm thrilled to have her as a part of my life. I've felt pretty defeated and anxious about what 2013 will bring, but there's still quite a bit to make me smile.

For example, as I write this, Evie is covering Jack with our dishtowels and "Jack, don't move a mushroom! I'm packin' you up for Christmas. I'm packin' you up with the Christmas tree and that's the DEAL! You're a Christmas dog now." Her ability to communicate has taken off and she is constantly making us laugh.

Now for a photo recap of the past couple of months:

My little Halloween Lamb

I know, I know. But they're really fun and easy! And certain members of the family are forced to disconnect from beloved iPhones and laptops! 

Sweetest Santa ever. Evie's anxiety was building as we got closer in line and she started to cling to me and cry when it was her turn to see him. He got off his chair and knelt down at her level, gently talking to her and then she voluntarily climbed on his lap and chatted with him for several minutes. Not a big deal for most kids, but quite a big deal for our reserved girl!

Ended the vacation with a bang.

Snuggle buddies. She has very specific mandates about who gets to sleep with her and where they must be placed.

Let the 2012 Holiday Sugar Rush commence! From this day forth, I promise to skip all naps and become progressively unreasonable and moody as the day goes on!

Making cookies!

Love.

Best night ever. On the first night of Christmas vacation, I returned to the living room after putting Evie down to this amazing spread. Of camera was a fire in the fireplace and Sound of Music on the television. Perfection.

Evie's clever Christmas tag anagrams.

my cuties

Evie carefully chose gifts for us at the Dollar Store. For Matt, she chose a Professional Series fuzzy yellow duck pen, possibly crafted specifically for Litigators, a pink plastic Hippo hat and a magic towel shaped like a soccer ball. I love the expressions here. Evie, so anxious and excited to see if her gifts were a hit and Matt whose face says it all!

Modeling the hippo hat. A perfect fit!

As Evie would say, "Happy New Year! Merry Christmas to you! And Happy Birthday."