Happy New Year

We're slowly downloading the hundreds of pictures from the holidays and I will post photos ASAP. Our trip was really fun and really exhausting. Beatrice loved flying, loves her cousins and all her family, and loved Christmas. Anthony and I were most proud of how able she is to share and cooperate with other kids, skills we can talk about but don't get to foster on a daily basis since she's an only child. Bossy Betty has lost her edge, in a really good way, and I'm amazed at how well she can put her own agenda on hold and enjoy some else's. Clearly the time she has spent with Jillian and now Ethan is paying off. She is enjoying and savoring every present. Santa came through with several Barney movies. The many books she received are her stated favorite and she is still spending loads of time every day with her new washing machine/ironing board. My brother Paul also got her an e-reader electronic kiddie-kindle type thing that she's quite taken with as well and today I had to cover the screen of it to get a kiss goodbye. And so it begins with an electronic childhood.....We returned to a good amount of snow and B. immediately wanted to build a snowman. She had a blast playing in the yard for a couple afternoons but, thanks to a warm weekend, the "no-man" went from beheaded to thin to "uh-oh...no-man all gone!" We're anxiously awaiting another good storm so he can come back again. Until then, 2011 is underway, school/work is back in session, and it's back to the normalcy, schedules, stresses, and the moments of wonder that each day in our home brings.