Holiday Card-Less
As I won’t be sending out paper cards this year, here is a digital holiday card for you to enjoy.
Happy Holidays to everyone!
Dear Santa: Requests and Complaints by Avery Blue
On Saturday night AB and I headed to the giant Bass Pro Shop to see if Santa was around. Lucky for us, the line was short and we were ready! Avery Blue’s normal aversion to physical contact with other people, especially strangers, went out the window after a moment’s contemplation about what was at stake. She ran up to him, squealing with arms waving. After jumping on his lap, she immediately said “bunny house!” and was ready to get down. No smile for the photo.
As we were walking away, she broke down in tears. What was wrong?? I knelt down next to the grills and asked her why she was sad after seeing Santa. She had a valid complaint – where was the bunny house? Why didn’t Santa bring the bunny house? Oh my heart just broke with her innocence when I realized that she thought she was going to get it when she saw him. It took 10 solid minutes of explaining and reassuring through tears to get her understand the setup.
Finally, after she was calm, another issue came to light. “Santa did not say ‘ho, ho, ho”. This one was harder for her to get over. An unforgivable infraction. She stills brings it up daily.
As well, I’ve had a few people ask me for holiday wish lists for Avery Blue and myself.
I’ve put together Amazon wish lists.
Avery Blue Wish List:
http://amzn.com/w/2QZDQ1T3QXWSK
In addition to the items on the list, AB would also love art supplies – thick paper, painting brushes or rollers (no crayons though!). Warm clothes, cotton or wool, thick sweaters and cardigans. Lined pants for cold days. Warm cotton 2-piece long sleeve pajamas. We love Baby Gap! She is also very into “imagination play” – setting up scenes with figurines. Games are good too. She loves the color blue, penguins/puffins, crocodiles, music, playing dolls, making art.
Rox Wish List:
“I’m Hiding!”
This is my second favorite Avery Blue related moment of the past two days.
My first favorite happened last night when I went to turn AB around in bed. I grabbed her leg to move her and felt something in her pant leg, just above the ankle. Upon further inspection it appeared she had taken a small flashlight and put it up her pant leg when I wasn’t looking – and then went to sleep with it. As I tried not to laugh too hard out loud, I wondered what she was thinking when she did it. It obviously happened when I left the room to go fill her nighttime-essential kitty water, but what she thinking? Was she trying to be funny? Or sneaky? Did she forget it was there or leave it there on purpose? All these questions flooded my mind. But what stuck me the most was how she is turning into this little human with her own thoughts and ideas and sense of humor. And how this is just the beginning of me not knowing everything she does because she is purposefully doing things when I am not looking. All of a sudden my little girl who I knew everything about is starting to have her own mystery.
Harvest Festival #2
A bit sunnier day – what am a I saying – it was 90° and blazing hot during the second festival. More of a manic carnival atmosphere, but we found respite in the real pumpkin patch – with a backdrop of the Rockies no less. Picturesque!
Avery Blue with her Bestie Lana – aka “Lana Beans”!
Avery Blue with her bestie Lana Beans and her favorite guy Brendan.
“Sister Wives!”
How hard is it to get a decent photo with a toddler – close to impossible!
Inside the Orchestra!
Another great activity for Avery Blue is provided by the organization Inside the Orchestra, which has a special event called “Tiny Tots”. With each Tiny Tots concert, the kids and parents sit on the floor of a large room while the orchestra is setup in a large circle around them. The show includes kid-friendly commentary from the conductor with statements like “This song sounds very warm and cozy, like your favorite blanket”, or “This song sounds dark and angry like when you are mad.” There are also dancers and a very special opera singer named Figuero!
AB with the sign – she is getting so used to me saying “go stand by that (whatever thing) and smile!”
After the band’s performance the kids are able to go up and talk to each musician, touch the instruments, and learn more about music. AB really loves it and was especially drawn to the piano and tuba.
She asked to play the piano the entire time – a new hobby on the horizon??
Really liking the buttons on the tuba!
Harvest Festival #1
Woop!
She had to get on the BLUE tractor. That’s my baby Blue.
Another large plane from I’m not sure where.
Old military airplane from who-knows-what-war.
Broken down lawn mower/ possible tractor in front of makeshift town
Painted tire pyramid
A 50′ x 50′ area full of cut up Croc’s – DIY industrial bounce house?
Picking beets!
“Look at this hugest one I found mama!”
At least one that proves I was there too.
Checking out the fields from the hayride.
Concerned about the sudden change of weather.
Corn!
A peanut in a pile of pumpkins.
Dans sa maison un grand cerf
There is a famous French children’s song called “Dans sa maison un grand cerf” – which translates to “In his house a large deer“. A. Blue sings it in every French class. Here is a video (with translation, and a very loose translation of the translation, below) for you to enjoy!
Avery:
ouvre moi, ou le chasseur me tuera
lapin lapin entre moi
lapin entre moi
open the door for me, or the hunter will kill me
rabbit, rabbit, open for me
rabbit open for me
Mum:
me serrer la main…?
I shake your hand
Avery:
cerf! cerf! ouvre moi
ou les chasseur la tuer…
deer, deer! open for me!
or the hunter will ki….
Mum:
tuera. lapin, lapin…
kill. rabbit, rabbit…
Avery:
no! quiet.
lapin, lapin entre moi
rabbit, rabbit open for me
Mum:
me serrez la main
i shake your hand
Avery:
hi. hi lamby. come here.
Mum:
say “me serrez la main”?
Avery:
shh. serr moi.
Denver Art Museum Installation!
So, the non-profit I work with had the opportunity to do a Creative-in-Residence at the Denver Art Museum.
The theme was voting and I was asked to make something that offered an interactive, reasonable way to assess things the general public wants (schools, parks, roads, etc) against the money it costs. I came up with the system of individual bean bags for each “thing”, as well as bags of money that represented different types of “taxes” for the control.
I designed a giant, fully-functional wooden scale complete with bean bags for each side. Each bean bag was also crafted with my own two hands!
Here you can see Miss Blue enjoying my first piece of art in a real art museum!
In front of the perfectly balanced balance!
Yay mum!
In front of the entire installation space.
North Pole, Colorado
After a great weekend spent in the mountains Avery and I stopped by Santa’s Summer Home, The North Pole, Colorado. It is a tiny Christmas-themed amusement park tucked into the slope of Pikes Peak. Here are some pics from the adventure!
Standing in from of the North Pole, Colorado Post Office!
Happy girl!
Mom and Baby Blue practicing our ski lift skills!
She had to choose the blue sleigh!
Driving the bus to Santa’s house.
Reindeer Carousel