A Few of Our Favorite Things...

1. Ipanema. Saturday night, we went to this Brazilian steakhouse for Shawn's 34th, yes 34th, birthday! It was an awesome date-night! Great food (mmmm...bottom sirloin...pineapple...bacon-wrapped anything!), great conversation and company, a great way to celebrate with Shawn.

2. Oreo Cookie Freakout. In my family, we used to make this dessert for birthdays all the time. This year, I made it for Shawn's. So good! I almost froze my fingers off while putting together the ice cream layer, and Riley had to tell me to "suck it up, Mommy," but it was worth it! Yum!!

3. Destroying coloring books. Okay, this one is all Riley's. The girl spent a solid 3+ hours cutting apart her Dora coloring book into shreds and pieces today, cover and all. No toys for Christmas, please...just coloring books for her to destroy. The activity kept her engaged and quiet all afternoon. She is only halfway through the book. And we have a snowfall of Dora paper scraps on the floor to show for it. Gotta love sustained toddler effort. I was so proud of her!

4. Christmas shopping. Yup, I'm done. And that's all I have to say about that!

5. Writing. Thesis submission four, here I come. Round two revisions, count me in! I spent a solid three hours at Panera today and made some great headway on a couple of stories. So exciting!

6. School. Done teaching for the semester. Just have to create exam answer keys, give the exam, read 81 essays, and grade the exams. Easy, right? But truth be told it's been a great year so far. The freshmen I teach this year are extraordinary. Seriously, I have awesome students, and I feel, perhaps more than ever, that what I am doing means something, that my teaching matters to these kids, to the world. That is such a good feeling!

7. Family. I cannot WAIT to head up to Virginia for our holiday pilgrimage after first visiting our friends in PA (and their new baby!!!). I miss my family, and we should have an entire week all together. That means lots of games, shopping, talking,laughing, baking, girls afternoon tea, coffee runs to Panera, and fun. I cannot wait.

8. Family. Shawn and I were talking on our way home from dinner yesterday,and I confessed that I was in love with our children. Like I told him, I knew that mothers love their kids, but I never realized that I would be so in love with mine. It thrills me to have these two cool pint-sizers to care for, hug, kiss, laugh with, talk to, learn with, learn from, cuddle with, and love. Riley told me tonight, "Mommy, we're so happy," and the giddiness in her voice so aptly echoes the giddiness I feel when I think about the blessings I have right now in my home: my wonderful husband and these little, extraordinary creatures I adore. She is so right. We are so happy.

Pictures of my babies...

Christi Lopez is a genius with a camera. She is one of my former students. We've been talking about doing a shoot with the kids since I just had Riley. Well, over Thanksgiving, we got together at the park. Riley wasn't super cooperative, but she got some awesome pictures!! I am so thrilled. Looking through them makes me so happy! Thanks, Christi!!

Here are some of my favorites!

What Riley Told Me Tonight...

So I was singing to Riley this evening. I was making a holiday treat for my students while she was resting on the couch before going to bed. I got through "The Wind Beneath my Wings," and I was starting on my next number when she told me...

"Mommy, stop singing. You're hurting your ears."

Of course, I continued to sing, to which Riley responded...

"Mommy, stop singing. You're hurting your ears, and you are going to have to go to Time-out, which will be sad because then we won't be able to play."

I love this girl! She figured out cause and effect this weekend. And even though she's not a fan of my singing, I'm her biggest fan.