The Ghost of Christmukah Presents

Jemma made out like a bandit this year with all the Hanukah, birthday and Christmas presents. ( Jemma, one day when you read this you'll find out that we store away some of these gifts in order to bring them out on a rainy day. Who could possibly play with all of these presents at once? Well...) But the biggest and most prized gift of all, was given on Christmas morning - a real guitar. Jemma is only three years old, but she seems determined to learn this instrument. However, she did give us a scare when she held it up to her chin like a violin - the kid is developing a good sense of humor. But with this guitar, she can hold it, strum it, sing and rock out all at the same time, so perhaps this is the start of something musical. We're already imagining her hair streaked purple and pink, wearing leggings and high heels... Meantime, outside our door that morning was this beautiful bug - we thought it was significant, since we have a beautiful bug of our own. Happy Holidays, sweet Jemma Bug!

Christmas Eve 2007

This year we celebrated Christmas Eve in our home with some of our favorite friends. We ate and ate and ate and the children ran around and played - then we sang songs and ate some more. Christmas as it should be.

Evening Splendor

Our sunsets are not too shabby, either. From our backyard, we have the perfect view of the moon rising over Mount Baldy - when the smog isn't blocking it, that is...

Snuggle Puppies

Our dogs are the cuddliest, snuggliest, dooziest, doodliest, poodliest beasts.

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Jemma made a Santa beard with bubbles and wants to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season!

That Florida Thang!

In Boca Raton, Florida there is a wonderful park and hands-on museum for kids. Lucky for us they also had a carousel and Jemma went around it three times, because now she is three! In the museum we were all fascinated with the various ways to defy gravity. But MeeMa and PopPop on the other hand, are constantly lifting their heels up in the air. We were able to catch the final dress rehearsal of their latest show, "Tell Me A Story", a special holiday show for the kindalah! Here they are in the Cinderella ball scene - they are truly dashing.

Dancing with the Oldies

In Florida, Jemma's MeeMa was busy rehearsing for the big winter show, "Tell Me A Story" in which the Sneetches do a big tap dancing number. In addition to the show, MeeMa takes dance lessons regularly, so on a few mornings, Jemma accompanied her MeeMa to rehearsal and tap danced on the stage with the other ladies. To say kids upstage you is an understatement, particularly when it's tap dancing Jemma!

It's a Small World

Thank goodness Jemma received these mini pop beads from her friend Grace Li Qi for her birthday. They kept Jemma busy for hours at a time - literally! She played with them during our delayed lay over, she played with them non-stop on the plane, she played with them all week in Florida and then on the way home again. We have entered the age where little tiny things have become our best friends and Jemma's, too.

Morning Glory

Morning has broken, like the first morning... Jemma has woken - too early for us! Well, the one good thing about waking up at the crack of dawn is that we get these glorious sunrises.

Fete Accompli!

We had such a wonderful time at Jemma's 3rd birthday party. Flower Power was the theme and we began with donning each child with a lei, then coloring flower pots, then eating (flower sandwiches, of course) and the highlight was the singing. Three dads, Shannon, Adam and Chris brought their guitars and we sang and the children played their instruments - it was truly delightful. Our yard was able to hold the 16 kids and thirty some-odd adults and the day was truly glorious. How lovely to be 3!

1st Dance Recital!

Talk about cute! Jemma's been taking ballet and tap for about 8 weeks and she had her first recital this weekend. They started with their tap number, "I Love to Dance" but Jemma wasn't quite ready so her teacher, Miss Aimee, held her though it. Then Jemma got the hang of it and was able to do the ballet dance, "Thumbelina." Notice the intense concentration she has and the preference for wearing the crown like a visor. Jemma is the youngest in the class and she was more of an observer at first, but now she really loves it and has great control over her steps. Here is a photo of the 5-7 yrs olds doing their "Pink Panther" tap dance - it was hilarious when they grabbed their tails and swung them around. Jemma;s little crown broke at the end. We all couldn't stop giggling throughout - it was too cute!