Here's the Diehl

So, we bought Julia this bike in July while it was on sale. And then totally forgot to put it together for Christmas. Something about exhaustion and too much wine? I can't quite recall. Anyways. It's a cool wooden balance bike with inflatable tires. I thought for sure it would fit Jules, but in fact it's still a smidge too big. But she likes to tool around on it for a few minutes. Maybe by springtime (which feels like now with this weather) she will want to take rides to the ice cream store around the corner.  By the way. Anyone have ideas on how to get my kid's thumb OUT of her mouth and her tongue IN her mouth? She's getting some pretty serious chapped face...and thumb.

A rainbow showed up at our house the other day. And it looked like it ended right in our backyard. Where's the gold? Hmm? Is it all fantasy like unicorns and fire-breathing dragons? I could use a pot of gold about now...those Christmas bills are coming in!

Christmas has come and gone once more. It was a whirlwind of presents, breakfast, presents, lunch, presents, nap, presents, presents, presents! Julia has an amazing time not only opening presents (hers and everyone else's) but also giving gifts to others. We really tried to stress how the most important thing is giving and not receiving. She got it...but then proceeded to unwrap any gift she could find. Her favorites include the Clifford dog from Daddy, the plush Bella and Barley that were in her stocking, ALL of the babies, and her muppet hoodie. Of course, the awesome super hero cape that mommy SLAVED over and made herself was tossed aside. But then it was popular again when Bella became.....SUPER BELLA. Everyone thought it was hysterical. Except for Bella. After a long morning of yummy snacks and gifts, we all needed a nap so we could head to Nana's house and start over again. Julia got to wear her extra fluffy purple dress (which the photos just don't do her justice). ...

Or shoes, rather. Julia loves to walk about in shoes that don't belong to her. Hopefully that doesn't mean she will aspire to be a clown or a mime, but nevertheless, as she gets bigger and older and braver, so does her drive to try new things. Wearing "big girl" shoes is just the beginning. Of course, we find that much less traumatic than her desire to swing from every "branch" she sees or flinging herself into the grass face-first or, my personal favorite, diving off the ottoman onto the couch (and sometimes into the wall). So, Jules, you can bop about in my shoes anytime.

Nothing like a little pre-holiday peanut butter while Mommy makes cookies. And, on the floor of the kitchen to boot. Great place to rest and recover from holiday shopping.

Nana helped this year, so I can't take all the credit. But we made our way through about 9 different batches of cookies this year to distribute as gifts to loved ones. Julia even helped with the sprinkles.

The house is all decorated, inside and out. With the help of our little Julia, it's sure looking like  Christmas. If only Jack Frost would cooperate and give us come frosty weather and some snow. Don't know about you, but my daffodils are popping up!

So, Julia's school puts on "The Story of Christmas" at the adjacent church each year. We had no idea what to expect this year and kept it quiet and didn't invite anyone to come. But next year, everyone is welcome since we now know what mayhem to expect. The thirty-some toddlers and pre-K-ers don costumes and have actual lines and the school director narrates. There are stars, trees, donkeys, wise men, innkeepers, and a Joseph and Mary. It's quite a sight. The mayhem part is actually trying to wrestle your way into a good seat and a spot for video/camera action. Hence, my shots have a lot of adult heads. But you get the idea. Ironically, our little chatterbox apparently was the loudest twinkling star during rehearsal. But then she came upon the FULL church and got total stagefright. She was pretty much pulled into the church by her teacher. But recovered afterwards fully with a plate full of mac 'n cheese. You can just see her pale-skinned little hand getting p...

It's that time of year! The annual hunt for the Christmas tree. We finally (almost) chose a tree according to our ceiling height. Which, unfortunately, is a measly 7.5 feet. People must have been shorter in the 1920s. Julia of course wanted the biggest tree of them all. And then pointed to this one in the first photo. Look, a baby one! There were tons of folks buying trees over 10 feet tall. We chose a nice, slender 8 footer and got it to just squeak into our living room. Sorry, star on top. No room for you this year. It's beginning to look like Christmas around the Diehls.