Security Blankets

Andrew never got attached to anything, but Elizabeth has serious attachments to her blanket. If it's in the wash, she cries and cries. We've left it in Atlanta, and my family had to bring it back to us. I believe that is when the attachment started (which was only like 4 or 5 months ago).

Since then, we've left it at a friends house (who lovingly washed it for me so it would at least be clean upon return). That night Elizabeth woke up screaming for her Blankie. She got little sleep. Funny part is that we have a jacket that matches the blanket nearly exactly, and even that would NOT do.

Yesterday we left it in the car just to go into a swimming lesson. When she got back into the car she picked it up and squeezing & hugged it exclaiming, "I missed you so much, Blankie. Were you scared? Mommy, Blankie was scared." What a riot! You can see a little into her comical personality with her comment. She is "scared" of nearly everything herself so she would project that onto her Blankie :)

She is currently sitting beside me watching Veggie Tales holding the blanket and rubbing her fingers along the seam...which is what she loves to do best. It's already starting to look a little dingy. Maybe I should try to find another one, but I'm pretty sure it's long gone. I got it on sale at Target for $1. I was going to add it to a baby gift for a friend. I was on my way to deliver the gift when Elizabeth saw the blanket and wanted. I though...well, it was only $, and I took it out of the gift. It's now her most loved earthly possession...almost a little idolic. Maybe I should have left it in the gift.

As an aside, Andrew LOVES to harass his sister by "stealing" her blanket. In fact, that reminds me that the other day when we were at the Steven's house, she ran up to my friend Jenny saying, "Ms. Jenny, someone stole my blankie." We all got a good laugh out of that! And then there was the other night. We went to a small group Christmas dinner, and the oldest Steven's girl watched the kids. We forgot her blanket, and she woke up screaming for it. The babysitter even tried giving her a ton of other stuffed animals AND her jacket that is identical to the blanket. Then she called in panic mode...I NEED that blanket. I hear that right after that call, Lizzy got so tired that she went to her crib at their house and asked to go night night. Super funny!

The Printer

Today my printer and I are gonna rumble. It's been going downhill for a few weeks now, and I should have seen it coming. Mat's been diligently working on it to help the print feature work out easier, but he hasn't had the time to get it all fixed. So today, I go to print all these things for school, and low and behold not even the first thing printed. I feel like that scene from Office Space where they go out in the field and completely demolish their printer...or is it the copy machine. I tried to go on hulu to find the clip of that scene, and they don't have one?! What's up with that...the BEST part of the movie.

I'm pretty sure that my computer problems including not finding that clip on hulu all stem from the fact that I am pretty much 99% technology illiterate. And I just take out my frustrations on the machines that don't do what I need them to do...sad, I know.

Little Missy

I wish you all could see Elizabeth today. She is wearing pink striped pants, a pink snow bunny shirt, and a fleece with hearts all over it but the part I'm talking about is how she has 6 necklaces around her neck, and she is carrying her pink polka dotted blanket around with her everywhere. Her independence is coming out today in all the wrong ways, but she is just trying so hard to be grown up. She is ALL girl, and I love that she loves pink. She is like me in so many ways, but unlike me, she is a girly-girl. Her best friend in Florida is a 9 year old girl named Emily. Emily & Elizabeth love to "dress up." They go through several outfits a day...and it's adorable. I don't mind washing all those clothes b/c I know that Lizzy is growing up way too fast. One day, I won't have all those close to wash or all the dolls to put away.

I don't have a picture of her today, but here are some pics of my Little Missy!

A New December

It is hard to imagine that we have been living in Florida for 7 months now. I am so used to traveling for months at a time that this move has almost just seemed like another one of our road trips. It's now really settling in that we LIVE here.

The weather is perfect. We've been having 80 degree days since September, and finally Dec. 1 hit along with the first cold snap of the season. It's COLD out there, and we had a hard time finding our coats yesterday when we took an impromptu trip to Downtown Disney. I finally just grabbed costumes for the kids, and I found a sweater for myself.

There is so much to do around here, and it's hard to remember that I don't have to fit everything into each season b/c I will be here next year at this time to get to enjoy what I missed out on this year. Disney does holidays just like they do anything...very well! Christmas is no different. They have giant gingerbread houses all over the place with hidden Mickey's in them. You can stand in front of the gingerbread forever just searching for hidden Mickeys...and we have done that. I want to check all of them out this season, but I don't know if there will be time to get to them all.

I am a planner to my core. I love planning small things, big things, parties, craft days, and especially birthdays! Right now I'm in the midst of planning Andrew's "family" birthday celebration. We always do a friend party for his 1/2 birthday since his birthday is during likely the busiest season of the year, but we like to make his real birthday just as special. This year, I have outdone myself...almost all free! I'm so excited, and I can't wait to share the surprise!

I'm also very excited b/c my bib sis called me yesterday to discuss Christmas plans. She wants to come HERE for Christmas! We flew to her new home in Albany, NY to spend the holidays with her family last year, and we had SO much fun together. I hope we can be as good of hosts as they were for us! Just being together will be wonderful!

I love this time of year. I said Fall was my favorite season...and I guess it still is Fall :)