Christmas!!

No time to blog as we are scrambling like mad to get out of here and to the airport for our trip to Florida. But I just wanted to say, it doesn't get any better than this!!!

Did I mention it is a fabulous day for flying Kites.

The sun is finally back out in Georgia. Allah Hua Akbar. It seems to bring smiles all around.

So what did we do during all this rain with mommy out of town. Well, we dressed up as ballerinas and cleaned the house. This one is going to make some gentleman very happy some day.

And we ate lots of pizza . . . very quickly and ferociously. That pizza never saw what was coming.

Mommy will be home tomorrow. We both miss her very much. Ana keeps asking when she will return. I just say, 'soon'.

We Can't WAIT!!

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care...

And someone is excited beyond compare!!!

Ana has her own tree in her room that she decorated herself. In case you were curious the laundry basket with a chair in it is her "boat".

Here she is reading at night by the light of her tree. Awwww.

First Dance Performance

Ana had her first dance performance this weekend! And Mummy had her first (public) parental screw-up :'( More about that later!

It was the Dance Company's Christmas show and Ana was sooooooooo excited! On the way there she was very calm and collected. She put a scarf on over her ballet outfit. She looked like a Russian ballerina. Very chic, and aloof! ha ha!

When we got to the venue her excitement spilled over. She was pumped up!! Busting out a plie on her way in, and racing up and down the hallways!

Then I realized that all the other girls were in pretty dresses. Uh-oh! I thought they were supposed to wear leotards. I felt terrible. My poor child freezing to death in her tight pink leotard while the other girls got to wear Christmas dresses. Ughh. I cried! Luckily Ana either didn't notice, or didn't care. She was ready to hit the stage!!

Here she is - a future superstar!! :-D

Untitled from jasmin hutchinson on Vimeo.

We learned that we need to hustle to the front to get good video footage in the future. James is showing up next year with a TV camera, and a spotlight! Ha ha! Oh yes, we are going to be THOSE parents. Oh, it will be hilarious!

Oh the excitement!!!

Untitled from jasmin hutchinson on Vimeo.

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. I'm really getting into this American holiday. It is at a great time of year, people get the most time off work, and it kicks off the Christmas season, which I love! Plus, it is a holiday pretty much dedicated to FOOD! This year we decided to have the holiday be just about the three of us. No rushing about to people's houses or travelling out of town! It was perfect!!

Ana helped us prepare the dinner....

whisking an egg

peeling and chopping an onion

Excited about the turkey

Our feast (missing the gravy, cranberry sauce, and apple pie)

Decorating the Christmas tree :)

Smarty Pants

Just within the last 2 weeks James and I have noticed a huge difference in Ana's vocab, and her logic. She is changing so fast!!

The other day I was driving and she asked me to pass her something. I said "Mummy can't, she is driving right now", so Ana replied "Well, keep your eyes on the road and reach your arm back here". Ahhh ok.

Then James was putting her to bed and he lay down with her briefly and she said "Are you going night-night too Daddy?" and he said "No, it's not my bedtime yet" so she said "So why are you in my bed then?" Ha!

Christmas is coming. I foolishly asked Ana to write a letter to Santa detailing what she wanted. She wants a Cheese Monster. Where am I supposed to find a cheese monster? She also wants an "S".

Below - Ana's first attempt at writing her name completely unaided (top right). She brought this to me (this was actually her letter to Santa - so if she doesn't get her cheese monster and her S, I think I have a valid case) and told me "Look, I wrote my name on it"!! I'm so impressed!

Stone Mountain

The weather was beautiful here this past weekend, so we took a trip to Stone Mountain. Despite the fact that place is a haven for racism, we had an enjoyable day!

Hiking

Mummy tries and fails to take a picture of the three of us....

Daddy does better, with his monkey arms!

Fun on the train!

Singing!!

Untitled from jasmin hutchinson on Vimeo.

Nana says "banahna"

Banana from jasmin hutchinson on Vimeo.

Rock Star Innocence

Ana and Kendall marched in last night and announced that they had formed a band, called Rock Star Innocence (I swear, no kidding, they came up with that themselves).

Here is their debut performance!!

Rock Star Innocence from jasmin hutchinson on Vimeo.

Halloween

Remember this???

Or this???

Oh, how times have changed. Ana now LOVES to dress up!!

First we had the school party. Here is Ana actually excited to go to school!

All the kids in her class

With her main squeeze, Jacob Ball

Then we had a princess birthday party....

It was impossible to get them all to look at the camera!

But here they are all blinged out in princess jewelery and heels!

Then home in time to trick or treat.

It was a wet night :(

And Daddy looked embarrassing....

But the gang were raring to go!

A great time was had by all, and an exhausted Ana slept in late on a Sunday morning (meaning I actually had time to post this!!).

New shoes!

Ana showing off her new "big girl" jeans and her SHINY SHOES!!!

Her hair never ceases to amaze me!!!

Unsung Lullabies

Ana wants a little sister. She has already christened her Emily.

Emily is her best friend.

She would probably tolerate a brother too; she doesn’t seem to understand the difference. She just wants a baby.

And so do we.

But every month is the same …

A lengthy two-week wait.

Second guessing every possible physical indicator of pregnancy.

Was that a strange taste in my mouth?

Am I smelling things that are not there?

Take a test. One pink line.

This test must be broken. Take another.

It’s too early, wait two days.

There is still hope.

One pink line.

One pink line

One pink line.

Well meaning friends tell us “time for another”

Smile. Nod.

Old wives tales get shared…

Eat more pineapple, drink Robotussin, stand on your head after sex, and my favourite ...just relax!

Thanks. I already have a doctor. You know, a qualified one.

Go to the playground. Everyone is pregnant.

Go to the Children’s Museum. It’s a fertility parade.

Everywhere I take my three year old is a magnet for expectant women. Obviously. Three year olds tend to have siblings.

But not mine.

It has a name, apparently.

Secondary infertility.

It feels like a selfish disease.

Can’t you be grateful for what you have?

Don’t you love the one you’ve got?

I can’t help making plans

Calculating expected due dates.

Dates that come and go.

Always living in the next phase of life.

“Next Christmas we’ll have a baby in the house.”

“Better not book that holiday. I’ll be pregnant by then.”

“This could be Ana’s last birthday without a sibling.”

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

So I’m picking myself up.

Living in the moment.

Enjoying the one I’ve got (as if I didn’t)

But not giving up hope. Not yet.

Star Words: The Clown Wars

Ana has seriously got into Star Wars (hmm, a little push from daddy maybe?). She watches the movie and really loves the cartoon "Star Wars: The Clone Wars". However, she seems to have some trouble with the names. For example....

Star Wars = Star Words
Darth Vader = Dark Vader
The Clone Wars = The Clown Wars
Anakin Skywalker = Manikin Skywalker
Obe One Kenobi = Kenobie One Obe

Driving Miss Mia

Beyond cute!!!

Untitled from jasmin hutchinson on Vimeo.

She's not even a teenager yet!

Untitled from jasmin hutchinson on Vimeo.

Dolphins Game - A post from Daddy

Today was one of the best days of my life. Day Ana was born . . . Awesome day. Marrying my wife . . . Really Awesome day. Getting out of the Army . . . Awesome day. Today . . . Tremendously, stupendously awesome DAY!!!! Some days you feel like a dad and some days you feel like some guy muddling through hoping to hell you get something right somewhere so it won’t all be a total wash. Today was not that day.

I must be honest, I have been building up this game for weeks. Telling her we are going to a football game with bravado so she would be excited when it finally arrived. But why bother. She is excited when we are excited, motivated when we are motivated, sad when we are sad. She is like a mirror into ourselves and all the building up is worthless because she senses what is really going on within us. She dressed reluctantly (as per the norm) but was eager once geared up; sang ‘Halo’ five times on the way to the game, jumped out of the car being strangled by Mardi Gras beads, grew fearful of the train's speed, and jumped into my arms at the Georgia Dome saying. ‘lots of people’.

She clapped and cheered with the crowd, danced like the cheerleaders, and went through two buckets of $6.00 popcorn which mostly went to the floor, except the lot that flew on the lady next to us (poor woman). The game was horrible but she was wonderful. She even held nature's call to wait in a bathroom of somewhere around 100 men to get to one of four stalls which, once in, took me 5 minutes to clean up. I cannot express how earnestly I picked up her shoes and pants and got the hell out of there. Then there was the $6.00 lot of ‘Dots’ which she didn’t like, the $6.00 lot of all natural blueberry ice-cream which she didn’t like, and finally stealing six of Todd’s shelled peanuts which occupied her for about a half hour (who knew). And Todd was magnificent, playing with her as the game went on. I knew he wanted nothing more than to watch the game being a former college footballer. But his patience and magnanimity were bountiful.

I remember when I was young yearning to be free, a car, a house, decisions about my time made by me. Somewhere along the way I seemed to have lost that dream. Work and responsibilities rob from us the very things that motivated us in the first place. Trying to attain whatever it is that the media and school told us we should strive for. Sorry CNN, massive amounts of money and fame are not it!!!! My child has balanced me, Skywalker where you at? My dreams for a future and my child’s happiness and wellbeing have intersected. After today, whatever may come, I know that her welfare and my happiness are indelibly linked. My definition of freedom has become the ability to make my child happy. There should be a requirement in Congress that everyone have children and that those children grow up poor. Wouldn’t that be a motivation for social change!!!

I wish I could share feelings, I wish I could grow the central warmth I feel when I think of my daughter to the world. War would cease, corruption would be a thing of the past. You are my beautiful dancing daughter in an oversized Dolphins Jersey with gracious Falcon’s fans around. You are the reason for everything now, and now I know my purpose. I love you Ana and may all your days be as rewarding to you as the days I spend with you are to me.

If one can love too much, then I have crossed that threshold.

Last week Ana and I took a trip to England. We had a great time! We landed just in time for Uncle Smooth's 30th birthday party, then the next day Me, Mel and Smooth went to Creamfields! Fun! I spent a couple of days away at a conference, while Ana stayed behind, but other than that we got to spend a lot of quality time together. It was awesome!

Ana loved spending time with her family. When we got back I asked her "So what was your favourite part of the trip?" and she replied "Mia!!!"

Here are a few snaps!!

On the plane - Ana was a complete angel on both flights. Thank God!!

Hug for grandad!

Double hug from both grandkids!!!

Bathtime!!

My spoon!!

Painting in the garden

Bath in a bucket!! Mia actually loved this. The reason she is crying here is because we had just tried to take her out and put Ana in. Ana hated it and screamed to get out. Quite the scene!

At a farm. Behold the mismatched dress and wellies. Good job Auntie Mel did not see this fashion disaster!

Lunch time!!! (Ana has not sat in a high chair in over a year, but Mia was in one so Ana wanted to be in one too)

Building a house together

Mia would NOT let this ice cream go!!

Tired girls, passed out on the way home!!

Messing about in Nana's kitchen..

Sooo happy to see her Daddy again!