2013 begins...with some frowns and some grins!

Ok, I know that's a cheesy title but it fits.  January and February both had their share of ups and downs, in various ways for our whole family, but to keep it on the lighter side, this post will stick to sweet pics of our sweet girl.

She wasn't always a little sweetie these past couple months...  We've got quite a feisty, stubborn, defiant little lady on our hands some days!  But, we did have our share of fun times. :)  We all passed around a stomach bug for about a week at the end of January, then poor Maelee had another bout of it for about a week in mid February...  but before and after those brushes with the bug were some enjoyable moments below.

Early in January, after Maelee got her first "reward" for earning 10 stars- a babydoll that opens and closes its eyes!  She was thrilled :)

Early Jan- Another sad farewell to more of our nearest and dearest friends :(  

The kiddos- James, Maelee, Ethan, and Tyler (who we miss dearly!!!)

At Alice's Tea Cup in early Jan- Desiree and I with sweet Brooke (Tyler's mommy) before their family's move back to GA.  Sniff.

Enjoying her new, post- Christmas paint set

Some hot cocoa overlooking the East River

Sporting the awesome South Africa tee from our dear South African friends (who we also miss dearly!!!)

Out to breakfast during a short but sweet visit from Nana in mid-January while Steve and I had a night out in Atlanta for Steve's work holiday party

One of the daddy/daughter duo's favorite games of racing back and forth down our hallway-

"5, 4, 3, 2,1- Off to the launching site!"

And here's a slideshow from January:

Then, February began with a lot of white!  Just a dusting of snow at first, then some heavier snow fall several days later.

A small glimpse the first weekend of Feb...

With a lot more to show the second weekend!

So much fun sledding!!!

And so much fun enjoying some hot cocoa after the cold!

A little pre-Valentine's Day PJs party with her little "school" group

Starting Heart Day off with some yummy heart pancakes

Then off to a nearby Nursing Home, sharing love and cheer with the residents

Our yummy gift from Nana & Pop-Pop

My little baking assistant :)

Taking in some fun cards, complete with lights and music!

Nothing but smiles and giggles for Nana & Pop-Pop during their quick weekend trip up in mid-Feb

One of Maelee's favorite NYC activities- the Carousel at Bryant Park

A little rain can't stop our party-goer before good pal Marissa's celebration!

Birthday Party Fun!

With best bud, Marissa

Ending the month with some of our NYC family- little "brother" Ethan and big "brother" James :)

And a slideshow from February:

I mentioned earlier Maelee's feisty side but also wanted to include some of the more comical developments from these past couple of months.  She is still quite the chatter box, and pretty much talks non-stop...  It is adorable and hysterical at the same time (if not a little exhausting at times, too!). And the "but, why's???" hit full force where just about every response from us was followed by the famous question.  But some of the funnier sayings are just expressions that she says that just sound plain odd coming from her.  She'd start off a statement with "Actually..." or respond, "Oh, ok" and for some reason, it just made us chuckle to hear.  Then lately, she's started making excuses for any reprimandable behavior we catch her on.  Example:

Mommy- "Maelee, remember, we don't grab.  Please ask nicely if you want to see what I'm holding." (as she yanks something out of my hands)
Maelee- "No, no, I was just trying to help you!"


Mommy- "Maelee, remember you need to be gentle with Parker" (as she grips his neck)
Maelee- "No, no, I was just giving him a hug!"

Oh, my- it begins already!  Not sure where she gets any sort of tendency to be defensive... smirk.

Anyhow, each day she says something new that makes us laugh and she really is Miss Personality.  We can't believe she's so close to turning THREE!!!  Wow.  The year has already had its share of tough moments, but her sweet smiles make us excited for what the rest of 2013 has in store.

JOY

Our daughter's favorite Christmas carol over the holidays was "Joy to the World," which for the majority of the Christmas season, she confidently belted out, "Joy to the Lord, the Lord is come." Including a rousing rendition in the ladies room at the swank DC hotel, The Willard, after listening to some carolers in the lobby, prompting fellow bathroom users to join in... :) It was a fun season. 

And we definitely did have many moments of joy during the month of December with sweet holiday treats of hot cocoa and goodies; classic movies like "Rudolph" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" where Maelee's favorite characters ended up being "the Snow Monster" and "Old Man Winter;"  NYC "must-see's" including Macy's Santa Land, Bryant Park's Christmas market, and even our local park's annual tree lighting; memorable moments with family like our annual dinner at Old Ebbitt's Grill in DC and a visit to the National Tree, our sacred Christmas Eve tradition in DE, and a fun new treat this year of a mini-vacation at the Massanutten resort; sweet times with friends; and talking to our 2 year old - ahem, 2 and 3/4 year old-  about Jesus, who is the TRUE meaning of Christmas, despite the fun and fantasy of Santa and elves, talking reindeer, and the like. :) 

As always, it was a busy time, but a special time, and we are thankful for the memories made.  Here are some of the memories, captured by the camera...

Yummy hot cocoa!

Tree decorating and train fascination...

First lighting of the Advent Candles

Singing with the carolers at the Carl Schurz tree lighting

Special mommy/daughter movie night with pizza and treats on the couch while daddy was traveling!

Trying on and modeling the Christmas dress!

And our first trip to Macy's Santa Land!  After sticking to the Santa at Bloomingdales for the last couple of years, we decided to take advantage of Steve's comp day off by braving the lines at Macy's.  We were pleasantly surprised at how quickly we moved through the fun-filled "land" to meet the man himself.

Telling Santa what she wants for Christmas- a babydoll!

And enjoying the window displays outside

Fun at the Bryant Park Christmas market

Then, thanks to some much cheaper bus tickets for earlier travel, in the middle of December we made the trip down to VA to enjoy more fun, food, festivities, and family.  We braved the bus ride after a drop-in dance class so we were a little nervous how our little lady would do traveling through naptime (given she simply will not sleep in a moving vehicle, no matter the time, no matter the length...) but thanks to some of her favorite books, daddy's doodling, and her new favorite Christmas movies, the trip went great. We are so thankful for the time we were able to have in VA!

With the giant Nutcracker (one of her favorite holiday characters!) outside of Old Ebbitt's Grill

Enjoying a delicious meal at Old Ebbitt's

Quick view of the National Tree

It was a busy week for Steve, making sure he got all the necessary work completed in order to fully enjoy the following week off, so Maelee and I enjoyed a couple visits with good friends, Nam & Sana, from NY who recently moved to VA, and general holiday activities like shopping and eating :)

With good pal, Sana

SO excited to see Uncle Dan!!!

Little baking "assistant"

Beautiful lights of Old Town Alexandria

And despite getting literally a few hours of sleep on the night of Christmas Eve as the result of a cold, then throwing up all over herself during the car ride, Maelee loved seeing everyone in DE once we got there for our special Christmas Eve tradition, especially her great Too-Daddy...

 with "cousin" Caleb

The whole crew!

Such a fun evening!

More pictures from DE:



After a much better night of blissful sleep (praise the Lord!), we had a fun, relaxed Christmas morning...

Reading the story of Jesus' birth

Maelee's very own Nutcracker!

And little computer system

Enjoying time with Uncle Dan, and new friend, Ri-Ri, her special gift from the Tokyo Zoo

Later that day, we took a drive a couple hours south to the Massanutten ski resort.

And got a snowstorm the next day!
Ready to get cold :)

Make shift sled before getting the real sleds...

that accidentally sledded down the hill and onto the golf course!

Fun in the snow!

Then, fun in the water the next day at the indoor water park!

It was a short trip but we had a blast.  Steve even gave me, my brother, and my parents a special treat by staying in with Maelee one evening while we saw Les Miserables- my all time favorite musical.  We saw it together as a family in DC years back, and I had the pleasure of seeing it performed in Baltimore and in London, so it was very special to get to see it together on the big screen.   

And, more photos from Massanutten:


Before we left VA, we got the chance to see Too-Daddy and Too-Mom, Uncle Tom & Aunt Viv, Susan & Stephen one more time for dinner at The Narrow's.

And the day before we left, we got to see one of my best pal's, Cindy, and her family.  Alli and Maelee are only weeks apart and are so cute together!!!

Slideshow of shots from VA:

Continuing our tradition, we had our own family Christmas the day we got back to NY.

The charm bracelet from daddy- with butterfly/fairy wings for this year :)

A Nutcracker ornament from Mee-Maw & Grandpa!  Another favorite :)

Falling for her Winnie-the-Pooh bear from Aunt Kim

Ho Ho Ho

(poor Parker...)

We had a great holiday season and it just gets more and more fun each year as Maelee gets more into the festivities and her understanding of the meaning of Christmas deepens.  Happy 2013!

And some final pictures from NYC: