Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone!

A new session of gymnastics classes began this week along with the New Year. This meant that both Amelia and Diana got to attend gymnastics class today. (It also meant that we had to arrive at class almost an hour earlier than usual, which made mommy's morning very hectic.)

Diana was a bit shy around her other classmates and their parents. She bounced on the trampoline with mommy - holding both of mommy's hands - but she clung fiercely to mommy's shirt when it was suggested that she join her fellow toddlers in the foam pit.

Diana was also cautious about entering the "bounce house" that was set up in class today. She was the first girl to approach the inflated castle and followed the extension cord to the air pump to see how the device worked, but she was a bit nervous about entering the house and jumping. After a couple of minutes Diana and I climbed into the house and Diana began to bounce while holding her instructor's hands. She left the teacher for a few seconds to bounce with mommy, but then went back to her class instructor. I guess she's a better bouncer than mommy.

What was funny about all of this is that as soon as the older children were allowed in the bounce house Diana eagerly followed her sister up and in through the trap door and started bouncing and bounding around the room like she had been there a dozen times before. Diana really looks up to her big sister and follows almost everything she does.

This afternoon, while Diana was taking her afternoon nap, I slipped outside and took down my Christmas lights. I also had Amelia help me take the garland down off our Christmas tree. It was a little sad to be putting the decorations away, but we have to remember that there are more holidays around the corner.

In a few weeks we can bring out our Presidents' Day decorations; then we can all go green for St. Patrick's Day. (Here, Amelia models some green decorations at a local hobby and fabric store.)

Okay, no one in my family is ethnically Irish, as far as I know. So there probably won't be any St. Patrick's Day decorations, or Valentine's Day hearts, or Lincoln and Washington silhouettes. But we still have mommy's birthday in our future - at that will bring all of us a yummy, decorated cake at least.

Lisa