Is there anything cooler than a smart, older cousin? Probably not!

Esme’s latest baking endeavor.

Pretty little sight I caught from the MOS parking lot this evening.

With Peter out for the evening and both girls in bed, what better time for popcorn and Kimmy? Thanks for the laughs!

Couldn’t be prouder of my girl today. She has been saving up her money with the goal of buying a companion bird for the little electronic songbird she got for Christmas. Having recently met her goal, we hit up the toy store.

We walked the aisles, and though we saw several similar birds, the style she wanted was nowhere to be seen. I could see her disappointment and as her lower lip started to quiver I told her that we could check another store. She wasn’t too thrilled with that, so I suggested she ask at customer service.

She strode right up and dealt with the woman at the desk all on her own. She knew what she wanted, what it was called and how much it cost. She asked if they might have any in stock and waited patiently while they checked. As it turns out, they didn’t have the exact one she had been wanting but had two similar ones. She asked if she could see both and when they came out she chose one. (A big step for a kid who has had trouble with unexpected changes in the past!)

Having made her choice she went to the cashier, counted out and paid with her cash, and went smiling to the door with her purchase. I couldn’t help but admire the grown up way she handled each step, even with their disappointments, and how she got what she wanted in the end. Good work, kiddo!

Oh, Esme.

I had planned on posting something thoughtful and practical about road tripping with children today. But then this happened. So go the best laid plans!

Even road trip veterans can sometimes have a little too much of each other’s company. During those times, it is handy to have blankets around to construct personal space pods.

I have been wanting to take the girls downhill skiing for a couple of years now, but the time has never been quite right. Today, the stars aligned and all the pieces to the puzzle came together perfectly.

Catherine’s smile says it all. They had a fantastic time skiing and they took to it much quicker than I had expected. By mid day, Catherine was shushing down the blue square trails with me and smiling from ear to ear. Esme rocked the beginner’s hill and was brave enough to ride the chair lift and take one ‘big hill’ before the day was out.

Many thanks to Grandma and Grandpa, Ken F and Peter for making a wonderful day of skiing possible for us three girls!