New Year's Eve

Gigi went to a "New Year's Eve Party" ( a.k.a. babysitter with the other kids while Daddy and Mommy went out to dinner) at the Hoffer's. There was a great snack buffet featuring each kid's favorite snacks. After the adults returned, the countdown to midnight began. Yummy desserts and drinks were consumed. We introduced the effigy doll tradition to Gigi (doll representation of self with pictures/symbols of things to put behind one's self in the coming year which is ceremonially burned). Everyone shared their dolls, and burned them in the fire -- everyone except for Gigi. She decided she was taking hers home and keeping it forever. Party hats, noisemakers, and wands were shaken until the ball dropped at midnight. Everyone had a sparkling drink.

Family + Fondue = Fundue

Daniel, Nicole and Alice returned last night from Germany. Today, we exchanged the kids gifts. It was only the middle generation of Kauffmans and their respective outlaws. Genevieve gave Alex a set of streetsigns and a wooden police car/ firetruck. She received a special Amish highchair from Lily for her dolls.

The highlight of the day was a fondue! Mommy had made several gourmet dipping sauces and 3 different pots for the fondue: peanut oil, broth, and cheese. Tenderloin, mushrooms, and Shadeau bread were a few of the foods to dip.

Kauffman Klan Holiday ( & Daisy Goes Home!!!)

Today, we travelled with Kristen and family to Byron and Jane Kauffman's. Given that we went up and back in the same day, the kids did beautifully. Genevieve used Kristen's automobile port-a-potty. As I write this, it occurs to me - Kristen - Ms. Germophobic, with wipes for all occasions, why do you have a port-a-potty in your car?

Most of the cousins attended and many of the younger generation had significant others as well. Gigi had fun on the balance beam. Cousin Ellen once again got the prize for best home-baked cookie tray of the season, featuring little mice to delight the kids (and let's be honest, grown-ups too). Daddy loved the fact that cousin Laura Sue brought punch that matched her top.

On the trip home, Mommy got her "hometown" Pizza Hut fix. Genevieve ate an entire portion of pasta, creating the correct sauce-to-cheese-to-pasta ratio. Daddy took a route home that had 30 different turns but was the most direct route -- it was reaaally late when we got home -- but worth it because Aunt Lizzy FINALLY picked up Daisy!!! MEEEEEEEOWWW!

Christmas 2008

Genevieve slept in Christmas morning. She wanted to "chat it out" while in bed, while mommy and daddy were prodding her to get up and see what Santa delivered - a role reversal from when I was a kid, for sure!
She discovered Santa had delivered a few of her requests and was quite excited: a rainbow, butterfly, sparkly dress; new clothes for Erna (she reaaaallly needed clothes); and a cradle for Erna to rest (Gigi has her rest quite a bit - as in, not play with her - at least she'll be comfortable!) We emptied our stockings and had a bite of Schnecken - an old German recipe from Virginia Bakery -- yum!

Daddy and Gigi went to Grammy's for a Christmas brunch, while Mommy went to Aunt Kristen's; she was doing most of Christmas dinner and it was a "Kauffman" Christmas this year. Joining us at Grammy's was Aunt Sharon, cousins Crissy and Bobby, and Aunt Sharon's friend Patrick; who played hide-and-seek with Gigi in the dining room.

After Grammy's, Gigi and Daddy joined the party at Kristen's. In addition to the Volz's, grandma Jeanie, grandpa Jack, and Mickey, we had a very special guest: Grannie Ellie, Gigi's 93 years YOUNG great grandmother. Mommy made a delicious Christmas dinner (per usual) with the highlight being the sauce for the tenderloin.

Before we exchanged a few gifts, Lily, Genevieve and Alex sang a rendition of "Jingle Bells". Gigi then treated us to a verse of "Winter Wonderland" -- so adorable, I could hardly look at her.

Christmas Eve Service at Crossroads

Grammy, Genevieve, Sharon and Daddy attended the 1:00 pm Christmas Eve service at Crossroads; mommy had to work :( . We arrived and took a special photobooth picture (that we put in Mommy's stocking). After getting some cookies and hot chocolate, we had a holiday picture taken. The service was basically the Awaited show (sans the new scene with the Magi). Genevieve and Daddy sat closer to the front for a special surprise at the end - falling snow! It was quite the sight to see Genevieve running down the aisle after Grammy and Sharon with her hands reaching upwards (go Jesus!) exclaiming the fun of the falling snow.

Gigi-bread House

Gigi and Mommy made a gingerbread house today.

Yeah, we cheated. It was a kit from Trader Joe's - but Genevieve had plenty of creative add-ons. She destructed the gingerbread house Mommy won at the silent auction to improve hers.

Also worthy of note is the fact that our brilliantly skilled three-year-old constructed it (Mommy did one base) with almost no help. Really!

She's a genius.

Kris(mas)tens Cookie Party

We went to Kristens for a cookie making extravaganza and spent the night -- couldn't move or stay awake from all of the cookies. Daddy scored big points with the NEON food coloring he found which made lovely (though unconventional) pink and purple cookies. The kids gave great consideration to color and embellishments. They completed about four each, leaving the other 50 or so for Mommy and Aunt Kristen to finish. Ugh.

Along with kid cookies, we made special dog cookies (biscuits) for special dogs. Genevieve made a bowl for Mickey at the art studio which needed to be filled with something and, Aunt Kuh's puppies have been especially good this year (or so we hear)! We all agreed (except Daddy) that they smelled delicious while cooking - only slightly unsettling.

Pulling Taffy and Paddling in the Pool

Daddy scheduled another jam-packed Saturday. We pulled taffy at the Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve. Genevieve selected vanilla and orange. It was less sticky than we expected, but far more work than anticipated. Our hands were cramped! We understand why it is better left to machines. It was fun learning the history of taffy pulling and how it was a way to flirt in the earlier years. Genevieve thought the end result was delicious.

We went to Happen, Inc. to make Christmas decorations (Gigi made a tree ornament and put together a sleigh) and found Santa himself was hanging out at Happen! Gigi chatted with him, but not about gift requests – mostly art projects and Daisy the cat (Aunt Lizzy's cat whom we've been house sitting for the last 3 weeks)!

Grammy hosted us for a swimming session in her indoor swimming pool. Genevieve was so excited to learn that this existed. She loves the fact that there are steps that gradually descend into the water so she can go in at her own pace. Why was it that she wouldn't go in the deeper end(with Mommy) until Daddy got out? Maybe because Daddy encourages (that it, forces) her to do more than for what she is ready.

Sciontastic

Today was Genevieve's last day of school. It was one of Waldorf's many special festivals: WinterGarden. There is no festival like the Advent Spiral. It is a very reverent, sacred ceremony. This festival celebrates the inner light that we carry within us through the darkest half of the year. There is nothing as magical as a glowing, lit, Advent Spiral in a dark room on the day of the Winter Solstice! Genevieve held her apple and lit the candle with Miss Carmey's help. She proceeded to admire all of the other candles and decorations while a gentleman was playing the guitar.

Later in the day, Nicole, Daniel and Alice came to Cincinnati and visited prior to leaving for their holiday in Germany. Our biggest treat of the season was the use of their car! The family went to Ludlow Avenue for a Clifton Holiday Celebration. Gigi made a bagel bird feeder, had holiday cookie treats at Kellers IGA, stood in line for face painting at Toku Kids and received a balloon flower handcrafted at Graeter's. The coup de grace was a carriage wagon ride drawn by two beautiful horses -- down Middleton, Bryant, to Clifton and back to Graeters singing merrily along the way. Gigi was amazed that mommy new the words to a "new" song, Deck the Halls, but by the time we rounded Clifton Avenue, she had figured it out too. Genevieve spotted eight lighted reindeer on top of the library and one (Rudolph?) on top of Graeters.

Happen Inc's Big Event

Tonight, we picked up our three Santa plates for milk and cookies at Happen that we made a few weeks back. There were over 90 plates displayed on long tables. The elves had different cookies to sample. Below is a picture of the finished plates which will hold the cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve.

Daddy went to a special Crossroads service for Keri Shryock, who passed away the night before during a performance of Awaited, a contemporary retelling of the Christmas story.

My Own Private Festival of Lights

The second try (no lost privilege for bad behavior as was the case Dec 2nd) worked out for The Festival of Lights at the Zoo. Because of the bitter cold and sketchy driving conditions, the zoo was nearly empty. It was a winter wonderland with snow covered trees. The Madcap Puppet Show featuring "Broccoli Nose" - named by Alex- was performed for a house of about 20. Daddy first saw this show three seasons ago (when Gigi was just 8 mos) and had been pining for it to return; it was well worth the wait! Done in blacklight, the puppeteers were all in black and could not be seen. The results were magical. The glee on Gigi's face (and Lily's) was the best birthday gift a mommy could have (with the exception of daddy's gift). On the carrousel, she chose the ostrich as usual. The talking tigers were a hit once again, and even sang "Happy Birthday" to mommy. The baby cheetahs have really gotten big. Gigi could have talked all night. A train ride finished off the evening at the zoo.

Because it was the last night to use Frisch's Halloween coupons, we had dinner at Big Boy - which is big fun with cousins. Genevieve enjoyed her usual: pancakes and piles of fruit.

The Most Exciting Monday! EVER!

WOW. So much fun in one day! The Museum Center remains one of Gigi's favorite places. She requests trips there more than any other place (with the possible exception of Aunt Kristen's house). HOWEVER, today it was EVEN BETTER! The special exhibit feature was her favorite Big Red Dog, Clifford - complete with all his friends and family. She fell in love with T-Bone's bone from his doghouse; wooden and just the right size for her hands. On top of that, Holiday Junction - with train displays and a miniature train ride for kids only - was in full swing and bigger and better than ever this year. To top it all off, SANTA was there! Not only did she get to sit on his lap and yak quite a while, later he came over to the train table and chatted it up with Gigi. It is surprising that she did not burst into a million pieces from the excitement of it all.

In the evening, we went to the Holiday In Lights at Sharon Woods with Grammy. First, as we pulled into the parking lot we were greeted by Everett Green, the strolling christmas tree....(Kara to fill in) Inside Santaland, we heard a dulcimer player, saw a puppet performance of Ebeneezer Scrooge, admired the train display, and were treated to a magician. Genevieve's favorite was jumping in the balls in the indoor playland.

Next was the highlight: an outdoor light display viewed from our car. The display of fantastic colors adorned hundreds of trees as well as more than 100 moving and holiday themed figures depicting everything from Santa and elves to Godzilla. On the way home, Grammy was hungry so we pulled into her favorite burger joint, Wendy's. The perfect nightcap; a single burger with lettuce, pickles and mustard!

Happy Birthday Party, Dear Lily

Gigi attended cousin Lily’s fifth birthday party today. The party was a magical fairy party. Each guest was invited into a fairy transformation tent where she donned pink fairy wings, dramatic eye make-up , and was sprinkled with sparkly fairy dust. Each girl got a wand to tap the next girl to be transformed. Once every guest (five girls and Alex) was fairy-ized, each decorated a fairy treasure box. Then came the fairy treasure hunt (pennies in Kristen's living room), and "Pin the Wings on the Fairy." Genevieve thoroughly enjoyed herself and is already planning her own fairy birthday party.

In the evening, on the way home, we picked up Grammy and went to the live Drive through Nativity that the Montgomery Methodist Church puts on. There are about 10 different live historical scenes depicting the times surrounding Jesus' birth. They even have you tune your radio into a frequency with accompaning music. What a nice gift to the community!

Mt Adams Reindog Parade

Daddy was pumped! He was finally going to get to see the reindog parade. After picking Grammy up from Saturday lunch, we drove to Mt. Adams only to find the streets blocked off and parking nonexistent. With the parade only minutes away from starting, I illegally parked and hurried off Gigi and Mommy to the parade (I stayed behind with Grammy) so that at least someone (though, not me) would be able to witness hundreds of dogs dressed up ridiculously in their holiday garb. (at this point, I will pass the blogging onto Kara - she was not so impressed)

Family Christmas Portrait

Genevieve, Mommy and Daddy had their portrait taken for the holidays. Genevieve turned it around and enabled the family to have its first professional portrait. Afterwards she was rewarded with a dinner at Skyline - love that spaghetti and cheese!

Santa's Milk and Cookies at Happen Inc.

Another fun evening at Happen Inc. Tonight, we made plates for Santa's cookies. Genevieve took great care to use EVERY color of glaze available. Mommy could not stop adding details. Daddy showed the greatest restraint with a simple design and ony three colors (his was really a group effort - Gigi lent her hand and Mommy traced it).

Gigi talked Tommy's ear off (see the picture below, he only has one ear) as usual.

Mommy Wins A Gingerbread Display! & Fetching the Fir

Mommy bid on a gingerbread display (that had no other bids - what do you think it looked like?) and won it with the only bid (pros: cheap. cons: see pic). She sent Gigi and daddy to pick it up today. When we arrived in the hall, Genevieve ran over to her favorite from the day before ( the purple trimmed castle with a rainbow on top - see the picture from December 7th). Boy was she disappointed when I said that was not the one we were taking home - the crying and drama all the way back to the car.

After we picked mommy up from work, we picked out our favorite Christmas tree, a frasier fir, which turned out to be the last one. A little Charlie Brownish mommy thought, but fresh smelling and tall (kind of like daddy!)

Pink Yogurt and Gingerbread

It was a BFF mother and daughter gathering for breakfast out and a trip to the Shriner's Gingerbread display. The day started with breakfast at one of Genevieve's favorite spots - the pink yogurt restaurant (a.k.a First Watch) with Leela and Ava - and their mommies, of course. She had her usual fresh fruit crepe.

After breakfast all went to the Shriner's temple to see the annual Gingerbread display. The houses were impressive! All sorts of tasty building materials to form sugar wonderlands including some familar spots - the museum center, and elephant house at the Cincinnati Zoo. Gigi's favorite was a purple trimmed castle with a rainbow on top. No great surprise there!

Uber-day on the Holiday Calendar

December 6th was "THE" day on this year's holiday calendar --Mommy's and Daddy's favorite holiday events all on the same day (and Genevieve's too, because we said so). From the start, it was not the day we planned. There was a festive blanket of snow, making it all lovely, but not the best for driving. Our first activity of the day, community breakfast with Santa at Immanuel Presbyterian that we had done the last 2 Decembers (Mommy's pick) was a no-go because of behavior/loss of privilege.

Holiday Faire at Gigi's school was next on the agenda (Daddy's pick). The special bonus this year was Grandma & Grandpa were attending as well. Sadly, not long into the event, Mommy and Gigi morphed into their alter-egos, Brat Girl and Rage Mommy. Daddy was not there to save them. Mommy knew the situation was dire when a stranger stopped in the room in which the two were melting-down and asked if she might be able to help -- perhaps take the girl away for awhile? This transpired in the "childcare" room Mommy was manning for Daddy while he took Grandma & Grandpa on their tour of Gigi's room, Willow Tree Nursery with Miss Carmy.
Ooooops. Not so good for business. Guess Daddy's booth was not going to win any fundraising prize. Lots of fun was had with the Pocket Fairy, the gingerbread decorations, and the craft room Secret Santa. Next year we will be sure not to miss the Treasure Gnome - a boat floating back with a surprise.

We departed Holiday Faire with Grandma and Grandpa and began the trek to Aunt Kristen's house. The children happily played for hours, then we bundled them up for the evenings festivities - Mommy's favorite event, the Lebanon Holiday Horse-drawn carrige parade.

This "smalltown" parade has all the components of an idyllic Christmas event -- an old Main Street with plenty of shops, booths lining the street with favorite aromas of hot chocolate, roasted almonds, fish tacos, deep fried sugar coated griddle cakes; carolling along the streets, live winter characters greeting the children, dinner at the old Golden Lamb Inn ( grandma and grandpa tested the fare) and topping it off -- THE PARADE. This year there were over 115 horse drawn sleighs and sleds decked out in everything from Rudolph to miniature horses to the 3 wise men and even The Grinch! What made it extra special this year was the snow falling during the parade. It all went by too fast but the spirit was certainly felt.

Do the Downtown Dazzle

Today, Genevieve, Rye Russell, Denham and Andrea met downtown for some special Christmas celebration (mommy was at work) . First we met Santa at Macy's for a picture, then we went to the Netherland Plaza to see the downtown Gingerbread scene. Finally, we traversed parts of the old Skywalk and ended up at Duke Energy's amazing train display on 4th Street. One of the trains was completely made of ivory! Genevieve spoke to one of the train engineers about something completely unrelated -- he was pleasantly amused.

Happy Birthday Uncle Daniel

Today was the day for the Cincinnati cousins Christmas pictures at a studio in West Chester. After donning their holiday garb, it was our turn. Alex wanted nothing to do with the event but our photographer did a great job getting him to finally smile (we did find one out of the 70 taken). All of the grandparents received a framed portrait of their little darlings.