Thanksgiving, Birthdays and Christmas - oh my!

Thanksgiving 2009

Cousins Hunter and Chelsea (my sister's kids) with Helen.

I swear, if you don't hurry up and cut this cake soon I'm gonna...

...chomp!


A moment - sharing birthdays and birthday cake.


(Whoa - haircut girl!)
Opening a birthday gift that came in the mail.
Can you believe she's THREE?!



Helen digging her bracelet and cute sweater.


She likes her sled so much she'll nap on it, thanks Santa!

Hey, yeah hello, a little help here?

Christmas 2009

Pokorny kids with Grandpa at the farm.

Where did the time go? Wasn't it just Halloween?

I got a gentle nudge in my Inbox from a friend so I thought I better post some Nov-Dec pix by Monday morning or there might be some trouble!

So glad we were able to make it to IA to spend the holidays with our families. The weather was iffy and had to be worked around but we made it, no problems.

Helen is talking SO much. She's got a lot to say (like her mom, right?) and most of it, bless her heart, is hilarious, smart and sweet. Current favorites:

"That's CRAZY!"

"Thanks to, mommy and daddy, for a nice day."

"You're goofiest and I'm goofier."

Oh, and did I mention she's been insisting we call her Julie Andrews (star of stage and screen) going on two months now. It was funny and cute the first week. See, when we're running late and I say,

"Helen, get your coat and boots on, quick, quick! We need to go!"

My very passionate three year-old yells,

"I'm Julie Andrews!!!", and a little spot behind my eye starts to pinchpinchpinch.

"Okaaaaay. Whatever! JULIE - get your coat and boots on, now!"

She never lets it slide. She is Julie Andrews and there's absolutely no talking her out of it. The parenting books don't discuss this. Imaginary friends, check.

Not a word on acute FrauleinMaria/MaryPoppins-itis? I want to sit her down, explain that it took her dad and me YEARS to agree on her beautiful name, and that to insist 100 times a day I call her something else not only drives me crazy but it also breaks my heart a little bit each time. I want to tell her that if she really were Julie Andrews, instead of a 3-yr old kid, she'd understand what I was saying and...

Best to all in 2010! I've got a good feeling about it. I don't know anything specific or what have you, I'm just saying.