Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Wishing you a joyous New Year so that you can smile, always forgetting the fears; be joyous, always forgetting the tears; and hold on to the happiness, discarding the pains.

Charlotte wants to change her name to "Elsa"

Last night, we took Charlotte and her cousins to see Frozen at the theatre (note to self--on New Year's Eve, need to purchase tickets earlier in the day to ensure an early evening performance). We ended up watching it in 3-D. I was a little concerned about coupling 3-D viewing with Charlotte's first movie theatre experience, but she loved it and wasn't afraid of items coming toward her. I hope the 3-D viewing doesn't spoil future regular movies for Charlotte.

Charlotte prefers to be cold to warm, so she connected right away with the main character Elsa who has the ability to freeze things and lived in an ice castle. Outside the theatre, Charlotte declared that she wanted to change her name to Elsa. Yikes! All the time I spent pondering what name to give my little beauty, and just like that, she wants to change it.

Whew! The very next day, she responded to being called Charlotte and didn't correct me to say that she preferred Elsa, so the wish was short-lived...until we purchase the movie and she sees it again.

Christmas Eve--preparation for Santa Claus

My poor little sweetie on Christmas Eve was under the weather and could hardly stay awake long enough to hang her stocking and leave a snack for Santa and his reindeer.

Visit with Santa Claus--2013

While waiting in line to visit Santa Claus, Charlotte met a little 3-year-old blond girl whose name is also Charlotte, and she was dressed in exactly the same dress--this didn't seem to phase either Charlotte at all; the parents were more thrilled with the coincidence.

Charlotte had a lovely visit with Santa Claus. Thankfully, Santa got Charlotte to clarify that she wanted a purple My Little Pony and not a real pony--yikes!

Afterwards, Charlotte posed with yet another icon; however, this one wasn't real.

Charlotte...a future potter?

Charlotte took to clay and hand building at the pottery studio like a duck to water. Experience with Play Doh certainly comes in handy. Look out Daddy--you may be purchasing potter's wheels for two and a slab roller!

Helping those less fortunate...LOFT packages

You are never too young to learn about good charitable deeds and helping those less fortunate--once again Charlotte loved putting together Christmas packages for residents of the LOFT ("Leap of Faith Together") Community Services programs. A lot of times she had to stand on her tip-toes to get items in some of the boxes, but she was determined to do it on her own without help...oh, my little independent sweetie.

Grape jam...look out Welch's and Smuckers

Charlotte's not one for eating jam, but she certainly went to town licking the ladle when we finished making grape jam with the Concord grapes we grew at the cottage.

 

She also loved picking the concord grapes, but wouldn't have anything to do with eating them after her first taste--I was too slow with the camera to get a shot of her pucker and facial expressions that followed spitting out the grape.

Charlotte ducking away from Daddy whose offering her a grape.