01.01.10 almost…

Mel, Mary Clare and I enjoyed a not-so-quiet* dinner out tonight and are now tucked into pj’s with full bellies watching the fire in the fireplace waiting on the ball to drop.  My kind of New Year’s Celebration.  We passed up a couple of invitations to ring in twenty-ten with friends, but opted for a quiet, lazy evening with family. McCanless would have been a part of our small celebration, but being my little social one, decided to go with the Forts to her idea of heaven on earth, The Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, NC.  (An overnight lodge/indoor water park)     *Mary Clare has decided that singing at the top of her lungs any and everywhere is her thing.

2009 proved to be more exciting, crazier and full of more laughs than any year so far for us.  We are loving our life and can’t wait to see what 2010 holds!

Happy New Year, Friends!

The youngest Pennington Princess…

Being two can be so tough sometimes…

Testing Tutu Twirl-ability…

By the way, Aunt Liz is getting married on St. John’s island in March!! (Which is the reason for Mary Clare’s new bathing suit!)

Christmas Day 2009

What a fun Christmas we had this year!  McCanless and Mary Clare had their wish lists prepared and mailed off early and Santa did not disappoint!  McCanless was so excited this year and even improved her calendar skills as she learned to read our calendar while crossing off every day in December until the “Big Day!”  On Christmas Eve, she awoke, ran around the house twice, and marched into the kitchen with a puzzled look on her face.  She slung open the pantry door (where I keep my calendar) and proclaimed, “HE FORGOT TO COME!”  I had to explain that although we have been counting down to Christmas Eve, Santa doesn’t come until that night, and presents wouldn’t show up until the morning of Christmas day.   She stopped and half-giggled and told me that only for a minute was she worried that she may have been placed on the naughty list.  “Only for  minute,” was she worried.

Along with calendar skills, I think we learned a bit about patience.

Santa worked hard on McCanless’ one-of-a-kind, pink, polka-dot television! (A very specifically detailed item on her Christmas list!)

Mary Clare went straight for the pink, princess toddler skates!  She has worn them every day since Christmas!

Mary Clare was so excited and had to try out every single gift as she opened it.  She would open a gift and play with it until I urged her to open another.

…costumes, costumes, shoes, costumes, costumes, more shoes….

No, McCanless didn’t have an elf pierce her ears!  Santa left her the most beautiful and “kinda real, but not really” magnetic earrings!  (Another very specific request!)

…pink polka dots, pink pj’s, pink Barbies, pink crowns, pink outfits, pink make-up, pink earrings, pink jewelry…

Santa can’t take credit for Mel’s big surprise.  Papa and BB gave Mel this Sony TV on Christmas Eve, but he couldn’t stand it.  He had to break it out and set it up on Christmas morning with all of the excitement going on!

We headed over to Nonnie’s house for lunch.

Mary Clare was peeking into her box of Bitty Baby twins that Nonnie and Bubba gave her.

We spent a very relaxing day eating and napping all afternoon!

Merry Christmas 2009!

Christmas Eve 2009

5:00 Service at St. Bartholomew’s was just as beautiful as ever!

The girls wanted to pose with Baby Jesus, and who am I to stop them?

Then on to BB and PaPa’s house for dinner!

…and lots of fun!

After dinner and gifts, we hit the road to see all of Hartsville’s finest Christmas Lights!  (The entire Pennington crew in the funeral home limo, of course, listening to Disney’s Classic Christmas tunes, aka, The Orange Disney Tape!)

Once we were home, the girls, very carefully, spread their reindeer food on the front lawn.  (In one big nice clump right at the front door steps!)

…finally the girls were nestled, all snug in their beds!

The Countdown to Christmas…

Along with the many parades, parties and programs this month…

…on the days before Christmas, we partied at Church while wrapping gifts for needy families….

…and crafted lots of new and sparkly ornaments….

…and had birthday cake for Jesus!

We had a gingerbread-decorating, costume-changing, microphone-singing, wild and crazy playdate with the Fort girls.

We decorated sugar cookies at the Evans’s house on Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas!

We hope your Christmas is as sweet as ours!

A very special day!

Last Sunday, December 20, 2009, Mary Clare participated in the Holy Eucharist!  She has been asking for several months if she can take “munion” with us.  We spoke to Father Michael about it and remembered that McCanless also had her first communion at 2 1/2, on Father’s Day in 2006.  He is a firm believer in allowing children to participate, especially when they show an interest, and allowing them, as baptized Christians, the right to this very important Holy Sacrament.  She kneeled, held her little hands out (barely over the chancel rail) to take the wafer, and did exactly as she was told.  She was still chewing when the Chalice came around, so we passed on the wine.  I think I’ll continue to allow her to pass on that for a while.

I was so proud and it was such a beautiful moment.  What a miracle the Holy Communion is and what a miracle that Mary Clare is alive and well and able to celebrate Christ in this way.

I didn’t get photos before, during or after church, but we were there for a Christmas party that evening, so I snapped a couple of quick photos of the girls in our beautiful church after the party!

Mel had a trunk clothing show for Pennington & Bailes at Brittons in Columbia today and he took the girls with him! Although it was a fabulously quiet day for me  and I was able to get lots of much needed Christmas shopping and wrapping done, this is how he brought Mary Clare back home to me….

McCanless blames the turquoise marker in the car.  Mel blames my sister, Kacy, who played with them all afternoon.   Mary Clare said that Daddy made her do it.  I still haven’t gotten the whole story.  All I know is that it took a lot of soap and a lot of scrubbing to make sure she didn’t have a blueberry face for church tomorrow morning!

Gingerbread Decorating at THA

Dizzy Dancin’ Winter Show-Offs!

These are photos I took before Winter Show-Offs…I forgot my camera!  Mary Clare enjoyed movie night at her pre-school; so I was really able to enjoy watching the dancers instead of chasing Miss Priss around the entire time!  I watched McCanless dance in her hip hop routine, Petite Jazz number and the Company Production routine!  I was so proud.  She did such a great job!

Ms. Sheila snapped this photo of my little dancer and me before the show!