Reflecting on 2013

Well, as 2013 winds to a close, I decided to ask the girls about their favorite memories and events from the past year.  As I sort of figured, their answers were not particularly reflective of all the fun things we've done over the past 12 months, because kids really have no concept of measuring a year's worth of time.  But the fact that they both had things to list shows that they have at least had good times!

According to the girls, here are the highlights of 2013.


MADELEINE:

1.) Listening to the book that Julia was reading.  (She literally meant the book Julia read her about thirty seconds prior to me making this list.)
2.) Playing "My Little Pony" with Julia.
3.) Rosemary Pool!
4.) Going to school
5.) Picking up Julia from school
6.) Staying home outside
7.) Playing in the snow and making snow angels
8.) How about...me drumming these dolls on this drum?  (whacking her two mini-Barbie dolls on the lid top of an animal crackers container.)
9.) Galloping
10) Going to Plaster Fun Time!

So, basically, to sum things up for Madeleine, the best part of 2013 was: JULIA!  Note how Madeleine was even sure to mention her big sister's very favorite past-time: galloping.


JULIA:

1.) Listening to Christmas music
2.) Spending time with my family
3.) Going to Connecticut
4.) Going to the Christmas pageant
5.) Going to Nana and Gramps' house for their anniversary.  That's something I REALLY can remember.
6.) Sleeping in the camper van!
7.) Swimming at Rosemary
8.) Hangin' out with my aunties
9.) Making, like, a slide show video that's like "I Wanna Frost the Cookies."  Like, my "I Wanna Frost the Cookies" slide show thing?
10.) Being a big GOOFBALL!


And to sum things up for Julia: the best part of 2013 was the most recent set of Christmas-time events she took part in, with a few paltry summer memories thrown in.  I guess it's a GOOD thing if she can only get as far back as the summer in her list of top memories, right?  Obviously there are just too many great times to narrow it down to a top ten.


We spent the earlier part of the day today attending New Years Needham events.  Our first stop was a story-teller, whose opening story was of "The Tortoise and the Hare."  As the narrator described the tortoise, with his big hard shell, and impersonated his slow, deep, speaking voice, Madeleine turned to me in delight and exclaimed, "I think this story is gonna be about DINOSAURS!!" 

Genius on display!

Later in the story-telling extravaganza, the narrator described an old man with a wrinkled brow and knotted hands and a long beard that hung down to the floor.  Right with the program as usual, Madeleine exclaimed, "It's DUMBLEDORE!"

And Harry Potter made another surprise appearance in our next event, a marionette puppet show of "Arabian Nights."  As the hero-protagonist was thrown into the dungeon by the evil sorceror emperor, he was warned by a haunting spirit that the emperor is not to be trifled with.

SPIRIT: He has much training in magic and no one knows how far he delves into the dark arts!
MADELEINE: (squealing with joy) Mama!  The DARK ARTS!  Harry POTTER!

Yes, she truly followed what was going on in all of the stories we heard and saw.  Both girls really enjoyed the marionette show, despite (or perhaps because of) the spooky displays of dark art magic, and afterwards, when Ethan asked Madeleine what she thought of the show,she exclaimed brightly, "LOVED it!!"

I mean, it might not have been as much of a highlight as whacking her mini-Barbies onto the animal crackers container, or picking Julia up from school, but I'm glad to know our New Years Eve activity got a thumbs-up from both girls!