End of the Year

It's hard to believe it's already the last day of 2014!! 

Although it could be more grim than that, and let's be happy it's not.

ME: Madeleine, can you believe that after today, it will be a new year?
MADELEINE: And then you and Daddy will DIE.
ME: I hope not!
MADELEINE: (gravely) Well, Mama, Daddy told me that after tomorrow it's the END OF THE WORLD.
ETHAN: (piping up from the other room) The end of the YEAR, honey.  The end of the YEAR.

Well, that's a cheerful thought.  Thanks, Madeleine, for always keeping it light and jolly.

We Rowes spent the day at the First Night festivities in our town, as is tradition.  We started off with a magic show, followed by a storyteller.  We then had some time to kill so we headed to the Town Hall common to take a look at the festive Chinese Lanterns on display:

To warm up, we then headed across the street for a snack for the kids and a coffee for the grown-ups.  The kids each chose a shortbread cookie in a different shape: for Julia, a Christmas tree, and for Madeleine, a turtle.

Madeleine decided to name her turtle, and then loudly announce his name to everyone who would listen.

MADELEINE: (running up to the cashier as Ethan paid for our goodies) This is TURDY!  It's TURDY!  TURDY THE TURTLE!

Turdy



After our snack and caffeine break, we headed to a performance by the Tanglewood Marionettes:

I had actually seen this performance once before, back when Julia was barely three, and I took her out for a special mommy-daughter afternoon in Brookline.  While Julia doesn't remember the outing, I certainly do, and I specifically remembere how much Julia had liked the fact that one of the mean stepsisters wiggles her bum around when she walks.

Turns out someone else liked that too.  Madeleine couldn't get ENOUGH of the bum-wiggling.  She insisted on walking that way all the way to our car after the performance.  Furthermore, Madeleine insisted on REMINDING us all of the bum-wiggling stepsister.

MADELEINE: (walking along shimmying her hips and sticking her butt out) Hey Mommy.  Remember the puppet that was WIGGLING HER BUM?
ME: No, I forgot.
MADELEINE: Mama!  There was a puppet that kept wiggling her BUM!
ME: I know, honey.  I'm joking.
MADELEINE: Hey Julia!  Remember that puppet that was WIGGLING HER BUM?
JULIA: (annoyed) I knooooow, Madeleine.

Ten seconds later:

MADELEINE: Hey Julia!  Mama!  Daddy!  Remember that puppet that was WIGGLING HER BUM?

This was threatening to become the new "Heaven isn't a candy!!"

This evening, we went out to dinner at our traditional New Year's Eve Mexican restaurant, and both girls ate every last bite on their plates.  Madeleine felt the burning desire to shout out joyfully "Happy NEW YEAR!" to every person who offered us any kind of service, from the person who seated us to our waiter to the person re-filling our waters.  But I say go for it!  When you feel the spirit, share it!  Especially when it's the last night of the year.  Share the love!

And in that vein, let me wish all of you readers a HAAAAPPY NEEEEW YEEEEEAR!!!

(As long as tonight isn't really the last day of the world, you can catch my next blog post in 2015!)