Happy New Year!

We celebrated the last day of the year with a visit to Busch Gardens, just as the Florida weather decided to warm up. Mia enjoyed the ice skating show, lots of animals, Elmo and rides. Not a bad way to wrap up 2010. 2011 proves to be busy, busy, busy, but we look forward to continuing to update our friends and family on all things Glasgow Corey. Hugs and kisses to all!

Cold Snap

Somehow, it is colder here in Florida than it is back home. Since the beach isn't an option, we headed to Great Explorations, the Tampa Bay children's museum. Mia had plenty of fun escaping the chill by pretending to go shopping at the grocery store (plenty of ice cream in her basket), rowing a boat in choppy waters among the seals and whales, being a veterinarian, and doing her best to play firewoman (as seen above). Maybe she should hold off on putting out all the fires; we could use some extra heat around these parts.

Merry Christmas!

We wish everybody Happy Holidays from Florida, where Mia is enjoying lots of quality time with cousins Jenna and Brooke, as well as with some new furry and doll friends she acquired under the Christmas tree this morning.

What's In A Name?

While her parents stuggle to come up with a name for her little sister, Mia has been working on writing hers. Mia wrote her name on a picture she colored yesterday for her cousin, Alexis. She's been switching between right and left hands when writing, so we can't quite figure out the preference, but for the record, this strong effort was right-handed. Time to wrap up that calligraphy set to put under the Christmas tree.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

Mia and I joined our friends, Brigette and Dailey, at the Ritz Carlton for a very fun holiday tradition, the Teddy Bear Tea. The girls had a great time sampling the hot chocolate and other treats, as well as dancing and singing with Binky the Elf (who seemed to think he was the star of SF's other big tradition, Beach Blanket Babylon). The only mishap occurred in the car a few minutes before we arrived -- an unfortunate hiccup that required a last second wardrobe change. Fortunately the show went on and a memorable few hours were shared with good friends. Here are some more photos.

Locks of Laughter

We all took turns today playing around with an old Halloween wig and while we all looked lovely, we agree that it was Otter who hit our funny bone the hardest.

Playgroup Nutcracker Field Trip, First of Many?

Mia's first trip to the Nutcracker (the real, full length version as performed by the San Francisco Ballet) was a huge success. It was a playgroup field trip and while many of us wondered what we were thinking when we signed on to bring a bunch of three year olds to a two hour ballet production, the kids did great and had a wonderful time with one another. Hopefully, a tradition is born!

Separation Anxiety

I knew this day was coming at some point, but when Mia said this morning at preschool drop-off that she didn't need to bring Piggy with her and he could stay in the car, I was more than a little unsettled by her sudden emotional growth spurt. After more than three years of seeing Mia and her trusty sidekick joined at the hands, it appears that I am the one unmoored by their separation. Don't grow up too fast, Miss Mia!

Inside Joke

Colton came over for a playdate plus dinner and the two old chums shared quite the funny moment over their pizza and broccoli.

And In This Corner...

Today (we are doing a joint Chanukah/Christmas celebration around these parts all month) we surprised Mia with her Big Holiday Gift: a tent that she can use for all her hours of pretend play. Upon discovering it in her room, she exclaimed it "WAS SUCH A GREAT PRESENT!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!" and proceeded to play in it for two hours straight. (Actually she's still in there while I let her dinner cool off.) At one point, she came out to announce that I was allowed to move her bed into the living room; Piggy and her will be sleeping in the tent from now on.

Turns out she wasn't the only fan of her new present. Looks like I'll know where to find Otter when he goes missing.

A little more Mia-Otter love. He is dressed like a nun, fyi:

Point and Shoot

Mia received her very own camera today for Chanukah and while it had been a guess on my part as to whether she'd like one, the next hour of manic photography suggests she enjoys being behind the camera as much as in front of one. Here are some of her notable first shots, a special effect included (Otter likely prefers the virtual dress-up better to the usual version). We are still working on getting her a steadier hand.

Still Swimming

The temperatures are dropping and rain is in the air, but Mia is trucking along in swim class. I realized I hadn't taken a video for quite some time, so here is some footage from last week's class. The clips (in order, I think) feature her diving for a ring, playing "motorboat", swimming on her back, learning to use a kickboard, treading water, diving for a ring in the deep end, and learning to dive.

The Gang's All Here

As this blurry photo shows, all eight of my mom's siblings made the trip to Clearwater this weekend to surprise her for her 60th birthday. All grown up, it was amusing to see them slip back into childhood roles during the photo session, with at least one aunt who wasn't paying attention getting her hair pulled by her big sister.

While I was off to Florida to attend the party, Mia was having fun back at home with Dada. Looks like they managed just fine without me, and fashionably so. A couple photos sent by David before their weekend outings:

Mia & Otter, Taking the World By Storm

Yes, I am going for some kind of world record with my frenzy of recent posts. Here's another one...

Adding to the Confusion

After discussing the finer points of Chanukah to Mia over the last few days, I think I may have totally mashed it all up in her head by adding a trip to Santa Claus in the mix. As you can tell from her expression, she is completely traumatized.

My Turn On Stage Next

Here are a couple of photos of Mia post-Wizard of Oz, meeting some of the actors (well, the last photo features her family, not professionals). She looks right at home and ready to assume her position on stage, no?

Somebody's Ready for a Baby...

A Report From the Windy City

It actually wasn't too blustery in Chicago, but Mia was prepared (this is her the day before our trip, telling me she was ready to go).

Here are the photos Papi Fred took over the weekend. A good chunk of them were taken at the amazing Museum of Science and Industry. I think we could have spent a few days there.

The last segment is of our trip to the Emerald City Theater's production of Wizard of Oz, where Mia loved taking photos of the cast after the show. The Lion was her favorite.

The white furry friend in some of the photos is Angus, the adopted Westie of David's Aunt Jim and Jackie. A very social fellow, he was happy to have his belly scratched and head kissed by the little California Girl. All in all, a fabulous holiday weekend! Thanks to our amazing hosts, Aunt Wendy and Uncle Dick!!

Let the Festival of Lights Begin...

Happy Chanukah!

Mia seems more aware of the holiday this year, helped with a year's wisdom and a couple of books from her teacher. We lit the candle over latkes and some gelt and, afterward, Mia was very excited about a new high chair and feeding set for her favorite Piggy friend.