Holidays Over - Winter Begins

It looks like you had such a wonderful Christmas.  Stockings, and a big tree, and lots of toys from Santa.  And a nice big dinner with your friends.  I am so glad things are going so well and you are happy.  It's not as warm here in New Jersey!  We had freezing weather for a week, and now today it is 50 again.

Grandma sprained her ankle and has been limping around something awful.  But it is getting better - hurray - and easier to get up and down the stairs at the subway.

I had a nice dinner with friends Christmas Eve and celebrated New Year's Eve watching the ball drop and the fireworks.  Did you have fireworks too?

I love you both very much, and miss you.  I've been putting all my pictures on the computer and see all the ones from when you were both born and growing.  My goodness how you have gotten bigger.

Grandma Nici

Almost Christmas

I see you both already got some Prezzies from Santa - in your shoe!!  How fun to find something there just for you.  Your gingerbread house looked yummy - I could almost taste a bite of it.

New York is very pretty this time of year.  The skating rink has lots of skaters and the big giant tree at Rockefeller Center has all lots and lots of lights.  Everyone wants to take a picture with the tree in it!  Grandma got some pretty silver snowflake earrings at the shops in Bryant Park.  It is fun walking around the shops and tasting samples of candy and chocolate.

Yesterday my work had a party and I tried to eat all the cupcakes.  I LOVE cupcakes.

I hope you have a tree this year and get to celebrate Christmas properly.

I love you both - you are such beautiful and well-behaved children.  I am so proud of you and miss you very much.

Love
Grandma Nici

Happy Holidays

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone.  I'm sorry you weren't here to celebrate it with me.  I made a lovely little turkey with my special cranberry dressing, along with the famous green beans and sweet potatoes.  Very traditional - just the way we've always done it.  Emmerson, you never ate Grandma's special meal, but Taylor did and he always gobbled them up!

Christmas is coming and Grandma's lights are up outside the house, and inside the house up the staircase.  No Christmas tree this year - the part of the house I live in is just too small for a tree.  But Grandma took her big wreath to work and it is up just beside her desk - and I decorated a lot of the rest of the area too so it looks nice and festive.

A friend came to visit from home this weekend and it was quite nice walking all over New York and showing her your latest pictures.  You are both getting so big!!  Congratulations for potty training to Em - that's a big step and good job Taylor for getting so good in your French.  I am always so proud of both of you.

I love you both very much and miss you as always.

Grandma Nici

It's Turkey Day

Hello my sweet babies.  It's Thanksgiving in the United States - and Grandma is making a small turkey, dressing, and cherry pie!  It's just not Thanksgiving without a turkey - even if it's only really delicious the first day out of the oven.  When Taylor was very little, you would come to Grandma's house and have turkey......and when you were a little older and lived in Grandma's house your mommy and daddy would cook part of the big meal, and Grandma would cook the rest.  We would all eat at one big table, usually with a couple of friends who would come because they didn't have any other family. 

Next year I shall have to adopt some more of those family-less folks - or have them adopt me so there is another big table to sit around.

Taylor - you were an adorable pirate and you did so very well in your school show.  I was proud of you!

I love you both - and miss you very much.

Grandma Nici

Halloween is almost here!!

Halloween is coming in just a few days.  I know it is very warm where you are, and Halloween isn't a very popular holiday, but I'm glad you got to dress up in costumes at school.  Lots of little kiddies will come to Grandma's house for candy and I'm all ready for them.

I found mommy's blog today and was able to catch up on all your adventures since you went away from Grandma.  I'm so glad you are both doing so well, making new friends, and learning the language at school.

My goodness, Taylor!!!  Losing your teeth so early.  Well, at least you will be ready for the new ones when they pop right in.  Most kids have to wait until they fall out.  You got your dollars early and probably already spent them.  Don't fall again....you must be very careful.

I will enjoy reading your adventures and will always keep you close in my heart until we see each other again.  I love you both and miss you very much.

Grandma Nici

Almost Halloween!

There are pumpkins in the stores, and scary masks all lined up in the Target aisles.  I think about Taylor's first Halloween - he was a little doll.  And the ones after that when he would get so excited.  I think I liked the mouse costume the best - but i think HE liked Spiderman.  That was our last Halloween together - Spiderman.  But i still have the pictures.

There's no Halloween in France.  I wonder if Emmerson will have the joy of dressing up and collecting candy and ooohs and aaaahs aren't you cute from strangers.  There is really nothing like it in the world.

I love you both my darlings.  And send my hugs and kisses across the ocean.

Grandma

Beach Time Baby

Hello my sweet ones.  Grandma just got back from the beach at Point Pleasant and I thought of you the whole time.  I have pictures from when Taylor went with Mommy and Daddy to Miami and he played on the beach with a bucket and shovel making sand castles.  The first year you were afraid to go into the water, but the second year Daddy took you in the pool.  You weren't afraid after that.  I hope you get to go to the ocean in France and Emmerson will learn to like the water too.  Grandma loves to go swimming and play in the sand.  It would be so nice to play in the sand and water with you both.  Someday we will do that.

I watched the videos of Taylor learning to play tennis today.  I transferred them to my phone so I could show them to other people - I'm so proud of you!!  You didn't give up and kept trying to hit the ball over the net until you did it THREE times in a row - and you were only four years old!!   Good Boy!!!

I love you both very much and miss you terribly.  The new Toy Story 3 and Kung Fu Panda movies came out this year and I pretended like we were all watching them together.  I think you would have liked Captain America too.  You are fighters and good at heart just like him.  I really hope you are both well and happy and learning French so you can have lots of friends.  I worry about your being able to talk to other boys and girls in your school and neighborhood.  And that you will come back to American schools so you can really use your intelligence and get into a wonderful college when you are a big boy and girl.

I miss you so much.  Remember I would talk to you all the time if Mommy and Daddy would allow me to call you on the videophone.  Good night sweet babies.

Grandma Nici