What I won't do for my daughter....

I just pre-ordered tickets for the Doodlebops, who are going to be performing live at the IU Auditorium next year in January!!!!!

For those of you who are yet uninitiated to the world of children's TV shows, the Doodlebops are a trio of colorful (and by colorful I mean one is pink, one is blue and one is orange) characters who play instruments and sing and teach a lesson in the "escapades" they get themselves into. They are on the Disney channel... and Kenzie LOVES them.

When she saw the booklet from the Auditorium and found the Doodlebops - she went nuts. She'll be absolutely beside herself.

Reminds me of the first time we took her to the Auditorium to see a live show. It was Clifford the Big Red Dog. When we walked in, she almost hyperventilated (literally) she was so excited... and that was just over the merchandise. When watching the show, she was mesmerized... she could hardly move it was so fascinating to her. (Sorry to say, Mom and Dad were bored to tears - it was a horrible performance. Glad I had balcony seats and not front row seats - huge difference in price!)

The next live performance we took her to was Dora the Explorer and the Pirate Adventure. Now, that was a performance that we all enjoyed... it was very well done, and I had seats near the front (5 rows back and on the aisle).

I'm not much on these shows or cartoons, but I never got to see anything like this when I was a kid... I guess a part of me is living vicariously through her. I love to see her face light up.

I figure as long as I can afford it, I will be taking her (and hopefully one day her little-sister-to-be Josie, if the CCAA permits!) to these performances. Although the seating may go back to balcony tickets once Josie gets here.

Christmas from the eyes of a child

Christmas had become, over the years, a day that was pretty much like any other day of the year for us, except that we didn't have to work. But it wasn't exactly special in any way that made me really look forward to it.

After we had adopted our daughter, it came alive again. To hear our daughter singing Christmas songs (even if the words coming out of her 3 year old mouth weren't exactly right) was so much fun. And she wanted me to sing them for her so she could learn. It held magic for her... and in the end it held magic for me.

I remember the day care she attends used to have a gentleman come in to the daycare dressed as Santa (he had his own nicely trimmed white beard - so if there was to be any checking out if it was real... it would be real). A good friend of ours was at the daycare dropping off her little girl when Santa showed up... and she related what happened.

Santa walked into the daycare in the section with the 1-2 year olds, and Kenzie just about hyperventilated... she could hardly talk she was so excited, and kept saying "Santa! Santa!"

As soon as he sat down, she crawled right up in his lap. When he put her down and picked up the next child, she crawled right back up in his lap. She was not going to be denied any time with this magical person. The daycare personnel got the biggist kick out of her... and when Santa was going to leave, she wanted him to pick her up and hold her.

She was so cute at that early age. I dearly love the fact that now she is so verbal she can tell us what is on her mind and how she feels. And sometimes, what comes out of her mouth is hilarious. Such as when she was helping her daddy open up his present and blurted out "A massager, Mama!" I think she was happier to see this than her daddy was.

I wanted to share a composite of her Christmases from the last 3 years. I hope you will enjoy seeing how much she has grown. It isn't necessarily in chronological order, just to warn you.