The Little Tattoo Parlor

Step right up and get a free tattoo! Pick a design, any design: monkeys, dinosaurs, hearts and blobs (very stylized blobs, we might add!)

Grandma and Grandpa Hartings bravely agreed to be "tatted up" by Kaitlyn and Claire, who discovered my watercolor pencils in my old trunk. Before the girls were through, they had completely covered their grandparents' hands and arms...and theirs, as well! Thankfully, these are regret-free tattoos, which means that soon enough they'll have clean canvases for the next great masterpiece. Bison, anyone?!

All I Want for Christmas

All I wanted for Christmas was an elliptical machine and 30 quiet, interruption-free minutes a day to use it. At least half my wish came true!

The kids had slightly longer (though, admittedly, less expensive) wish lists. Christmas morning, Kaitlyn was delighted to open her new Barbie color and dye hair salon and Tinker Bell movie, though after a few short hours, the fervor died down. Claire, who repeatedly asked for the super-scary "robot monkey" was rather unimpressed with the actual product. She gave it a glance, smacked its cymbals together, and announced that she preferred it quiet and without batteries. Really?! Okay, fine.

The big winner was Santa's super-secret surprise--LeapPads! Yes, I went head-to-head with my fellow Santa's helpers this year, and after much angst and disappointment, I scored two of the elusive tablets. May I never, ever have to shop for the toy of the year again.

Jack, the little dear, was content with his Chemistry blocks, train book, and truck. Oh, and the two dozen other gifts he opened from adoring grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

Never mind that it was 60 degrees in D.C. yesterday...it's still beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Hartings' household. We've got the tree trimmed, the cookies baked, (most of) the presents wrapped, and innumerable construction paper crafts hanging on the fridge!

It's been a festive couple of weeks around here. We decorated our first gingerbread house, thanks to a very generous friend who is a fabulous baker. We made five dozen butter cookies with friends one day, and then iced and sprinkled four dozen sugar cookies with our neighbors a week later (don't even ask who's eating all of them...I won't fess up!) And last weekend, Kaitlyn and I went to see a children's version of the Nutcracker Ballet, complete with a half-hour lesson at the end. Kaitlyn kept leaning over to whisper, "This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!" She may not be graceful, the poor dear, but she knows grace when she sees it!

Now it's time to kick back, put on some Christmas movie classics, and feast on sugary treats before we all head to Ohio to be with family. Merry Christmas!!

A Christmas Miracle!

It is truly nothing short of a miracle that both Kaitlyn and Claire sat on Santa's lap this year! We took a ride on the Santa Train in northern Maryland this afternoon, and though there was no snow to be seen and the temps were in the 50s, it was a festive time with friends. The kids may claim that the best part of the trip was standing in the open car, watching the scenery go by as the wind blew through their hair, but I maintain that the highlight was watching the girls hop on Santa's lap.

And what did they ask for, you may ask? This is where it gets really good...or really bad, if you are Matt and me! Kaitlyn wants a Barbie hair salon that uses real water and markers to dye the doll's hair (imagine cleaning up after that!) and Claire wants a robot monkey (what?! exactly our thought, until she explained that she saw it in Toy Story 3...yeah, that's right...the scary, cymbal-clapping monkey from horror flicks is what our sweet girl wants from Santa!) We should have some good stories this year!

That Time of Year

It's the time of year when we give thanks for all that we are blessed to have--great family, great friends, great adventures. It's also the time of year when we make and don TURKEY HATS!

Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to all!

Jumping in the Leaves!

All three kids absolutely loved diving into the leaves this past weekend. Nearly all of the leaves have fallen now, and there's a nip in the air. Winter is coming soon, but we enjoyed every minute of our autumn day together.

Dancing Queen

 Check out Kaitlyn's mad dance moves! We were in Ohio this weekend for a family wedding, and the girls were super excited to put on their fancy dresses and dance shoes. Unfortunately, Claire tuckered out before the dance party really got hopping, but Kaitlyn took over the floor with flair...and plenty of energy to spare!