She Has Made MUSIC!

Three of the people who work for Merrilee's daddy -- Ms. Anne, Mr. John, and Mr. Robert -- pitched in and got Merrilee a little holiday present.

They insisted she open it tonight, and she did.

It was a Disney princess musical instrument set, complete with trumpet, cymbals, castanets, maracas, and oh yes, the drum.

Lots and lots of noisemakers. Needless to say, Merrilee loved them. So much so, in fact, that she had to sleep with the trumpet in her bed tonight.

By the way, be listening for Ms. Anne, Mr, John, and Mr. Robert on the radio. You'll be hearing them all soon on the new OVERNIGHT shift.

Merrilee says if her instruments are keeping daddy awake, the people who gave them to her might as well be awake too!

A Special Visitor On Our Street!

Merrilee heard a noise at the end of our street.

Lo and behold, it was the jolly old man in red himself! Santa was riding on a fire truck!

He went down the street and stopped right in front of our house.

Merrilee waved and blew him a kiss. She said, "I've been good" and "Bring me some presents..."

Santa's elves gave Merrilee a candy cane. She's trying to be a very good girl.

We hung her stocking tonight, and ones for the dogs, Bogart and Bacall. Will they be filled with treats on Christmas morning?

Hanukkah

Merrilee and her daddy were treated to a nice traditional Hanukkah dinner at Mr. Rob and Mrs. Susan's house. The food was excellent, especially the peach soup and the brisket. Yum-mo!

Merrilee was fascinated by the dreidel, and she loved the lighting of the candles on the menorah.

She also liked playing with Jonathan and his friends...especially the drums and the piano.

A few quick glimpses from our visit...

Trains

The highlight of Merrilee's Saturday was a visit to see the train garden at the Ellicott City Fire Station # 2.

Merrilee LOVED it! She didn't want to leave.

Here's a little bit of what she saw...

Loving Her School

We are very lucky that Merrilee loves going to school. As we've mentioned previously, Merrilee goes to the Goddard School in Hanover, Maryland. It makes daddy's commute a lot longer in the morning and afternoon, and she usually spends 10 to 11 hours at the school each day.

Merrilee is blessed with some great teachers and classmates.

Every morning when she gets to school, Merrilee runs in to see Miss Charlotte. Later, her teachers are Miss Richie, Miss Jessica, and Miss Debbie.

We are keeping Miss Debbie in our thoughts and prayers. Her husband is a marine, and he will soon be going to that other big sandbox where more of our troops are headed. Will hope he will be safe.

Today, the school email us some pictures of Merrilee. We thought we'd share them with you!

Clearly Merrilee loves all the fun she has at school. She loves the music and the arts and crafts. The other day, the class practiced shaking hands and saying "Nice to meet you..." We practiced all that night when she got home too. Thank you, Goddard School, for all you do for our Merrilee!

Our First Snow Of The Year

Baltimore received its first snowfall of this winter on December 5, 2009. We probably got about five inches here where we live. The flakes were big, but the snow didn't cause much of a problem. The roads were still pretty warm so not much piled up on the highways, though as you can see, it was enough for the salt truck to come through our neighborhood.

Merrilee was fascinated by the snow, as always. She remembers it from this year. She stood at the picture window a lot yesterday, and just watched it come down.

Today we made another trip to the grocery store. Merrilee has to stop and play with the snow on the bushes next to our front porch. She thinks the snow is pretty cool, though she doesn't like the cold or the wind. (By the way, sorry for the poor quality of the pictures, but they are video screen grabs, and I was shooting through our front window.)

Interesting Comment...

Everyday, Merrilee's school sends home a "daily activity report" for each child.

It says how much she ate, when she napped, when she used the potty, what they did for language and cognitive skills, creative arts, music, and much more.

At the very bottom, there is a block for a special message.

Today, Merrilee's said

"Today Merrilee told Ms. Debbie 'I miss my daddy. He's at work. I miss my mommy. She's at important work.'"

What an interesting and observant comment from a two-year-old.