Winter Wonderland!

Another day in Colorado, another snow storm! Cailey playing in the snow ~ Ben really doesn't like the cold and would just assume stay inside. Maybe when he's a little older he will appreciate it more!

Could it really be genetic?

What are little boys made of?

Snips of snails, and puppy dogs tails

That's what little boys are made of!

What are little girls made of?

Sugar and spice and all things nice

That's what little girls are made of!

I have heard it said (heck, I've even said it myself)! 

Ben is definitely rough and tumble, loves trucks, cars, trains, is obsessed with dinosaurs, is more inclined to wrestle (and throw in an elbow to the stomach for good measure), and is just generally more physical than Cailey ever was. Cailey is girly girl ~ pink, bows, ribbons, glitter, pink, pink, and more pink, etc. She covets her dolls and Barbies and dreams of being a dancer (or chef, or fashion designer... depends on the minute you ask her :o). But, the point is, that in our two children, we are seeing typical sexual stereotypes emerge.  But why? Is it inherent or nurtured? Do we treat Ben differently than Cailey? I say, generally, no ~ with evidence to back it up (addressing only their play/toy habits at this point): Cailey had mostly hand-me-down toys from Matt and Zach. That is to say, they were mostly "boy toys" or gender neutral, yet she still gravitated toward dolls, dresses, and typical female role play (cooking, cleaning, "mothering", etc.). Even at daycare, where the toys are almost exclusively gender neutral, and where she was given free will to play with whatever toys she wanted, she almost always played with the baby dolls and participated in traditional feminine role play as the mom or sister ~ if a little boy wouldn't join the pack of girls, then the dad was merely deemed "at work". Her grandma Kathryn even bought her a dump truck when she was about 2 ~ only to have Cailey put her doll in it and "stroller" it around the house. We started to buy her typical girl stuff, at an early age, because that is what she wanted! In fact, her first doll was a hand-me-down and she played with the doll almost exclusively thereafter. Now, Ben is exposed to mostly "girl toys" in the way of Cailey's dolls, Barbies, and kitchen role play toys (most of the hand-me-down toys have been well used and are now gone from the toy room). Even movie choices have been made by Cailey and, therefore, resulted in Barbie, Cinderella, Care Bears...you get the idea.  Ben likes these things just fine, and in most cases Cailey can convince Ben that that is what he really wanted all along. We notice that Ben will almost always choose the cars and dinosaurs when he is free to choose without big sister's intervention :o) And we have begun to stock the toy room to his liking as well as Cailey's! 

Today we ventured to Target to spend some of the Christmas money ~ thank you Grandpa/Grandma Adams and Grandpa/Grandma Anderson!  We went down several aisles where Ben and Cailey gasp in delight at almost every choice on the shelf. Finally, we came to the aisle that is exclusively dolls and Barbies...lots of pink and purple, if you know what I mean.  Ben took one look down the aisle and yelled, "NO! NOT THAT ONE!" Scott and I looked at each other in dismay...could he really be protesting the aisle because it was "girl" stuff? Sure enough, the next aisle was trains, truck, cars (the "boy" stuff) and Ben yells, "YES, YES" and goes down the aisle to discover his next acquisition on the quest to spend every last cent from the gift card! 

So I ask again, why is he more inclined toward the "boy" stuff and Cailey is more inclined toward the "girl" stuff...could it really be that boys will be boys and girls will be girls??? Are we wired differently or are we just taught from the very day we are born (pink for girls, blue for boys) to behave in a certain sexual stereotype. Hhhhmmmm... the debate rages on!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home! ~ Charles Dickens

Somehow, not only for Christmas, but all the long year through, the joy that you give to others, is the joy that comes back to you. And the more you spend in blessing, the poor and lonely and sad, the more of your heart's possessing, returns to you glad. ~ John Greenleaf Whittier

I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month. ~ Harlan Miller

The video is a little long, but we wanted to share a little of our morning with everyone. Thank you all for your warm wishes and holiday cheer. We truly hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas, too!  We miss you all ~ even more this time of year ~ and hope to see you soon!  Love and kisses!

Jingle Bells!

Merry Christmas!!!  Make sure your sound is on! Notice Matt ~ he is thoroughly appalled that we made him do this... he is becoming such a teenager... but one of the sweet ones! :o) :o)

Merry Christmas Eve

A special holiday with my sister and brother and their families! We had a non-traditional dinner of steak ~ with lots of topping choices like crab & hollandaise sauce, blue cheese and onion straws, and mushrooms and tomatoes. Holly made mashed sweet potatoes and Raemi made a vegetable casserole that was really yummy. We love and miss all of you! I wish that more of the family was in town to spend the holidays ~ the only sad part of the holiday is that it makes us realize how much we miss the family and spending time together.

Meeting Santa and Holiday Party

Scott's bank had Santa for a visit on Saturday!  Ben wouldn't sit with him, but he was happy to talk to Santa from a distance. Ben calls Santa "Pa Pop Santa" and chatted with Santa about suckers, cookies, and presents ~ but he still wouldn't get close enough to sit with Santa. This is only the second time that Cailey has ever sat with Santa and she still seems a little tense about the whole experience.  Bonus ~ Scott was able to get Santa hooked up with a loan, too! :o) :o)

Cailey had her class Holiday party on Thursday (a "holiday" party, not a Christmas party!)  The room mothers did a really good job of setting up a fun time for the kids. They had a scarf making station, a cookie decorating station, a snowflake making station, and a bowling/tattoo station.  I got to help apply tattoos ~ fun! :o) The room moms even had time to read a couple of holiday books and sing some holiday songs. We are now on winter break for about two weeks and it's nice to not worry about homework or getting up in the morning for school!

Benjamin ~ the next singing super star!

My first attempt at posting a video. Looks like it's gonna work and then it's a whole new world of blogging for me!!!  Make sure your sound is on for this one!

This is the next singing super star ~ Benjamin!!!!

Tap Progress Performance

The lighting isn't good in the little studio at Cailey's dance academy and we were squished in the back ~ so the pictures aren't that great. This is only a "taste" of their progress ~ the big deal recital will be in June. Cailey is getting SO good at tap!!! I am always pleasantly surprised when she performs. Funny thing is...she hates to practice and refuses to show anyone her steps outside of her dance class. So, when we get to the performances and she nearly nails it, well, it's surprising and I wonder how good she would be if she practiced!!! Ugh! Dance is supposed to be fun and we aren't investing that much money into it, so I won't nag her to practice. :o) :o) We are (okay, I am...Scott says no) considering adding jazz to the repertoire. She loves to dance and I love to watch her...it's hard to say no when she wants to add another class.

Fa-la-la-la

December is always hectic and I usually get really, really stressed out. But, this year I feel like I have succeeded in completing all the Christmas fever well ahead of time. Almost all our relatives and friends live out of state, so the Christmas shopping started early this year. I am happy to report that all Christmas shopping, cards, shipping, and decorating are DONE ~ DONE, DONE, DONE! I may still run out for a few things for Cailey and Ben ~ but nothing is pressing and I don't feel under the gun to get it done. Now, we can sit back and enjoy the snow and the season with our kids. Cailey has another week of school and then it's really time to relax! Ben is getting into the Christmas spirit. He calls Santa "Pa-pop" (as in Grandpa ~ too cute), loves to drive around and look at the Christmas lights (as does Cailey), loves that we have been getting packages delivered to the house, loves Christmas music (ugh! I despise Christmas songs... yes, it's sad to say), and loves to play with the train under the tree. He says "Miss-mas" when he tries to say Christmas. Cailey is being really good about the whole gift thing ~ Ben's gifts (unintentionally) have been arriving early and it seems like all the gifts under the tree right now are for Ben. Cailey has been really good about not getting upset. Also, I think she is starting to question the whole Santa thing. Cailey is very frightened of the Santa in the mall ~ always has been ~ and refuses to sit with him. We are not good about "writing a letter to Santa" so last year she questioned how Santa knew what she wanted if she never told him! So, I fibbed and said that I wrote Santa a letter myself. It worked so well that I told her I did the same thing this year ~ she gave me a side ways look of doubt and asked "But what did you tell him I wanted?" I told her a few things and then realized that some of that stuff was coming from aunties, uncles, and grandparents... so I also had to tell her I made copies of the list and sent the same list to everyone. Then, she asked me, "But how will Santa know what everyone else got for me so he doesn't bring the same thing?" Oh, crap... the tangled web we weave... "Santa is magic, remember?" was my response... again, a sideways tilt of her head and then, "Oh, that's right... he knows everything." Whew...that was a close one.... "Yes, and remember he knows if you are being good or bad so go to bed, already!" That's one of the best parts about Christmas...we get to use the 'he knows if you are good or bad' line to manipulate our kids into doing all sorts of things... "Run and pour Mommy a glass of wine ~ remember Santa can see if you are being good or bad" HA HA HA ~ ONLY KIDDING! I would never let my kids pour my glass of wine...they might spill some and waste it!!! :o) ~ Let the holiday cheer and festivities begin!!!

Progress Performance

Cailey had her dance progress performance tonight for her hip-hop class ~ the big recital will be in June. This was just supposed to be a little taste of how things are going. The dance academy charges $5 a ticket for this mini-recital and the place is always PACKED! It's crazy! I can't believe they 1. charge for this performance and 2. that it SELLS OUT! Cailey will have another progress performance on Saturday for her tap class ~ another $5 per ticket (ugh!). But, Cailey loves dance, it's great exercise, and she is getting so good that it all seems worth it ~ for now :o)