A Daddy by any other name . . .

Recently we were driving in the car and Neil engaged Margie Grace with the following: "Margie Grace, who is your favorite daddy?" (as if she has lots of choices here) He, of course, was expecting her to answer "you!" and was surprised when, after a pensive moment, she replied "Neil!"

She's too funny!

Bundled Up!

Although Jack Frost's appearances in east central Alabama are usually few and far between, we have had a couple of days of severely cold weather this January (yes, one day our themometer on the deck said "10"). It was the perfect opportunity for Margie Grace to wear her hat, scarf and gloves (or "gubs" as she likes to call them). Now that we're back in the mid-60s, MG's cold weather accessories have gone back in the closet. However, if I'm willing to roll the dice on WSFA's five-day forecast then we actually might need them again next week.

New Boots

Neil and I gave Margie Grace some snazzy new boots for Christmas. She's enjoyed wearing them and showing them off. I didn't have to coax her much to take her picture in her new footwear.

We're back!

After quite a hiatus, I hope to now be back in the business of blogging regularly. I really hadn't realized how long it has been since I've written something new until my sister scolded me earlier this week for not providing her an adequate "Margie Grace fix!" So, here we go!

I hope your 2009 is off to a great start. Ours sure is! I can't believe we have already welcomed a new year. So what has the Wilder family been up to? For starters, Christmas was a joy and Santa blessed us with more than we deserve. We enjoyed getting to spend some quality time with friends and family. Also, during the Christmas/New Year's holidays, Auburn University closes for two weeks so I get a nice break from work. We typically use this time to catch up on projects around our house. This year we hung new wood blinds in the our living room as well as new window treatments. We also purchased some new furniture to help with overall organization in our home (a bookcase/cabinet for our living room, a wall cabinet for our back den and a set of shelving for my sewing area -- all from IKEA. If you've never been there, it is amazing!). In addition to these minor "make-overs" Neil and I have launched into a full-out kitchen remodel. We will soon be getting new cabinets, counter tops and tile floor and back splash. We've also been painting our kitchen and finishing some crown molding (thanks, Dad, for all your help!) that we started hanging last December. Anyway, in the midst of these projects we also decided to see if Margie Grace was ready to start potty training. Boy, was she ready! She has just done an outstanding job and has caught on really quickly. And while I still have to occasionally convince her that Little Mermaid panties are much cooler than diapers, we have made phenomenal progress. So that's what's been taking up the majority of our time during the last few weeks. I'm glad to be back on track!

Ho, Ho, Ho and War Eagle!

Instead of the usual trek to the mall to visit Santa Claus this year, we were able to take Margie Grace to see Santa in front of Samford Hall (after all, it is his vacation home, right?). AU's Photographic Services, which is part of our office (Communications and Marketing) started a new tradition this year. Folks could either get their picture made with Santa or in front of the big Christmas tree on Samford lawn and the proceeds from the event benefitted SIFAT, a Christian missions organization. My brother's fraternity volunteered their time to help with the event. Because it was so successful, there are plans to continue it next year. I am hoping this marks the beginning of a new Christmas tradition for our family as we document Margie Grace every Christmas with Santa Claus and Samford Hall. For the record, MG's tolerance of Santa was much better than last year when she clung to me like a koala while I tried to inch ever closer to Santa Claus. She was just short of bursting into tears. This year, she held on tight but with a little coaxing I was able to actually set her on his knee. You can't see me in this photo but I'm right there to Santa's right -- not too far from Margie Grace's comfort zone! As you can tell from her expression, MG still isn't too sure about this Santa Claus fellow. (Many thanks to Jeff and Melissa for letting me share this picture online!)

Good to the last drop!

Margie Grace recently discovered hot chocolate and she couldn't be happier! She loves the stuff and requests it often. We fix her a mug (of lukewarm chocolate) about once a week as a special treat. She downs the stuff and wears her hot chocolate mustache with pride! We usually end up changing her pajamas after a round. The funny thing is that since we have been reading "The Polar Express" this month, (the kid is obsessed with trains and won't go to sleep unless we read the "choo choo" book and the "Baby Jesus" book) she insists on referring to it as "hot cocoa." The kids riding on the Polar Express drink "hot cocoa" and she loves to point this out every time we get to that portion of the story. I honestly didn't think she realized that "hot chocolate" and "hot cocoa" were synonymous. But when I changed the word in the book from "cocoa" to "chocolate," she noticed and quickly corrected me. "Hot cocoa, Momma." Either way, Margie Grace thinks it is the best stuff ever!

'Tis the Season

The Wilder house has been as busy as the North Pole preparing for Christmas. I can't believe it is only a week away! This is the first year that Margie Grace really "gets it" (well, she sorta gets it -- definitely more so than last year!) and we are having lots of fun experiencing the season with her. Earlier this month we visited Lakeside Tree Farm to cut down our Christmas tree. I've never seen such excitement on a face as when Neil learned that the place is phasing out its business and our years of cutting down a fresh tree are numbered. This is his least favorite family activity and he remains bothered by the fact that he does all the work -- find it, cut it, haul it -- and he still has to pay to take the tree. This year he had a great assistant in MG, who insisted on crawling on the ground and helping work the saw. Watch out, Paul Bunyan! Here are a few photos from our Saturday at Lakeside as well as trimming the tree at home.