We were reunited with the girls today.  They were apparently extremely well-behaved at their grammy’s house.  But they were desperate for our attention after not having seen us in a few days.  This led to a little bit of sibling jealousy.  Chloe wanted to sit next to me at dinner and Sophie, who usually sits next to me, burst into tears when she realized that the evening’s seating arrangements did not meet her expectations.

It took awhile for Sophie to calm down.  Chloe relented mid-meal and reluctantly switched seats with me so that I’d be closer to Sophie.  But I still was not sitting next to her.  Sophie cried some more and Chloe pouted because she no longer had exclusive mommy time.  It only got worse at dessert when Sophie moved her chair next to mine.  Chloe has mastered the art of pout and she put it to really good use this evening.  And Sophie put her tears to good use as well.  Chloe did allow me to grab her hand at one point (which she denies in a very loud voice, but it’s true), and Sophie let me comfort her with hugs before giving me the evil eye again.

Sophie is now in bed because she needs to recover from a very busy week with her grammy.  Chloe is determined to make it until midnight.  At least that will give us some Mommy-Chloe time together, with Papa too.  Not sure she’ll last until the ball drops.  Not sure I’ll last until the ball drops.  I’m ready to sleep now and it’s only 9:15.

I’m looking forward to the new year.  To making more memories with my family and to finding a way to spend more quality time with the girls.  I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to implement some of my ideas for change and that they’ll be successful.

The girls are joyful in these photos, playing in the snow.  These are surely a harbinger of the joyful times to come in 2011.

I love you, my dear Chloe and Sophie.  Happy 2011!