princess for a day

Five calendars, two photo books, seventy five Christmas cards (when exactly did my Christmas card list get so long?). Christmas parties, Christmas craft time, Christmas story time, a Christmas tree lighting.

The holiday season is in full swing here. And did I mention the baby is no longer napping? And my husband and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary? My blog reader and my DVR are overflowing.

But I did manage to squeeze in a spur of the moment day trip with the girls this week. Some of my best moments as a mother involve spontaneous little adventures, days when the weather and my energy and their moods are all just right. Monday was one of those days.

After days of rain, it was suddenly sunny and 60 degrees. 60 degrees! In December! In New England! So we were off to Newport see a fancy castle all decorated for Christmas, otherwise known as Marble House.

My two little princesses were totally and completely in awe.Their eyes lit up as soon as the house came into view. It had a gate, just like Cinderella's castle!! And a grand curving driveway, to drive up in your carriage!

Inside we found princess stairs.

"Oh, Claire, we have to walk up like princesses" Abby announced.

So up they went with skirts in hand and heads held high, just like real princesses.

Then it was on to the real princess bedroom. Abby just stood for several minutes, eyes as wide as saucers, taking in every detail. The the ornate Louis XIV furniture. The garlands, nymphs, and cherubs. The silk covered walls. Goddess Athena painted on the ceiling. I could see the wheels turning in her head, thinking of ways she could make her room more like this one, as she pointed out each of these details.

Next the girls ran and played on the beautiful lawn overlooking the ocean and explored the tea house where Alva Vanderbilt once hosted rallies for women's suffrage. They even allowed me to get a picture of them together, which will appearing on this years Christmas card.

Our day continued with a stop to admire the scenery at Brenton Point State Park, a shared pizza for dinner, a shared hot fudge sundae for dessert and a visit to my aunt's house in Jamestown.

A perfect day that ended with two exhausted girls sleeping soundly in the backseat of the car in their cozy pajamas.