An Afternoon At The Roosevelt

I generally do not seek out over-the-top celebrations and sort of tend to shy away from fanfare; however, because Luz is 4 years old now, ideas that at one point in my life seemed crazy now seem like fun. A case in point is how we spent our afternoon - at the Teddy Bear Tea at the newly-restored Roosevelt Hotel.

There were multiple reasons to do it this year - Luz is finally old enough to really understand and love everything about Christmas, I love an excuse to get 4 generations together, and I was filled with curiosity about the restoration of the hotel and looking for a reason to have a look around.

The tea was slightly more chaotic than I imagined it would be and maybe even a bit more Disney-esque than I anticipated, but once I reminded myself that it was not about me and how I enjoy tea-time and was, instead, about Luz, I really understood and appreciated all of the bells and whistles.

GG and mom joined us and they were total troopers, never complaining while we waited in a somewhat long line to get into the tea and doing everything they could to make it the most magical afternoon ever for one particular for year old. All in all it was a lovely event and will be a great memory for all of us. I know that there is a narrow window to enjoy these sorts of things together, because at some point Rudolph just isn't going to be fascinating to Luz anymore, so I am glad that we took advantage of the opportunity today.

The lighting was incredibly challenging so the pictures aren't great but they give you an idea of what goes on at one of these things:

Four generations, wow:


Luz and the Sugar Plum Fairy (undoubtedly an out-of-work actress picking up some holiday cash - reminded me of the stories Molly tells me of what strange acting gigs her friends pick up):


Talking to Mrs. Clause (who sounded a bit like she had been out drinking last night and maybe hadn't stopped):


At the North Pole:


In the winter wonderland:


Luz, listening to Santa (who sounded like he was from Jersey and was a little too enthusiastic if you asked me) and Mrs. Claus recite Twas The Night Before Christmas:




Off of the lobby is a beautiful P.J.s and there are comfy leather chairs and flat screen t.v.s. During Christmas the lobby is decorated with lights and trees and a miniature train. Here is Luz by the train (you can see the Saints game in the background - things were getting crazy right when we stopped in because of a fumble):


With her Roosevelt Teddy Bear: