I really need to catch up on our latest adventures. This will be a really long post with various activities. I hope you make it to the end. Sorry about that...
A few weeks ago we enjoyed a Nativity display, concert, and time with friends. There were hundreds of Nativity scenes. Erin Joy liked the "Joy" Nativity. I thought it was a nice one too.
We had a fun evening making graham cracker gingerbread houses and playing at the Children's Museum.
A Barbie voice-changing microphone made a great present. Thanks Jean! The interpretive dancing is lovely too:)
Here are a few pictures from the children's museum...
We went on a bus ride to sing carols and look at Christmas lights.
Carpet skating was definitely a favorite...
The library sponsored a holiday magic show. It was a lot of fun. Rachel had fun pulling a magic sock out of a stocking. Because she talked about the show so much and talked about wanting to be a magician, Santa made an emergency trip to the mall to find a magic kit for her. Her Christmas magic show is at the end of this post.
The Saturday before Christmas while we were enjoying a quiet evening in our pajamas, I heard sirens and saw emergency vehicles parked in front of our house. I accused my children of calling 911. I then noticed the fire truck was decorated and Santa Claus was handing out candy canes. My girls and I were all so excited. We ran outside in our pajamas. The girls were smart enough to grab coats and slippers. I had no coat and I was in my bare feet. We let the door shut behind us and we were locked out. Shucks. Forgot the keys....did remember a camera. We enjoyed our visit with Santa and then a really nice neighbor helped us by allowing my girls to play in their house while I retrieved an extra key from a friend.
I enjoyed finding pieces of Nativity sets all over the house. I have cheap sets so I don't mind if my girls play with them. They have a Lego set that I purposely bought for them to play with. I think Jesus would want it that way:) Notice the Nativity pieces next to the stockings we stuffed for the missionaries.
Here they are by the fireplace...
Erin Joy doesn't like the Lego baby Jesus. She always puts the angel in the manger.
My parents gave us "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and every day we have had a lot of fun opening something a food storage item represented by the song. (1st day of Christmas was pears for the "partridge in the pear tree" and so forth.) It was a lot of fun.
Hermy, our Elf on The Shelf, visited us again this year. He hides in a different place around our house. He watches us and reports our behavior to Santa returning to a different spot the next day. On Christmas Eve, he always hides in the Christmas tree so Santa can find him and take him back to the North Pole until the day after Thanksgiving next year.
Hermy always brings us a game to play on Christmas Eve.
We went ice skating on Christmas Eve. It was VERY crowded. They were having a "Snow Bash" with "snow" made by the zamboni piled in the middle of the rink. The kids enjoyed throwing snowballs and making snowmen. We might have to do this every year!
Finally, Christmas Eve night!! The most anticipated night of the year in our house. The girls are waiting patiently to open their cats because there are Christmas pajamas, slippers, and a book inside.
Ready for Santa!!
Erin Joy was so excited that her penguin slippers stay on even when she is upside down.
We always leave chips and salsa for Santa because her gets too many cookies from others. We forgot about reindeer food this year. Ooops.
Santa brought us a Christmas Train this year!! I have wanted one for a really long time because we always had one at my house growing up. Santa had to leave the presents next to the tree because they didn't fit with the train.
Christmas morning, the girls ignored all the presents from Santa, ignored the presents sitting in front of the train that Hermy, the elf, brought them and found the presents they were giving me.
The first two gifts of Christmas were the gifts my daughters gave to me! I had to open my presents from them first. I was stunned. This is the first year that they have realized that giving gifts is more fun than receiving them. I almost cried. So sweet!! Erin Joy gave me a stuffed panda. Rachel gave me a hand-held mixer so we can make cookies together. Our mixer broke several years ago. She also gave me my favorite lotion, Warm Vanilla Sugar, from Bath and Body Works. What thoughtful gifts!! Thanks, sweet girls!
Rachel insisted I take this picture so Aunt Carma and Uncle Tom could see her matching earrings and necklace and say "thank-you" for the nice gift!
Rachel just had to do a cartwheel in the middle of the Christmas carnage...
We enjoyed visiting with the missionaries from our church who are serving in our area. They opened the stockings we gave them and each received a special teddy bear from Santa Claus.
Erin Joy spent the afternoon arranging all her penguins (thank-you Grandma, Rachel, and Santa).
And putting wall decals in her bedroom (thank-you Teresa).
Notice the hat on the emperor penguin...thanks Teresa!
Santa brought light switch covers for the girls. One for the penguin room and one for the owl room...
Thank-you Santa for all the earrings...
Thank-you Aunt Carma/Uncle Tom and Mary for the pictures. I was really excited because there were three nail holes in this wall that I had tried to fill, but still looked bad. It was great to just put a nail where the previous owner had nailed pictures.
Thank-you for the wreath, Melanie! I was planning on buying one after Christmas for 50% off and now I don't have to!! I'm so excited to have a wreath to hang on my door!
Thanks for the fun Twister Dance Game Uncle Tom/Aunt Carma! We played it once then Erin Joy started using the game pieces to make a school. She labeled each circle with a name and used Nativity pieces for the students.
This student is "Glimmer." The angel in the manger...
Even the animals get to go to school....
Introducing "Makenna" the wiseman. And so forth....
Here is the great magician standing in front of her baby picture. The jacket she is wearing was a baby gift. I have a picture of her as a baby in this jacket. You could hardly see her because the jacket was so big. Now look at her....sheesh. She really loves this jacket. It is now too small and the zipper is broken. She still wears it almost daily. She needed a jacket to do magic....she had to discretely put things up her sleeve:)
Be sure to watch the video of one of her magic shows...
Friday night, our friend surprised us by ringing the doorbell and delivering pizza. Rachel has been wanting to try "Happy Cat" pizza ever since she saw Jean wearing her "Happy Cat Pizza" hat. Rachel was thrilled. Thanks, Jean!
Saturday we began our day of celebration with Brunch at the Space Needle.
The girls enjoyed their very expensive "space noodles" that were shaped like the space needle.
Santa came to visit us while we were eating.
Rachel had very fun steaming ice cream.
The girls frosted and decorated rocket cookies.
We found Santa in his rocket ship. He was a great Santa...real beard and very friendly and kind with the girls.
The model train was fun to watch...
And even more fun to drive!
We enjoyed the Christmas music and lights at the fountain.
The girls changed from their lovely dresses into play clothes for ice skating. Then back into their lovely dresses for our final fun activity of the evening.....
....the Pacific Northwest Ballet version of The Nutcracker!! My favorite!! I love the sets, costumes, and scenery designed by Maurice Sendak (author/illustrator of "The Wild Things.") I learned that I share the same birthday at Mr. Sendak (he was born exactly 40 years earlier than me on June 10th!) No wonder I like him so much!!
Anyway, here are the girls posing like ballerinas....
And picking the Nutcracker's nose...
What a great day/night! Happy birthday, Rachel!! I love you!
Here is a movie with narration by Rachel (a little narration at the end by Erin Joy and I...)
Erin Joy made a house for the cat. The cat doesn't seem to like her new house. I think it's pretty cute, however. After several failed attempts of forcing the cat into the box, she decided it was for her stuffed animals. She chose my bed because it was the only one made (as usual....)
Erin Joy and her friends did a great job in their third grade concert. Erin really is tall. No wonder her older sister who isn't so tall gets frustrated by their height difference.
Rachel began her birthday celebration at Lake Quinault where our good friend Jean gave her some earrings, a headband, and a card listing 11 reasons why she loves Rachel.
I can't believe my baby is 11 years old today! She has grown up to be such a fine young lady. I love her so much. Part of our new birthday tradition includes writing one thing I love about the birthday girl for every year she has been alive (thanks Jean for the good idea). I hide the notes along with a little treat. Erin Joy had 9 candy bars hidden around the house with special notes attached to each one. Rachel made it very clear that she didn't want candy or food of any kind. I ended up hiding 11 pop-up monsters around the house and in her backpack with 11 reasons why I love her. It was a lot of fun.
Here are 11 reasons I love Rachel (the reasons might not be the same as the reason I gave her, I'm not sure where she put the papers)...
1. I love you, Rachel because you are so responsible. You always do your own homework and stay caught up in your class.
2. I love you, Rachel because you are usually so kind to your sister, Erin Joy.
3. I love you Rachel because you are so organized and help me stay organized too!
4. I love you, Rachel because you set goals for yourself and work hard to achieve them.
5. I love you, Rachel because you are a great ice skater and gymnast and I enjoy watching you.
6. I love you, Rachel because you practice the piano (even though you don't like it) and practice the flute. I love hearing you play music. I love music!
7. I love you, Rachel because you are fun to be with. I enjoy traveling with you and having adventures.
8. I love you, Rachel because you love to read and I love to talk about good books with you.
9. I love you, Rachel because you know the difference between right and wrong and you strive hard to choose the right.
10. I love you, Rachel because you are inquisitive and always want to know about the world around you.
11. I love you, Rachel because you are sweet, kind, and a wonderful daughter! I am so blessed to be your mom!
Thank-you grandma for the great books and craft projects and the money. Thank-you Erin Joy for the umbrella. Rachel has wanted an umbrella because she is a member of the safety patrol team and must stand in the rain holding a flag to help students cross the street.
Her gift from me is coming next weekend so I am so thankful that her sister and Grandma always give her gifts too.
We put up the tree every year on Rachel's birthday. Fun!!!
This is the first year I have let the girls do the lights. It was a bit of a tangled mess.
Evidence of tangled lights...
Our tree will never be fancy, but it will always be full of good memories. Each girl gets an ornament with their picture every year. They also have a lot of ornaments that they have made. We enjoy talking about the ornaments and other Christmas memories as we decorate the tree.
