Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve!

What crazy weather for the day before Christmas!  Before church we went for a walk outside... without jackets!

Daddy needed a hat

 After church it was time for our traditional Christmas Eve gift opening.

Everyone was so excited about Christmas that no one wanted to go to sleep and everyone was up way past bedtimes.  We finally convinced MiniM.E. to get to bed because we were tracking Santa on NORAD and he was almost here.

Merry Almost-Christmas!

A Busy Saturday

Nothing says busy like the Saturday before Christmas.  Finish wrapping presents and picking up last minute gifts, get the baking done, start packing- if traveling is involved... and then for our last Saturday before Christmas, add in bowling birthday party, a last skating class with skills demonstration, and of course TWO trips to the grocery store.  It was indeed a BUSY day.

We started at the bowling alley at 10:30.  Cute idea for a party and turns out both girls love bowling, but there were so many kids and so many parents not paying attention to whose turn it was that there were not nearly enough turns at actually rolling the ball and much too much waiting.

LittleL.G. rolling like a pro

MiniM.E. so excited she couldn't stand still

We thought we would have time to kill between bowling and skating, but after the bowling and pizza and cake and presents and playing at the arcade, we had only just enough time to stop at the grocery store to pick up cookies for the last skating class (which invited spectators and snacks to share).

Since the last time I saw her skate, MiniM.E. improved drastically! I am so impressed at how well she is doing!!

After the skills demonstration, MiniM.E. was so excited to be skating that she wanted to stay for the entire free skating time too.  Which was great, aside from the fact that lots of kids and siblings were heading out... past the snack table.  And lots of hockey families were coming in for the upcoming game... past the snack table.  So that by the time MiniM.E. was out of her skating gear and we were ready to hit up the snacks, all the cookies that she was so excited to bring had been eaten.  

To avoid horrific tired, hungry meltdown, back to the store we went.  Where we quickly found a new container of cookies and proceeded to start eating them IN the bakery department.

It was a long day so I was feeling pretty lenient and as we stopped to talk to some friends, my one year old decided the best and only place to eat a cookie (at 4:00, right before dinner) was in the middle of the floor.  Complete with making sure all crumbs and sprinkles were cleaned off the floor and shoveled into her mouth.  "Mom of the Year"-worthy photo:

Even though it was busy, it was actually a really fun day.  Bowling was a blast, we got to see a barbershop quartet sing Christmas carols at the store, and MiniM.E. did a fantastic job at skating.

Playgroup: 2nd Generation

Our very first playgroup that we still get together with weekly has graduated to second generation playing:

Even though LittleL.G. has a friend close to her age, she still wants to play with the big girls:

LittleL.G. Lately

LittleL.G. is such a little girl now.  She watches MiniM.E. do everything and has taken to bringing her babies with her wherever we go.

She is so attached she will go to any length to be close to them, even when they are napping!

Other than dolls, she loves animals.  Yesterday I took her downtown to see the ducks while MiniM.E. is at school because a couple months ago MiniM.E. got nipped and is no longer a fan of the ducks.

Gingerbread Houses

MiniM.E. was really into decorating her house this year.  In fact, she wanted it to look just like the box.  She actually did a pretty respectable job, with some help.

LittleL.G. just ate a plate of frosting.

Sandbox in December

The weather has been beautiful lately.  I really can't complain.  I was worried that it was going to be a long, cold, snowy winter, but so far it has been very mild and we all couldn't be happier to still be playing outside.... without jackets!

NYC At Christmastime: Take 5

It's hard to believe that this year was our 5th trip to New York City to see Santa at the Plaza Hotel.  I was a little nervous about how to navigate the trip this year with two mobile kids who both are still too little to walk most of the time.  Our double jogging stroller is too big for the streets of NY so we decided on the single.  I was worried we would have too much stuff and too many kids fighting over sitting in the stroller, but luckily the weather was gorgeous so we didn't need to take up space with snowsuits and layers and LittleL.G. had no interest in riding in the stroller anyway.  So MiniM.E. could get in and out as she pleased and we packed lightly enough that all our gear fit underneath.  

We set out early (MiniM.E. exclaimed as we left, "but it's nighttime!! I wanted to go in the DAY!!!") and made it to the Poukeepsie train station (after a fairly miserable car ride- MiniM.E. started feeling carsick about half an hour in) with exactly enough time to buy tickets and make it to the platform.  

Both girls were beyond excited to be on the "choo choo train" and LittleL.G. signed train all by herself for the first time!

When we got there, we walked around Grand Central and looked around the Christmas Market while we waited for our friends who made the train a half hour after us.

When we met up, it was time to start walking:

Our first stop was Central Park so LittleL.G. could nap for a bit while we walked around and climbed a really big rock:

Then it was time for the zoo!

After the zoo it was time to see Santa.  I was so proud of both girls for sitting on his lap.


It must have really worn them out, because by the time we got to the tree:

they were both asleep:

We woke MiniM.E. up to visit the American Girl store and $34 of souvenirs later we were on our way to the carousel and Christmas Market at Bryant Park.

We had planned on Times Square, but we were all fading fast and headed back to Grand Central for the train ride home:

Great trip to the city!!

Four Year Doctor's Appointment...

...was yesterday.  There was a shot, and tears, but overall, probably the best well visit we've had so far!

My Ballerina's First Recital

Last night MiniM.E. had her first dance recital.  It was a big deal for her to start dance this fall since she had never taken a class where moms and dads had to wait outside before.  She has done so well and was so excited (and also very nervous) about dancing on the stage for the first time.

We had to get there very early to make sure we were the first ones so we could sit right in front, and also so MiniM.E. could check out the stage before she had to dance on it.

LittleL.G. delicately admired the tree:

and MiniM.E. made sure she looked her best:

before a pre-dance photo:

MiniM.E. wowed us all by going to sit with other dancers all on her own before the performance started:

MiniM.E. and A.

waiting for their turn!

 It was quite possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen:

We were so proud of her for getting up on the stage and dancing.  She loved it so much she even got back on the stage after it was over and everyone had left and danced by herself.  On the way home she was sad there wouldn't be another recital until the spring.  Way to go MiniM.E., Ballerina!!

Getting Dizzy!