Christmas Rewind

It was a busy, but blessed Christmas. 

Lots of family and a visit from Grandma and Pap Son made it extra special.

Christmas Eve.

Service and then exchanging hand-made gifts.

Time with cousins.

And, Santa did not disappoint.

Apparently both kids managed to stay on the Nice list.

Shopkins for Carmen.

A knight costume for Max.

Christmas brunch.

Christmas rest-time.

A few quiet moments before round-two.

Christmas dinner.

Family.

Laughter.

Celebrating being together.

A blessed Christmas indeed.

Christmas is coming

With Christmas so close, we are in full on celebration mode. 

An early visit from Santa at a family party:

Gingerbread house decorating:

Santa? Again!  More presents.

A whole lot of Skurski cousins.

Gingerbread baby making at Carmen's school.

Max got to participate too.

Rolling, cutting out gingerbread, baking and getting to eat them.

Apparently one little baby escaped!

A visit to Candy Cane Lane to check out the lights:

Phew...we are full of Christmas spirit.

Kids are embracing the season but are tuckered out.

Here is one of my favorites of our tired littles.

They have been having lots of sleepovers in Carmen's room.

They were up late watching the movie Elf for the 10th time this season.

Every girl zzzzs away in a leopard vest and leg warmers right?

Sweet dreams and Ho Ho Hos.

The Little Mermaid

We had a rare girl's only outing to celebrate Carmen's birthday.

We went to the 5th Avenue to see The Little Mermaid.

Both Grandmas, Carmen & Mom.

A special, magical night.

Winter

Hello winter.  You are officially here although it feels like you've been with us for a while.  It has already snowed and been frosty cold for quite some time.  Hats, gloves, snuggly coats and blankets and piping hot beverages are in order.  We enjoy the crisp, clear days and nights and are enjoying the holiday lights. 

Six

Six years old today.  Unbelievable. 

Six sounds so grown up.  Too grown up.

No longer one handful, but one hand + one.

You've started Kindergarten and are loving it.

You are making friends.

Your confidence is growing in leaps and bounds

You lost your first tooth.

You are still an artist. The art bug lives and is strong.

Pastels, watercolor, colored pencil, crayons, glue, tape--you love it all.

You make up stories, you tell jokes.

You have opinions and feedback that are real and justifiable (most of the time).

You question, you understand, you know how to follow rules (most of the time).

You are kind, sweet and sensitive,

Headstrong, opinionated and passionate.

You love leopard print, head wear and accessories and all things sparkly.

Unicorns and rainbows, yes please.

Digging in the dirt and collecting rocks, yes please.

A perfect balance of serious and silly, organized and chaotic.

The way it's meant to be.

You are everything and more and we couldn't be prouder

of our little girl, our big girl.

A heartfelt happy 6th birthday to our little love.

The world is yours.

All I want for Christmas is my one front tooth!

Exciting day.  Carmen lost her first tooth.  It has been wiggly for a couple of weeks now; she gave it a little tug and it popped right out.  Our girl is growing up; another milestone.  She is one tooth down just in time for her birthday and for Christmas!

Kindness

Today I went through the Starbucks drive-thru to get a little latte treat as I tackled holiday hoopla and running errands.  The line was long and there was a woman trying to merge into line from a different entrance.  Slightly annoyed, I waved her in and let her go in front of me.  When I finally got to the window for my drink, the barista let me know the woman in front of me paid for my drink because I let her in.  What a pleasant surprise.  The act of kindness certainly put a spring in my step and made me realize a small gesture can really mean a lot.  Kindness counts!

SNOW

We had a rare snow day last week.  Just a couple of inches of the wintery white stuff which made for lots of fun.  School was cancelled so it was outside for playtime for Carmen and Max.

Sounders win MLS Cup Title...

Someone is a little excited!

Lunch

Wednesday's are volunteer days for me in Carmen's Kindergarten class.  It's always fun to see the kiddos, lend a helping hand, and see Carmen in action with her classmates.  Today I also dined with room 103 for lunch.  I sat with the girls, talked about their favorite things to play and eat and what they are asking for from Santa.  A fun group.

Oh, and here is Carmen modeling her jeans.

Yes, jeans!

The first time she has worn a pair in more than two years.

She was persuaded by the gem stones on the pockets.

I guess all it takes is bling to make this kid happy.

We'll see if the jean-wearing lasts...

Getting festive

More Christmas festivities. 

We are thoroughly enjoying the season and all it has to offer.

The Christmas ships made their annual voyage to Lake Forest Park.

We watched and listened.

Well, mostly the kiddos watched (and ran around).

The adults tried to listen.

But, it was a fun evening with good friends.

We took in Snowflake Lane.

Drummers, dancers, Rudolph, some 'snow'

and lots and lots of lollipops.

A fun evening for sure!

We visited Santa.

Mostly smiles.

Carmen was enthusiastic to say the least.

Lots of talking to Santa.

Max was reserved, did not want to sit on his lap

and forgot what he wanted for Christmas.

Despite all that he did manage a half-smile.

Ho, ho, ho!