A very Merry Chirstmas

From our family to yours...

Hope it was a wonderful day filled with memory-making moments with family and loved ones.

Rock Party

To celebrate Carmen turning 4, we threw her a rock party.  It seemed the perfect theme for the girl who loves to collect rocks and other outside treasures. 

We made pet rocks

 

 

 

 

We smashed geodes; protective gear was very important!

 

We played a rock game

 

 

We did crafts

We ate cake

 

Thank you everyone for making Carmen's birthday one to remember!

Four

Today you are four.  Unbelievable.  I say that every year and will continue to do so.  It's incredible how fast time is going and we are amazed every day at the person you are becoming.  You continue to be head-strong, opinionated and  passionate.  You also are kind, sensitive and very thoughtful.  You are a nurturer. You love to sing and dance and your creativity impresses us every day.  You make up stories, you make up songs, you use your imagination.  You love to draw and color and create.  Every single thing you come into contact with is a treasure--a rock, a stick, a leaf, a scrap of paper.  You are a collector and organizer.  You are a helper who always needs a special job.  You want to be involved.  You ask lots and lots of questions.  You still do not like to sleep.  Four years now and still fighting it.  We are waiting anxiously for you to fall into the 'I want to sleep' phase.  So many other phases have come and gone, but still this one eludes you.  Some day, some day.  You give loves, adore your brother but also adore bossing him around.  You are a leader but sometimes lack confidence.  You always want to succeed.  You warm our hearts, keep us on our toes, challenge your boundaries, test our patience.  You know exactly what you want and if it's not just so, you certainly let us know.  You are growing, learning and evolving in so many unbelievable ways. You are loved more than you will ever know.  A very happy 4th birthday to our Carmen James--the light of our lives.  So many wonderful times and adventures ahead.  We can't wait for what's around the corner.

Santa

We went and saw Santa.  Last year Max cried (screamed, really) and Carmen sat there and smiled.  This year I was worried that Max would do a Santa repeat.  Turns out Max is not the one I needed to worry about.  It was the almost 4-year old who was not having ANYTHING to do with St. Nick.  It took us two attempts at getting her close enough to him to even snap a picture.  Max sat on his lap, not particularly smiling, but unfazed by the whole event.  Carmen however wouldn't even look at him, no eye contact, no saying what she wants for Christmas.  We'll see if Santa makes a stop at the Skurski's this year. 

This is as good as it got. 

 

But, then cousins made it all better. 

 

Homemade Sleigh

Carmen amazes me everyday.  This particular time we were decorating the Christmas tree and after a few ornaments she had lost interest.  What she found way more interesting was fashioning her own sleigh consisting of a step stool, one of her favorite toys 'Sparky' (playing the part of Rudolph) and the cord of the vacuum cleaner (her reigns).  She even created her own 'naughty' and 'nice' list to carry with her as she played Santa and pretended to deliver gifts.  Of course Max wanted in on the action too, which she wasn't thrilled about but it being Christmas time and all, she tolerated him and allowed him to participate.  Of course, she was not going to allow him to be Santa. Ho Ho Ho.

A Few Christmas-y Things

Advent Calendars.

Got to love a chocolate treat first thing in the morning!

 

 

Decorating a gingerbread house.

Max mostly ate frosting.

Carmen was really into it and was concentrating to make her editable house just so.

The final product wasn't too bad considering Max tried to consume everything she tried to put on.

 

 

 

 

Feeding Reindeer (apparently Blitzen & Dasher) and a Camel (Curley).

Well, Max fed them, while Carmen hung back. 'Um, I'm kind of cold,' was her excuse.

Max enthusiastically went back for more feeding.  He loved the camel.

Who knew Reindeer eat raisins.

 

 

 

 

Christmas art.

Here are a couple of my favorites this year so far.

Max's melted snowman

Carmen's colorful Santa

Carmen likes her Santa's colorful. She is into coloring and then cutting out her masterpieces. 

In fact, we have two of these beauties.  She liked it so much she decided to make an exact replica.

 

 

Weekend Festivities

We enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving with the four of us and one giant turkey.

Kids thought licking the mashed potato beaters was fun.

Unfortunately, they didn't think the rest of the turkey dinner was so fun.

More left-overs for us!

Baked banana eggnog bread with some holiday helpers.

 

Had Post-Thanksgiving with the larger Skurski family.

Yeah for cousins!

 

Started putting up the first of many decorations.

Went to a chilly Sounders game.

No victory, but a good showing.

Time to hang-up the cleats until next season.



Of course, I did some black Friday shopping too.

Now, the holiday hustle & bustle begins...!