2013 holiday card

taking to the ice

the girls tried ice skating for the first time today.  they were all smiles, at the beginning...

but big sister hated it.  she reluctantly made one lap around the rink, clinging to the wall the entire way.  then she got off the ice and was done.  she spent the rest of the time upstairs in the warm viewing area, snacking on cheetos from the vending machine. 

little sister had a better time, and she skated for about 30 minutes or so before getting a blister and tiring out.  she did a great job and only fell a few times that i saw.  i think it will be a while before we try this activity again, but at least they tried it.

elf adventures

our little elf, nicole kristine, watched the girls all the days leading up to christmas.  it was fun to wake each morning and search for her.  little sister was usually the one that found her first.

one day while were were doing some shopping, little sister spied a set of 2 skirts for nicole kristine to wear.  1 skirt was make of shiny red tulle, and the other of a candy-cane stripe fabric.  we left the 2 skirts out that night, and she chose the shiny red one.  she looked so very festive now, and the girls were pleased that she had accepted our gift.

the girls wanted to take nicole kristine with us to san antonio, but knowing that one of the rules is that we cannot touch her, we reluctantly said our good-byes to her before we left town.  but, do you know what?  when we woke up on monday morning in san antonio, there she was!  she had magically followed us, and had teamed up with cousin josh's elf, nicholas.  and together, they watched the kids and reported to santa right up until christmas eve.  we said one last good-bye on christmas day, and then both elves disappeared on christmas night.  until next december....

merry christmas!!

6:15am - the kids wake up and discover that santa came!  he really came!!  they can barely contain their excitement.  they spent the next hour inspecting boxes, shaking gifts, and taking guesses as to what was in their packages.  we had to wait for grandma and papa to arrive before tearing into the gifts. (such torture!)

 

7:15am - grandma and papa (finally) arrive - let the gift opening begin!

ready for santa

christmas eve

the tradition is to open one gift before heading off to christmas eve mass.  the girls had their choice of which gift they wanted to open.  little sister went first...

and got soccer-themed pasta!  (she was very gracious, but a bit disappointed)

big sister went next...

and got turbo on dvd.

and the rest will have to wait until tomorrow morning...

gingerbread cookies

the kids enjoyed decorating gingerbread cookies tonight.  i'm sure more icing was consumed than was used to actually decorate the cookies, but isn't that how it is supposed to work?

christmas down south

today began our 8-day, 7-night holiday stay in san antonio.  after carefully packing the car so all our luggage and gifts would fit, we began our 5-hour journey south.  priority on the list was helping grandma finish packing her house so she could be ready to move out on the 30th.  thankfully, most of the heavy lifting was complete by the time we got there.  the cousins sure were excited to see one another.  let the fun begin!!

D.E.A.R. day

today is D.E.A.R. day - drop everything and read day.  everyone, including teachers, get to wear their pajamas & slippers, and bring either a stuffed animal or pillow to school.  the girls were super excited, although my thought that the morning would be easier couldn't have been farther from the truth!  i thought they would get up and wear the pajamas they had slept in that night to school.  silly me - they both had other ideas.  and, then there was the choice to make regarding which animals to take.  by the time we left the house, i was saying "oh, dear me..."  :-)

a lesson from little sister

last week i brought home two poinsettia plants from work, and knowing i did not need them and they would only surely die in my care, i thought it would be a nice gesture for the girls to take one each to their teachers as an early christmas gift.  when i got home, little sister was excited, but big sister told me she was not interested in taking it to her teacher.  (this is typical with my introvert vs. extrovert children)

so, i thought about it and told little sister she could take one to her teacher and take the other to the literacy teacher.  she is actually big sister's literacy/dyslexia teacher, but - again, i knew better than to ask big sister to deliver it.  i found a paper bag large enough to hold the two plants, and instructed little sister to take the plants to the teachers as soon as she got to school, and to tell them they need to water them.  she accepted the assignment, but wanted to add to it. 

the literacy teacher is undergoing chemo as part of her breast cancer treatment, and she has recently lost all of her hair.  normally a dark brunette, the girls told me the other day that she came to school in a blond wig, and another day she wore a fun hat. about a month ago, daddy brought home a neon pink wig he found at work, and little sister quickly decided that she wanted to take it to her as another option.  so she slipped the pink wig into the bag with the plants.  

at first, daddy and i thought that maybe that was not the best idea, thinking that perhaps it would be insensitive to offer such an item to someone going thru such a trauma in their life, but i could also see that little sister was truly just trying to help out and meant no harm.  so i let her take it.  that was last friday.

today, i got a message from the teacher saying that she loved the wig and was having fun with it.  i was so relieved to hear that!  but i am most happy to witness how this woman is making such a positive impact on little sister, and that little sister is engaged in the lives of those influencing her life.  i am very proud of you, little sister, and hope you keep your sweetness, innocence and fearlessness for as long as possible.  we could all learn a little from you.

opening day

after everything got cancelled last weekend because of the ice storm, today became the new opening day for the winter basketball season - and we were right in the thick of it all!  up first: little sister's 9am basketball game.  we lost 4-12, but we'll get 'em next time!

then we went home, changed outfits, did some quick shopping and had lunch, then headed to little sister's cheer game at 12:45pm.

last, but certainly not least, we had big sister's cheer game at 4pm. 

today was a nice teaser for how our saturdays will be starting in the new year, until late february.  rest up now, girls!  and after all that, we still weren't done.  we had daddy's company's holiday party from 7-11pm.  food, drinks, music, co-workers, all ending with daddy winning a door prize: blue-tooth speakers for his iPad.  (thanks, grandpa, for babysitting!) 

our new friend

meet nicole kristine, our elf friend that santa sent from the north pole to check on us and report back to him.  we got her last year, and packed her away.  honestly, the girls were creeped out by the idea of a little elf, sitting on a shelf, watching their every move - so they chose not to let her out after thanksgiving this year, as is the usual tradition.  well, she must have gotten tired of waiting, or got some firm orders from the man in the red suit - cause she appeared this morning on the fish tank.  she surprised us all - but the girls have taken well to her presence.  they can't wait to see where she moves to next.  we decided to name her nicole kristine, the girls' middle names combined.

the weekend that wasn't

so, we had a very busy weekend planned, and many arrangements were made so we could do most of it, but thanks to the icy conditions, we are not able to do any of them. 

1.  the girls' pizza party for cheer last night - cancelled

2. little sister's first basketball game at 9:45am - cancelled

3. little sister's first cheer game at 12:45pm - cancelled

4. big sister's first cheer game at 4pm - cancelled

5. a friend's birthday party from 4-6pm - too far to drive in the ice

6.  the central oklahoma ballet presents the nutcracker at 8pm - highway shut down so we couldn't leave dallas

7. big sister's choir event at little elm's christmas festival at 8pm - cancelled

so, another day of staying indoors...the girls decorated their gingerbread houses, wrote letters to santa, and we all pretty much took it easy.

snow day!

the weathermen were right this time, and our whole area fell victim to the "arctic blast" that started yesterday around 4pm.  freezing rain turned to sleet and ice pellets, and all night long we were pummeled with a wintery mix of precipitation.  when we woke this morning, it looked like a blanket of beautiful snow, but in reality it is pure ice.  rock solid.  so everything shut down, including school - and we tried to make the best of being stranded indoors.

i baked cookies all morning - about 4 dozen mint chocolate chip, 4 dozen oatmeal-cinnamon chip, 4 dozen candy cane kiss, and 8 dozen sugar.

the girls got all dressed up to go play in the "snow," but were rather disappointed to only find ice outside.  they still played for a bit, then came inside for hot cocoa.  at least their toes were warm and dry in their snow boots.