Holiday Snapshots

 

A sampling of some of the fun things we did over the break:

 

Playing with her Duplo Nativity. I don’t know what it is about age 3, but MAN was she interested in Baby Jesus! Finally!

Waiting for her turn for a photo session:

Enjoying the Merry Main Street fireworks show in Frisco Square:

Visiting Santa at Willow Bend Mall. Falling snow and all!

Your guess is as good as mine on this one. At least it reflects the amount of silliness we enjoyed:

Her two favorite things to discuss this past Christmas – Baby Jesus & The Grinch. I’d consider our house pretty equal opportunity when it comes to exposure of stories, characters, etc…so though my excitement over her interest in the Nativity was much greater, I was so so so happy to share one of my favorite Christmas stories with her. She practically memorized the book…and THEN I introduced the MOVIE!

We spent some good time at the library:

Family book time:

 

Feeding the “chucks” at the duck pond:

More silliness! Wonder where she gets it from…

She’s WAY better at trombone that me:

Fun playdates with our BFs!

The crazy Christmas lights house! It’s about 5 minutes from us and I’m so thankful for this family tradition. A friend of mine commented on this pic that she used to take her kids when they were little. I just went to her daughter’s wedding last year! Hope the house is still going for years and years to come!

The first real frost of the season! Little did we know what was to come on Christmas Day…

Cookie decorating and holiday games at the library’s winter event:

Duh. Toffee making! I only wish I could have had time to make more. Same wish every year

Second annual Nutcracker Party with my arts-loving lady pals. Can’t wait for next year! It might finally be the year that I get my you-know-what together and decide to take Bridget to see the real staged ballet…

Love all the memories enjoyed this past December. Now I just need to continue the joy and smiles throughout the upcoming months. No reason to save it just for holiday season, right?

Our life summed up in one picture…

My mom asked all us girls to send her a picture of us, our husbands, kids (well, that’s just in my case), and pets all together to add to her Christmas card this year. For Betsy and Mary I can’t say it was that tough of a job. Only three warm bodies were involved in their shoot. Mine was another story.

When you take a last minute request, add a 3 year old at bedtime, toss in a lazy/huge dog, an annoyed husband, a tired Mommy, and two large/old cats who prefer not to be held…oh, and the required 10 seconds of wait time for the self-timer on a camera…you get this hot mess:

 

“All things bright and beautiful;

All creatures great and small.

All things wise and wonderful;

The Lord God made them all.”

Another Double Duty Day

A wise friend once told me that as soon as she became a busy mom of TWO beautiful daughters, she became a mom who no longer planned more than one event in a single day. I guess since then I’ve had a little voice in the back of my head pushing me to plan multiple events in one day while I still can…seriously! Here’s another fun example:

Jonathan has a good friend that started a Tuba Holiday concert in our area 5 years ago. It has grown from a program of about 30 students to nearly 200! We’re so proud of our sweet Keith! Jonathan always brings plenty of his own students to the event and since the concert is just down the road from us, Bridget and I decided to attend this year (during prime napping time, but hey, I’m learning to be flexible on the rare occasion…RARE). Check out all the festively decorated tubas and euphoniums!

B loved sitting in the front row so she could watch Daddy up close and personal:

And Daddy even got to be the MC!

The best part? Running up and down the stairs at the conclusion of the show! Perfect way to tucker a girl out for a late afternoon snooze…

Later that evening we were off to Prosper to visit Julie and Ryan’s NEW HOUSE! Julie and I had planned a cute Christmas craft for the girls (decorated pot holders)…and they (sort of) turned out nicely. I love this classic “no pictures” face by Bridget followed up with a bribe-induced smile:

My girl is finally starting to enjoy finger paints…after 3 years!

Once paint crafts were complete (or when Julie and I got sick of trying to make them happen) and a fun double bath was had, we decorated the cookies B and I had leftover from our tea party a few days prior. Delicious!

Then the best buds had a little milk and Olivia and went off to “bed” so the Moms could watch Ashley and JP’s wedding (can I get an AMEN for The Bachelor/Bachelorette?!). Yeah…not much sleeping actually happened this time, what with the excitement of a new house and all that sugar from the cookies…Moms of the Year!

Mommy-Daughter Memories!

What a fun-filled holiday season we had this year. Bridget and I took every opportunity that came our way to celebrate the season and make memories together. Daddy even got in on a few! Hahahaha. Those daddies are always so busy, aren’t they? We’re thankful we were able to spend so much time with him while he enjoyed a much earned 2 week break (though he’s back to work already during his second week off…that man works so hard!). But for now, here are few activities B and I enjoyed this mid-December.

Our second year to visit Santa at Bass Pro Shops:

This Santa is SO NICE. Of course, it’s a plus that he hands out candy canes. But you also get a FREE picture printed out AND you can take additional pictures with your own camera. I had mine around my neck, and Santa himself reminded me to take a pic with my camera before finishing Bridget’s visit with him. Smiles!

 

She loved playing with all the outdoor stuff:

Seeing the fish (her favorite was the GARR…eww):

Rode the reindeer carousel:

And got her first shark bite (she bumped her head on its tooth!):

We shared a snack and then headed home for a quick nap before the afternoon’s event:

We are so lucky to have a little friend two houses down that’s not quite a year older than Bridget. B loves playing with her! So the two of us, disappointed that we’d miss my own family’s cookie decorating day (or so I thought – see later post), invited Eva and her Mommy over to decorate some goodies!

Us girls just had to have tea with our cookies!

Yummy finished product!

Lori’s sons must have smelled the delicious cookie scent because they decided to come join in the fun, too. Very sweet helpers!

A day filled with friends and fun!