Oh Christmas Tree!

This afternoon, we finally picked out a Christmas tree! A little late but better than never and the prices were outstanding! I decided to go to our local Ace Hardware Store where all trees are 50% off and let the girls pick out the perfect tree. I prefer having a Douglas Fir because it seems to hold up well, the branches are strong and the needles are short enough that it's easy to hold ornaments. Sofia and Olivia decided to pick out a pine tree, which is really bushy and has long (and we soon found out, sharp) needles. It did look pretty and was a great price at $15. We paid for it and two of the hardware guys cut off the base They tied it to our roof with the two pieces of rope I thought to bring and we were soon headed home. Thankfully, it's only about 4-5 miles to our house so we were able to drive slowly on the back streets.

Once we were home, we untied the tree and somehow got it off the top of the car. I attached the tree stand and Sofia and I carried it into the house. Olivia had fallen asleep on the ride from the hardware store, so I moved her into her bed right before we got the tree off the car. The tree was surprisingly light and easy to carry, so we got it into the house and set it up. However, one of the screws on our tree stand is broken, so it leaned to one side but seemed secure enough. After adding water to the tree stand, I went into our attic and got the Christmas ornaments out and took them downstairs. I have over three boxes of ornaments, most of which I've had since I was little and nearly all from my Mom over the years. I really love going through them and remembering when I got them, or looking at the photos and thinking of that time. Now we have many with the girls' handprints or their art work so it makes our tree very special to me. I showed Sofia how to put the Christmas lights on the tree and she did a great job until I finished putting them at the top. Then I let Sofia add the ornaments while I worked in the kitchen. She had a ball and before I knew it it seemed like the majority of our ornaments were out and scattered on our floor! She loves taking them out and making stories with them and playing with them like toys. She did a good job hanging the ornaments, although it was pretty difficult to do with how sharp the needles were and the branches toward the bottom were not very sturdy.

After Olivia woke up, the three of us continued to add ornaments. It was really fun and the girls stood on the couch arm to reach higher into the tree. We finished up with less than half of our ornaments on the tree, but it looked good and we were all sort of tired of getting poked by the needles. Every year I tell myself that I will go through and organize the ornaments, but never seem to do so. Maybe this year I will but now it seems overwhelming with so many unopened ornaments.

After decorating the tree, I set the girls in front of it and took a photo with them and Buddy, who wore reindeer antlers and didn't even seem to mind. The photo really turned out cute and I was glad to have finally taken it since the girls had painted wood frames to put the picture into. We look forward to a fun Christmas!

Our new Christmas tree!

Our tree tied on top of the loaner car. Olivia opened her eyes briefly for this photo, but was asleep before and after.

Sofia decorating

Adding an ornament

The ornaments scattered about the room while she works

Olivia helps

The final touch - adding the angel

Sofia puts it on the tree

Our angel

Buddy and the girls

Clowning around with the fun hats

Our sweet dog!

Sofia's School Holiday Party

This afternoon Sofia's class had her Holiday Party for an hour right after lunch. Two weeks before I helped Pritha, one of the room moms and a friend of mine, decorate the classroom. The theme is "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" and the room moms really had some cute ideas and after setting up the decorations, the class room looked great! We decorated during the kids' recess and lunch time, so they returned to a fully decorated room and loved it.

Today, I met Pritha and two other moms to put the finishing touches on the room and get ready for the party. I dropped Olivia off at Adventure Kids so I could help with the party. I used my phone and our little speaker to play Christmas songs from Pandora. Then, we set out the craft, which was for each kiddo to make an ornament with a picture of themselves and a heart. Kelley's mom made the "Grinch Punch" which was made with green sherbet and 7-Up. The kids LOVED it. We also served a small snack of cheese cubes, grapes, and a cookie. The kids were full from lunch, but most of the cookies were eaten. After the kids were done with their snack and craft, we played Grinch bingo which the kids were so excited about. We played a few rounds until it was time to play "Pin the Heart on the Grinch" which Pritha had hand drawn. The kids REALLY loved it and they all had fun. Some of the kids wanted to be the furthest away while others were trying to make it right in the exact spot. It was really cute to watch them get so excited.

After that game, we switched from Christmas music to Limbo music and used a long roll of wrapping paper to have the kids do limbo. Brooke, who is a bit of the class clown, was really good at limbo and tried to get as low as she could while being silly. The boys tried to dive under it or acted crazy. They all had fun with a few of the kids not interested in joining in the game. Everyone had fun though. After limbo was over, it was the end of the party hour, so we said goodbye to our kids as they filed off to specials (apparently they were taken out to the football field so they could "run off all the sugar"). We all took the decorations down and got the room back to it's normal look before heading home.

After school, Sofia brought home a bag that had a glass ornament with her handprints made in white that she then decorated as snowmen. It was so adorable! It was also a little bit wet still, so I hung it on our fake garland over our fireplace thinking it would dry and then I could move it into a better spot. Unfortunately, I accidentally bumped into it and it fell and broke into a million pieces. Sofia was so upset and sad and I promised we would try to recreate it.

Kelley's mom making the "Grinch Punch"

Sofia ready for the party to begin (she asked me to bring the Santa hat with me to the party)

Sofia and Shivani

The classroom

Sofia at her table

Playing Bingo

Pin the heart on the Grinch

Sofia's turn

Putting her name on her heart

Sofia and me

Making Gingerbread Houses

Last night we made gingerbread houses. I borrowed my neighbor's Pampered Chef gingerbread house and school molds and made up a double batch of gingerbread. While CK was off flying that day and the girls were playing (Sofia still had a slight fever all day Saturday) I baked the gingerbread pieces, which is so easy using the molds. The girls helped me with the second half of pressing the gingerbread into the molds and had fun eating the dough. Olivia still isn't so sure about gingerbread but Sofia loves it.

Once CK made it home, we gathered up all of our candies and I made royal icing to attach all of our goodies. This year, I used a method many of my friends use to assemble the house: a hot glue gun! It worked like a charm and made the house assembly so much easier than waiting for the royal icing to harden. We then added royal icing to cover over the hot glue and then we started decorating. Sofia really got into it and she took over decorating the house while CK stuck to the school/post office building (which is pretty much the same as the house except it doesn't have a fireplace). Olivia sat up on the table and ended up focusing on testing the candy and eating candy canes. I helped Sofia decorate and took pictures. They both really turned out cute and Sofia decorated and attached the American Flag and two snowmen.

It was fun to decorate them and we put them both onto a platter so we could put them up onto our counter. We weren't sure what Buddy might do when we weren't home if we left it on our dining room table.

Olivia playing outside while I raked up leaves in our front yard.

Sofia helping me make the gingerbread houses

A close-up

All baked and cooling

My two helpers pressing gingerbread into the molds

Assembling the houses (notice the hot glue gun to the left)

Candy is out and we are ready to get started!

Olivia, our official candy supervisor

Testing the candy canes...

Yum!

Papa and his masterpiece

Cluse-up of his work

Sofia's house

The front of her house

The American Flag

Olivia's Christmas performance video

Here's is a short video of Olivia dancing to the second song. She's in the back row but in the center and can be seen dancing her little heart out. So cute!!

O's Xmas dance 12/14/2014

Olivia's Christmas Performance

Last night was Olivia's Spanish Schoolhouse Christmas show. We had grand plans to go together and then go out to dinner after her show, however, our plans changed when Sofia came down with a 103.5 fever starting on Wednesday after school which lasted through today. Thinking it is likely the flu, we decided that CK would stay home with Sofia and I would take Olivia to her show. Although Olivia's teachers have been telling me every time I pick her up from school that she was doing "great" at the dance practice, we were a bit skeptical as to whether she would get up on stage in front of all the parents, students and friends and dance her little heart out or run off stage for her mommy. She's a lot more shy around others than Sofia was at that age and still is.

I dropped her off with her teachers for her to get ready for the show and then found my seat with parents of Sofia's former classmate and friend, Mattheus. Juan and Maria and really great people and their youngest is now in the 2 year old class. It was fun to sit with them and catch up since it's been quite a while since I'd seen them. The show started and despite me waving to Olivia, she never saw me in the audience. The show starts with the 2 year old class, who all did a great job and no one cried or ran off the stage! The director said it was the first time ever! Soon it was Olivia's class' turn and I was shocked to see her right in the front center of the stage! That spot is reserved for the most exuberant dancers and I was surprised that Olivia was there! She climbed onto the stage and was totally comfortable up there, swishing around and completely ready to dance!

The first song was great and the whole class did a fantastic job with Olivia really shining! She was really into it and danced her best! The second song she was moved into the back row to give another kiddo a chance at the front, but still danced her little heart out! She was great and was obviously having a fun time up there! I bought the DVD for the show since CK and Sofia couldn't attend the actual performance and we look forward to watching it once we get it.

After Olivia's performance, her class sat back down and the other classes performed. Then, all the classes went onto the stage to sing Feliz Navidad and dance and sing to Jingle Bell Rock. After the performance, I picked up Olivia who was so excited and had a great time! I told her how much fun it was to watch her perform and what a great job she did. We returned home to Sofia and Papa and told them all about the show. We ate Papa John's pizza and the girls went to bed.

Mrs. Lynn introduces the 3-year old performers with Olivia in the center to Mrs. Lynn's left

And the music begins

Our little dancer

She's was really into it

With her dance partner

Shaking it in the back

Look at her go!

The final songs with the entire school

Just before picking her up - she finally saw me!

Meeting Winter!

On Monday December 1st, we met Winter our little Elf on a Shelf. When Sofia came home from school, Winter was hanging from a string on the chandelier over our table. Sofia saw Winter and was SO excited! She couldn't believe an Elf on the Shelf decided to come to our house! She was careful not to touch Winter so she wouldn't take away her powers and enjoyed reading the book about the Elf on the Shelf which Winter brought for her and Olivia. Olivia was napping so it would be awhile before we got her reaction. Immediately, Sofia started talking to Winter and had a few questions she wanted Winter to answer. She told her all about her day and that she loves Christmas. Olivia woke up and was happy to see Winter and read the book, but really didn't seem to be super excited about it all. She was more excited about getting apple juice after her nap.

The next day Winter returned and had written a note to Sofia and Olivia, mainly answering Sofia's questions from the day before. Since Winter goes back up to the North Pole every evening and returns to a new spot in our living room every morning, Sofia is super excited to find where she is each time and is very quick to find her! Since then, Winter has gotten into some hi jinx, drawing little minions on our bananas, working on crafts and riding the girls' horses. Olivia got really upset when she saw Winter on "her horse" and tried to get her off and play with the horse, which made Winter fall off! Since none of us can touch her, she had to stay on the fireplace like that all day! Poor Winter. Otherwise, she's been found on our cabinets, sitting in our tree next to the girls' craft table and pretty much every area of our living room, dining room and kitchen.

At some point every day, Winter also writes a note in our Advent calendar with a fun thing we'll do that day, usually a small craft, going to the park or making cookies together. She's done a good job of watching the girls and it's been so much fun watching Sofia look for her!

Winter arrives

Her note to the girls

Winter's note the second day, answering Sofia's questions

Minions!

Doing crafts at the craft table

Riding (and falling off) the girls' horses