Merry Christmas!

We hope that you have a very Merry Christmas!! We are happy to have my parents and Katy and Nathan here to celebrate with us this year!

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Another visit with Santa!

Our MOMS Club had a holiday party earlier this week and the girls got to have another visit with Santa!!! This time he even brought them each an early Christmas present! Sienna got a Diego puzzle and Isabella got a Disney Princess puzzle. Sienna willingly sat on his lap (probably because he had a present for her!)

A Prima Ballerina in the Making

Once soccer ended, we decided to try out a ballet class for Isabella. She had expressed interest in taking dance for a while, but I wasn't ready to sign her up at a formal dance studio yet. She's finishing up a 7 week session at the Y, and she has seemed to enjoy it. It's a class with 5 four-year-old girls led by two teenagers. It's fun for Isabella just to put on her leotard, skirt and ballet shoes. Her friend, Charlotte, is in her class which means that Sienna gets to play with her friend, "Lily!!", while the big girls have class, and the little ones get to join in on "freeze dance" at the end. It's exciting all around!

Ready for the first class!

Spins

Sienna keeping herself busy

Charlotte and Isabella

Ballerina or tiger?

First position

Here's a little video clip from Isabella's last dance class

(click on the arrow in the lower left to view it)

Winter Wonderland

Every year the Boston College Alumni Association sponsors a Winter Wonderland on campus. There are crafts, hot chocolate and cookies, a visit with Santa, stories with Mrs. Claus, "sleigh" rides, performances by music and dance groups and a magician, and gingerbread cookie decorating (the best part!). This is the third year that we have gone to this event. Two years ago, our friend, Lorinda, came along to help me with the girls since Mike was working. Last year my parents were visiting so they came with us and Mike was able to go, too. Since Mike didn't enjoy the crowds, we opted to leave him at home this year and take Lorinda instead since she truly enjoys this kind of stuff. We had a fun Girls' Day Out!

Sienna wasn't too thrilled to see Santa this time which is why I'm in the picture, too.

Lorinda licking a giant lollipop

Isabella and her gingerbread man
Sienna and her gingerbread man

Unfortunately, I left our box of decorated gingerbread cookies on a rock while we were waiting for the "sleigh" ride (more like a hayride). The box was gone when we went back to get it. Bummer!

Lorinda and girls on the sleigh ride

Baldwin the eagle made an appearance, too!

First Real Snowfall

We finally got a decent snowfall last Friday (not that I'm in a huge rush to have a lot of snow). Mike took the girls outside Saturday morning to build a snowman before the snow melted.

Bundled up and ready to go!

Mike is rolling a snowball on the left, Sienna is standing in the middle

and Isabella is sitting near the base of the snowman on the right. Isabella, "Willy" the snowman, and Mike

(Sienna had already headed inside by that point!)

We've been elfed!

I received this from a couple people and I finally did our own. The girls laugh out loud every time they see it!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1122145517

The Official Start of the Holiday Season

Although stores start playing Christmas music right after Halloween, it doesn't seem right to really start the season until December. I know that we had our Christmas tree up before the end of November, but our three immediate neighbors had their exterior Christmas lights up by the time we got home from our Thanksgiving visit! At least we get to enjoy our decorations for a bit longer.

This weekend we went to a pancake breakfast at Isabella's school, and the girls enjoyed a visit with Santa. He told them that he likes chocolate milk and cookies and that his reindeer like carrots, of course. We'll have to remember the chocolate milk on Christmas Eve!



Yesterday we went to our town's Festival of Lights. Santa arrived by firetruck and counted down to the lighting of the town common.

Isabella enjoyed some Dunkin' Donuts hot chocolate It's not the most spectacular display of lights, but it's a nice tradition.
Sienna said, "It's not Christmas YET, Dada!" Isabella and Mama