Ringing in 2012...1 day early

We have a little tradition in our family.  We go out to eat (early) on New Year's Eve with Lollie and Papa.  Sometimes Uncle and Aunt C are in town and sometimes not.  Every year is different.  This year they were in town, but were heading out to drive the 8+ hours back to Va. on the 31st.  Soooo, we decided to ring in the New Year a day early.  Good thing, because someone got sick.  But more on that in a minute.

It is always fun to get dressed up and go out to eat at a fancy-smanchy restaurant.  Where we went this year has definitely evolved as far as eating establishments go.  Back in the day (like when I was in high school), they did super casual Italian...with a high amount of take-out.  Lollie even used them to feed the cheerleading squad one pre-game supper--ha!

Aunt C is starting at the U.Va's nursing school in the Spring...Can you guess what we got for Christmas?!  Lollie was holding Papa's shirt, since he was meeting us at the restaurant.

Now it is just known for great, rustic, authentic Italian food.  They may still do some catering, but it has come a long way from the poly-styrene, paper napkins and plastic cutlery of days gone by.

We had a fun night hangin' out with the fam and said our goodbyes to Aunt C and Uncle.  Then we headed home to get the Noodle in bed and watch The Help, which I had just gotten from the library--I know.  Raising the roof, crazy times............except in the middle of the night, J woke up feeling sick.  Turns out he was sick 3 more times that night and woke up on the Eve with a low-grade fever.  Yuck!  He remained sick and so we stayed in on the actual New Year's Eve and just chilled.  Ditto for today, which is kinda too bad, since we always host both sets of parents for a pork-sauerkraut-potato-palozza shin-dig.  Sigh.  We'll just have to reschedule and hope and pray that J's ushering in 2012 with a sick tum isn't a forecast of things to come! 

 Even with one sick-o, we still had a nice New Year's Eve and New Year's day.  It is really all about being with those you love, isn't it?  Hope your 31st/1st was filled with laughs and love!!!  Here's to 2012 (really?!?!?)! 

Christmas Day--in pictures

 

Christmas Eve

So we're slowly crawling our way out from under wrapping and tissue paper, ribbons, packaging and the like.  Basically life is returning (somewhat) back to normal from the Christmas festivities.  We still have a few more days of playing, so the routine of day-to-day life isn't quite there, but, if nothing else, we're trying to re-establish normal bedtimes...that being said, the Noodle is off to spend the day/night with Grandma and Grandpa, so on second thought, perhaps we'll wait until the weekend..........

Here are a few photos from our Christmas Eve.  What fun we had!

 

Sometimes a little too much "fun"....!

Have your self a merry little Christmas...

Wishing you all that is brightest and most beautiful on this holy day.  Let us rejoice because a Savior has been born and He is Christ the King!

Advent Chain Days 23 and 24

The big day is almost here!  So exciting :)  We had a few last minute things to finish up--day 23 was to make birthday cupcakes for Jesus and day 24 (today) was to go down and walk around the urban market in our big city.  I have such fond memories of doing this as a child.  Things have changed somewhat though--now the fruit and veg stands are heated (I kid you not).  Memories also include layer upon layer of clothes so that we wouldn't freeze as we hoofed it up one side of the market and down the other.  I love all the sights, smells and of course the people watching.  You see all walks of life down here--big-wig exec to the fresh-off-the-boat immigrant to the suburban housewife--all bartering and buying their goodies for the holiday.  A great equalizer, I'd say!

 

Tonight we're off to our church's children service and then to have tea with Lollie and Papa.  The anticipation is building and we're enjoying every minute of it!  Merry, merry!!!

Advent Chain Day 21 and 22

Even with all the birthday fun yesterday, we still found time for our Advent chain activity (read the Nativity story and act it out with the Little People figures) and since one of the Noodle's gifts was the 3 Wisemen, now we can tell that part of the story too.  The nativity continues to be a good pre-dinner/Mama's-in-the-kitchen activity.

Today we made reindeer food to sprinkle out on the lawn Christmas Eve.  Santa always gets milk and cookies, but we can't forget his hard working team!  Somewhere I found a fun recipe on-line--1/4C oatmeal, 1/4C brown sugar and a sprinkle of glitter (or in our case, colored sugar-cookie sprinkles).  Mix it all together and voila!  Something for the reindeer to munch on while Santa's doing his thing.

Birthday re-cap

Whew!  I think we were all exhausted by the end of yesterday.  It was busy, but fun.

5:30 a.m., bright and early, I heard a little voice say "Who's there?  I'm all done sleeping!  Can I get up now?"  I went up and told her it was waaay to early for her to rise and shine, but after about 20 minutes, I could still tell she was wide awake, so I went back up to get her but made her pinkie swear that she'd take a nap later on in the day since no one wanted a crabby birthday girl.  Wow--that was one long sentence, wasn't it?! 

She had gotten out the special birthday outfit that she wanted to wear the night before, down to the hair accessories and her favorite blue panties.  What a hoot.  She kept checking to make sure it was o.k., since she and J had organized everything while I was at the gym.  I reassured it that it was fine!  I love how she put everything out on her rocking chair just like she would be wearing it--only minus her body, ha ha!

On J's way home in the morning, he stopped by double D and picked up some munckin holes for the munckin...a breakfast of champions, I'd say!  She was thrilled.  Then it was time to run off for her last day of school before Christmas vacation.

I went in a little later in the morning to read a story to the class and to volunteer.  I always love to see what's going on and to get a little glimpse into her school day.

The pretend center...with superhero shields (?!?!)

After preschool let out, we headed over to a friend's house for a play/lunch date.  The Noodle was again in her glory--CARS mac-n-cheese, chicken nuggets, juice and cupcakes with TONS of frosting.  Quite obviously healthy meals flew out the window this birthday ;)  The 3 little ones had fun making a tiara craft that we had brought and after blowing out the candles on the cupcake, it was time to head home for the (much needed) nap. 

Once she woke up and we played for a bit, it was finally time for the grandparents to come for the party.  Her request this year for her special birthday dinner?  White bean chicken chili...not Chinese food, as it has been the past few years!  After eating 2 bowls, spinach salad and some homemade bread, she was finally ready to tackle the presents.  Honestly, she had been ready for some time, but had showed remarkable control!  The CARS jammies and the Grinch book and DVD were definitely the highlights.  Then it was time for cake.  She hadn't been too particular this year, so when she continued being vague, I offered up the idea of a cookie pizza.  She thought that sounded tasty and I thought it sounded much easier than trying to fight with icing that never seems to go on smoothly onto a shape that  hardly resembles the vision that I have in my mind which I'm trying to re-create!  There we go with the run-on sentences again.

By 8:15 everyone had left, the Noodle was sawing logs and J and I weren't far behind. Right before she nodded off though, she doubled checked that she'd still be 5 when she woke up the next day.  I assured it that she would be...for another 364 days.  Definitely a fun day!