Merry Christmas!

We are grateful for our neighbors letting us use their sleigh for a backdrop, thankful for a friend coming at the last minute to take our pictures on the last warm day, and thankful for a friend who helped edit our Christmas cards! Very blessed are we!!!

B turned 7!!!

Wow - one year from age 8! Wow!

She wore this to check the mail one day! (:

B loves writing notes and leaving them on pillows.

She loves gobbling up raw spinach leaves - hers or her siblings.

She likes to play with others (good with kids of all ages).

She prefers NOT to eat onions or chocolate chip cookies.

She is comfortable asking about a word you used in a sentence that she doesn't understand.

She is well behaved in school.

She still has her own style sense.

We love you B and are glad you are part of our family!

Step in the right direction

While driving to drop something off in a nearby neighborhood . . . I commented on how one day all that space will have houses (they have built about 6 now).

Z said maybe if there was still some open when he got big - he could build a house there. (: (: (: "And live close to me" I said, and he said "yes." It's a step! (: Especially since in the recent past he has said he is NOT going to live anywhere but with me.

Nutcracker

We got to attend Clara's Tea Party before watching the Nutcracker this year, so we got to take lots of pictures with the cast.This is B's dance teacher: Ms. Victoria aka Snow Queen.
In blue is the class's assistant: Ms. Noel aka Snow Maiden.
The gal in purple goes to church with us - Ak ran up and gave her a big hug!

Ak and B had matching skirts, shirts, and bows!

The girl in back in blue is Clara - thanks for the Tea Party!

Z sat at the table and checked out the goodie bags during the photo shoot! (:
Then we all went through the line and got little sandwhiches, fruit, brownie bites, and hot chocolate.

We went with some friends from church - got seats all together.

These 2 girls are in Ak's Primary class.

Another boy was supposed to come - but decided he didn't want to do the Tea Party - so he accepted missing the play. Z couldn't miss the play - so he went to the tea party! (:

After the tea party we met up with a class mate and her mom by our seats - we had gotten them seats near us - she's the one that got sick and missed B's party - she even brough B a present - super nice!

When the nutcracker started to dance - Ak commented "Why isn't he wearing pants - you can see his bum." (: I told her it looked like that - but those were white tights. "Looks like his bum to me." Then Z noticed a couple things that were different than last year - like the mouse king didn't fight/die the same way and that the dancers from India came out out with the girl sitting on a board - he remembered last time she came out on a carpet and they rolled her up in it. Funny the things kids say and notice!

I wasn't feeling well that day - but I'm glad my kids got to go and enjoy it!

B's Friend Party

She got to invite 7 friends since she was turning 7 . . . 2 didn't RSVP and 1 got sick the hour of the party. . . B cried when that call came - but luckily the others started to show up and she dried up the tears. I felt bad that I didn't try harder to find out if they were coming or not so she could invite other friends (she had a list of who she wanted to come) . . . but there is only so much a mom/party planner has time to do this time of year.
Plus with B's 2 siblings and 2 other siblings - there were enough bodies! (:

But no parents/nannies stayed - so it was just me and D and the kids = little stress to impress adults! Kids are easier to please! (:I think they all had fun decorating their houses. Could B have fit anything else on this house???

Little Dinner . . .

Pin the ornaments on the tree was a success - I think every branch got one! (:

Then presents and cupcakes and ice cream.

I hope she remembers this year's party as fun! Being that's it is close to Christmas - I purposely try to make my girls birthday's special so it doesn't seem that their birthdays get lost in Christmas. I appreciate all those that came to help celebrate her birthday!!!

Boyfriend?

I overheard B telling her brother, "I call him my boyfriend." who? "Jacob."

??? So I asked her who is Jacob? A friend of mine has a son named Jacob - he lives two states away. They have visited us and we have visited them.

"I love him. But when I tried to kiss him on the cheeck he ran away." ?????? Glad it was the cheeck?????? "He doesn't call me his girlfriend."

Who are you and what did you do to my little girl that I have never heard such things come out of her mouth????????????

Snow Day!!!

My kids now look forward to a snow day - yesterday it snowed all day - so they were hoping school would be cancelled. There wasn't much snow - but they wanted to go out and play in it - so I said go ahead in the backyard.But after awhile, they were asking to go sledding . . . so D and I went out too.

Not the best sledding conditions. . . with some grass still showing.

But they enjoyed being outside.

Then D got into "guy" mode . . . notice his hands . . .

B saw him coming and got up off the sled. . .

She tried to run away . . .

But she wasn't fast enough!

After a few more daddy dumping events - they were ready to go home for some hot chocolate!