Getting into the Christmas Spirit!

Dear Friends and Family,

What an amazing week!  From visiting with friends, meeting a very cute puppy, seeing our elf again (and her makeover), to playing at theme parks, and making salt dough ornaments with friends. It's been lots of fun!

On Thursday morning the day began with our elf returning.  Although, this year she looked quite different.  Last year, Claire's neighborhood friend, Charlotte, decided that Claire needed an elf so she made a paper elf for Claire. Our elf, who Claire named "Evee," magically moved around the house and gave Claire and Will holiday tasks to perform.  This year she returned but she was no longer made of paper, she looked like a real elf!  She even had a note that told us that Santa gave her a makeover to look like a real elf since she did her job so well last year.

Side bar: So last year during the big Target Christmas clearance, I found a little baby rattle/blanket that looked like an elf. Since I really didn't want to pay $30 for an elf I snatched it up for $3.  Claire saw me grab it and asked why I was getting the toy. I told her that I had a friend with a baby and it would be a good present.  So this year I used my sewing skills to change the blanket into an elf. Claire took one look at the elf and said, "Oh my gosh! Mom, this is that blanket toy you bought at Target last year!"  (Inner dialogue: WHAT? How on earth do you remember these things, child?!) I quickly recovered by saying, "No way! I was looking for that toy! Do you think Evee took it with her to the North Pole last year when she left so Santa could change her into it?"  (Luckily) Claire nodded in enthusiastic agreement!

Evee arrived hanging on to a candy cane.  She left a trail of them from the kids' bedrooms all the way down stairs to her little perch.  Again, she is leaving notes to the kids that include daily holiday tasks.  Her task for Thursday was to decorate a tree while listening to Christmas carols!

As luck would have it, I had planned a get together with our dear friend, Maureen, to decorate a mini tree and to meet her new puppy, Gracie!  We had so much fun playing games, eating cookies, and decorating the little tree - all while listening to Christmas songs.

Cute little Gracie! She is only a little bigger than the size of your hand!

On Friday, Claire had the day off for a teacher work day, so I planned (and Evee suggested) we have lunch with a friend and bring them some holiday cheer. We drove about an hour to Rockville, MD to have lunch with my sweet friend, Nan.  Last time we saw her she was recovering from a fall.  She looked much better, but I can tell she is moving a little slower these days. Since Nan knew that she wouldn't get to see Claire before her birthday, she decided to ask the restaurant (the Silver Diner) to bring Claire a slice of cake and sing happy birthday.  They were extremely happy to fulfill her wish, and the result was Claire's first restaurant birthday serenade!  Here is a video...I can laugh at her face now that I know that she holds it all together and doesn't cry, but you can see the many emotions playing over her face as the people start to sing to her!

https://youtu.be/qd5xPHRyQDw

When they finished singing, Claire looked at me and said, "Wow, Mom! That was like a nightmare!"  I said, "Do you really feel like you were in a bad dream?" Claire said, "Oh no, I mean it was just like I was in a dream because that was so weird."  (Personally, I think the nightmare comment was a Freudian slip!)

God bless these two!

On the other hand, Nan was absolutely thrilled by how well the surprise went, and Claire and Will both enjoyed the chocolate cake!

On Saturday, Evee left us a note asking us to make a fireplace out of cardboard boxes. So we spent the morning making a fireplace out of a cardboard box! (More on that in a bit)

After lunch, the neighbors joined us for a trip to Six Flags' Holiday in the Park!  It was the first year the park was staying open through the holidays and they offered free tickets to all Season pass holders. (Did I mention that I got the kids and myself a season pass to the park during a flash sale? Chris and I are giving them that gift as our big Christmas present this year!)

We invited our neighbors (the Billings) to join us and we had so much fun!  The grown-ups even got to ride some rides since we could take turns watching the kids. It's funny how hard it is to stop smiling after a thrilling ride.  I think I had a permanent grin on my face for the rest of the night!  We closed our evening by dining at our local Ledo's pizza pub.

Since we arrived early, there were NO lines!  We walked on every one! Even the big roller coasters! The kids even got their own teacups to spin in!

Will and Abby hang out while Claire rides a BIG ride with her Daddy!

The big ride! Will was just a centimeter too short to ride, so we are using that to motivate him to try new foods!

Chris and Claire are to the far left! Claire loved the ride!

Our fabulous friends and neighbors, Mike, Abby, Laura and Kate Billings

The obvious result of fresh air, thrill rides, and walking the park!  

On Sunday, Evee told us to give to charity and/or Toys for Tots, so after church we attended the Kiwanis Club, Breakfast with Santa to raise money for a local special school.  The kids loved getting to see Santa, but as we devoured our food, Claire had longer to examine Santa and his helpers (Frosty and Rudolph).  She noted that Santa's hat kept coming off and it was oddly attached to his hair. She also noticed that Rudolph had a neck peeking out that looked like a human and then she also noticed that instead of hooves Rudolph had hands. She was also taken aback by his rugged appearance.  Then she noticed that frosty also had skin peeking out of his costume.  She leaned over to me and said, "Mom, I heard that there are some Santas that aren't really Santa...all these people are fakes!" I said, "You know, Claire, I was just thinking the same thing! Do you think this is one of those helper Santas that takes your toy requests and passes them on to the real Santa?"  (Luckily) Claire said, "Yes, that is exactly what is going on."

At least the fake Santa gave her a very big candy cane and a little plush bear. That made him alright in her book.

Both kids blurt out what they want to Santa!

We might need to raise funds for new costumes for the Kiwanis club!

Fruit, pancakes, eggs, and bacon! YUM

We returned home to the kids dashing out the door to once again play with the neighbor kids. It was on the chilly side (in the mid 40's) so Chris decided to build a fire in the fireplace, and I thought the kids wouldn't be out long.  Boy was I wrong!  The kids played ALL DAY outside on the swing set or in our driveway. Meanwhile, Chris and I enjoyed the fire, football and a quiet house!  It was an answer to a prayer after a morning of "Hey Moms..." whined in my ear!

My amazing husband and Sunday cuddle buddy!

Since the kids were out so long, I even cleaned so I could really enjoy my living room!

That evening the local fire department came around with Santa to collect Toys for Tots.  Will was the first to dash into Santa's arms for a big hug!  You can tell Claire is doing her Santa evaluation as he talks with her and asks her questions.

Santa: What do you want for Christmas? Will: Candy Canes!

Santa: What do you want for Christmas? Claire: Uhh...I already told you this morning???

On Monday morning, we found Evee enjoying our new fireplace! It turned out pretty cute!

She left us a note telling us to read a Christmas story by the Christmas tree before bed, so Chris gathered the kids together after dinner for a story!

And then yesterday, we woke up to a snow angel made by Evee in sprinkles!  She told the kids to sprinkle them on their breakfast to make their day extra special. Will and Claire LOVED that idea!

 She also told us to make salt dough ornaments, so after school we invited Abby, Kate, and Laura over to make ornaments. We had so much fun!

 Claire also found some hair barrettes to pass down to Abby and when I turned the camera around on my phone so Abby could see herself with the new barrette, her smile was too cute not to capture!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Advent!
Love,
Bethie