Merry Christmas 2011

It was a wonderful Christmas! 

We had lots of fun playing games, playing outside and just enjoying each other. 

Charlotte would had preferred that it snowed, but other than that it was perfect. 

playing outside Christmas Eve

sword fight with Daddy

Our most favorite thing to do on Christmas Eve is to attend the candle light service at our church

I snuck in a picture of the service right before us. Sssshhhh! Don't tell - there's a no picture policy in church. 

That bit of info I found out about 30 minutes after I had taken this one....

We were all excitedly awaiting Santa's arrival. My friend, Katie, had told me about an app that tracks Santa's progression throughout Christmas Eve. We immediately downloaded it and loved checking in for location updates - Poland, Madagascar, Finland, etc.  It got really fun once we knew Santa was in the United States! 

Charlotte woke up around 7am and called from the top of the stairs, "Is it morning yet"?

Santa knew Charlotte was really good this year. He brought her a "big girl" bike, and My Little Pony, Sesame Street and Strawberry Shortcake toys.

Nothing is greater than watching a child's joy on Christmas morning.

Justin equally loves her toys.

Our Christmas table

Once we had finished dinner and each taken naps, we were excited to play games and preform our band. I'm terribly sorry that I do not have a video to share of this moment. I assure you it was greatness!

Below was my attempt at the self timer...

We'll keep you posted on our next concert.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

oxox

Cookies for Santa

This was our 3rd year to make cookies for Santa and we keep getting better and better. 

Our 1st year, we were just learning. We had lots of fun with the flour... flour on the floor, flour on us, and about double the flour needed for the recipe. Then, not realizing I was doing the wrong thing,  made a Royal Icing to decorating the cookies which turned out very VERY hard. 

Our 2nd year, was also fun. Less flour and better icing, but I had colored the icing red and green and I had red and green stained hands for a few days.

This year I found a wonderful recipe on-line:

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies 

Who can resist a recipe with that claim? Not me! And I'm glad too because they were the best!!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

I halved the recipe for us and still made almost 2 dozen.  

Her favorite part has always been rolling the dough

This year I heard a lot of, "I can do it without help".

I loved stepping back and watching her confidence. And she really did do a great job! 

Our motto was to ice one, taste one, ice one, taste one.

Yummy! 

Santa was extra lucky this year - not only were the cookies "the best" - they were made with 

A LOT of LOVE! 

Christmas Performances

Charlotte's school preformed a sweet little program for the parents last week. 

Her class sang 2 songs: Three Wise Men (and Women) and Alice The Camel. 

At home, Charlotte had been going around the house singing a song about "Alice" and "humps", but I couldn't figure out what she was singing. They were both cute songs, but especially Alice The Camel with a surprise ending....she turned into a horse with no humps. 

All the kids laughed when they sang that part. 

At Spanish school, she and her sweet amigos also sang and danced. 

Dancing to "Jingle Bell Rock" in Espanol con sus amigo Pablo.

Dance class performed last week at Northpark Mall. 

They tapped to "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" and danced to "The Nutcracker - Chinese Tea". 

All the girls were so good! I worried that they'd be shy with so many people watching them but they were very brave and proud!

It doesn't get cuter than that. 

Great job Charlotte!

Reflection

Today's post is about reflection. 

Christmas is just days away and our schedules are busting at the seams trying to get everything done. Trying to get those last few Christmas cards in the mail, last few presents bought. 

And I know I'm guilty of getting caught up in the parties... the presents... the planning. 

Then family asks, "what do you need this year for Christmas", and we all have lists a mile long.

But the truth is we already have everything we need. 

We have each other.

We have our health. 

We have a happy home. 

I was looking through photos on my computer and came across these that I had taken in October. 

Nothing special was happening that day. No big craft was planned. No play date was schedule. 

Yet, thankfully I knew there was enough beauty in the moment to grab my camera. 

I remember this day very well. It was just us. Just my sweet girl and me. 

She had grabbed her tea set and picnic basket from her room and came down stairs and told me she wanted to have a picnic in the backyard. And asked for me to get a blanket. 

We drank water but pretended it was tea.

We probably stayed out there for less than a hour, but the memory of that time will be with me always.

So for today I am reminded to pause, take a breath, and enjoy what we already have. 

We already have everything.

4th Birthday

Charlotte Rose is 4. 

In 4 years, we have had more joy than we knew was even possible. She has brighten our lives in countless ways - one of God's angels on earth. 

I love hearing her talk and the creative way she says things. I also really enjoy watching the interactions of her and her friends. I could sit for hours listening to their sweet conversations. Imagination play is real big for them now. She comes home from school and reports who was the "mommy" and who were the "kiddos"of the day. One cute friend of hers, Charlotte N., calls her "honey" and "sweetie" and our Charlotte thinks that is so funny - she laughs every time she tells us. 

I've also heard Charlotte playing in her room with her babies, telling them that a sitter is coming tonight because "Mommy has a meeting".... I laugh because obviously  that is what I've said a few times when I've gone out to dinner with friends. 

The night before Charlotte's birthday, while she was asleep, we blew up 30 balloons to put in her room and made a streamer banner for her to walk through when she got out of bed. 

When she woke up I think she was a little shocked and called from the top of the stairs, "mommy... did you do this?" We have an Elf on the Shelf and though "Polly's" craziest stunt is hanging upside down, I think Charlotte was making sure we did this and not her. 

Happy Birthday! 

Her birthday breakfast was mini waffles with nutella and sprinkles on top.  

I was scheduled to take snacks to her school for the week, so I played off her birthday breakfast. Instead, for the "peanut-free" rule, I used the amazingly fabulous spread that my sweet friend Heidi gave us -- Biscoff Spread. It's a yummy yummy spread that is cookie based --WARNING!! CAN BE DANGEROUS  on the ol' waist line.

Charlotte's Latest Favorites

• Favorite food: sushi and chocolate
• Favorite sport to play: soccer
• Favorite color: pink and purple
• Favorite toy: my stuffed animals
• Favorite song: Jesus Loves Me
• Favorite book: All my new birthday books
• Favorite television show: My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake
• Favorite DVD: Alice in Wonderland
• Favorite activity: Arts & Crafts
• Best Friend: Callie (our dog) and Spencer Carter
• What I want to be when I grow up: A dentist
• I love: my dog, my dad, my mom, playing piano and guitar

Charlotte decided early on that she wanted to have a pajama party. She wanted to have her girl friends over for the evening for lots of fun, laughter and pizza!

We found a cute idea on pinterest and decided that was what we wanted for a party craft and favor.

No-Sew Fleece Pillows

They should have been "no-sew", but just like the pinterest idea, we also wanted to up the ante and make them extra cute. Thankfully we have a very sweet Grammie that offered to help sew the girls initial onto the front, but when she graciously agreed, I failed to mention that there would 19 girls at the party....

Yes -- 19 adorable, energetic 4 year old girls!

And, call me crazy, but I put on the invites that the parents could drop the girls off if they'd like. I thought, since it was close to Christmas, they could have 2 hours to do some shopping. I think the parents enjoyed it and I know the girls did. They felt so big being dropped off.

We had Tangled playing as the girls came in and played a game of "musical pillows" - a twist from musical chairs and freeze dance. 

All of these girls are so precious! Charlotte is blessed to have so many sweet friends.

And then had story time -

sweet C.C. imitating story time