The Christmas Season

Since Christmas has become more than just one day, this will be a long blog.  Many activities lead up to Christmas...some traditions that must always be done as well as new activities.  First up is always the Festival of Trees - the kids love the gingerbread village (above) and who has ever seen an Elvis tree???

The gingerbread cookies at FOT are a must!

Plus, no lines to see the Santa at FOT (so no mall Santa lines!).

Grandma, Kate, Olivia, and Grammy ready for our Nutcracker Ballet tradition!

Decorating the Christmas tree.

Yep, we put a lot of ornaments on the tree!

The yearly gingerbread house.

This year the kids had a great time caroling with their church group.

Cookie decorating with a friend...this is the before picture.

And the after picture!  They did a great job!

The St. John's Lutheran Christmas Program.  I am not at all surprised by Ethan's expression.

Snow!!

Family Christmas pictures.

Yes, I have a posed and serious picture.  But I have decided to go with the realistic picture.

Leaving cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve!

Ethan and Olivia's presents from Santa.

And their presents from family.  Nope, they are not spoiled at all!

The aftermath of the kids opening presents.

Ethan received a DS XL 3D for Christmas, and Olivia received an iPad mini.  Basically, they looked like this all Christmas vacation.

Christmas at Grammy and Grandpa Brett's house!  Here they are playing with their cousin Lula.

Grammy and Grandpa Brett gave Ethan the present he most wanted - these brawlin' buddies.  He was a bit worried when Santa did not give them to him.

Ethan, Lula, Grammy, and Olivia watching pizza being made at Dewey's Pizza.  Might have to become a new Christmas tradition??

November Fun

November was a blur to us with all of our activities and commitments...namely me chairing the kids' school auction and doing publicity for the Beaux Arts Ball (more on the BAB later).  But we did have fun this month, too!  Ethan's kindergarten class performed a Thanksgiving show with songs and costumes that they decorated.  Then the kids had a turkey feast that they helped to prepare themselves.

Ethan on the actual Thanksgiving day.  He thought that he wanted the drumstick (he saw it on some movie once that it is the most special part of the turkey) but he took this one bite and realized that he prefers the white meat.

Wishbone time...Ethan won again this year.

November also brought the addition of Nathan to the extended family - I am an aunt again!  (the cord is a light machine to help with jaundice)

The Springfield Art Association hosts the Beaux Arts Ball each year, and this year Ethan was old enough to be a Court Child.  He had to wear a tuxedo, pose for many pictures, walk around the ballroom, and sit on the stage for the entire event.  He loved the dressing up, as you can see!

Two beautiful kiddos.

Ethan started off great on the Court - sitting correctly and smiling.  Notice the other boy on the court sitting with perfect posture and hands in lap (he stayed that way the entire time - I need to find out what his mom bribed him with!).

And this is how Ethan ended his time on the stage - cross legged and making faces (notice other boy with hands still in lap!).  Many guests had to talk to us that night about how cute it was to watch Ethan.  I was just happy that he was not talking, not hitting the girl next to him, and not running off of the stage!

The entire Beaux Arts Ball Court - Ethan is front row on the stage on the left.  (notice same boy still has perfect posture and hands in lap!!)  Olivia will be on the Court in fifth grade.

While we are all dressed up, we might as well take a family picture!

October Fun

October is always the busiest month for us.  Maybe because fall is my favorite season so I pack it full of fun activities, or maybe because the weather is usually cooperative during this month, or just maybe because it is the very beginning of the holiday craziness.  But we filled this month full of soccer, pumpkins, Illini, Halloween parties, and more!  We started with picking pumpkins from our favorite pumpkin patch (yes, two wagons filled to overflowing this year - I have a bit of a pumpkin addiction I guess).

My favorite Springfield event of the year - Jack Spectacular in Washington Park.  This year had 2012 carved pumpkins, spooky Carillon music, and Halloween effects all around.  And the pumpkin behind Ethan in the first picture has a live fish in it!

We also decided it was time to take the kids to their first Illini football game.  The game was not the best, but any chance we have to brainwash the kids into thinking U of I is the only college for them to attend is a win for us!  Plus our favorite restaurant Zorba's had reopened after their fire, although their updated decor no longer gives us good memories of our weekly dates there while attending college.

One day....

When else would they ever have the chance to play Alma Mater on the podium???  How cool is this?  The statue is being refurbished, but the pedestal itself had a very long line for this picture.

As always, we have to show the kids their grandpa's name (my dad) on the bronze tablet.  Such an accomplishment!

Great picture!

Kids with their carved pumpkins - they each draw whatever they want on the pumpkins and we help to carve them out.

This year's costumes...Statue of Liberty (guessing it is inspired from our NYC vacation this year) and Batman.

The neighborhood gang getting ready to take the kids trick or treating.  For the past three years it has been the dads' job to take the kids and the moms stay behind to hand out candy.  On very cold Halloweens, it's a pretty good deal for the moms.

The candy!  They can eat what they want on Halloween night while watching "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" but then the candy is portioned out after that.