Addison & Isla: Christmas 2011!

The Christmas season gets more and more fun each year as the girls start to really understand what's going on. I think we get just as excited as they do talking about Santa Claus, listening and singing along to Christmas songs and taking pleasure in the beauty and warmth of the house all decked out for the holidays. The only downer is that it comes and goes so quickly - DJ and I are trying to figure out how to bottle and hold on to that relaxed joyful feeling that the Christmas weekend held this year. The only thing that would have made it even better would be if our California family was here as well!

To kick off the weekend, Addison and I went to Cinderella at the Ordway Theater in St. Paul on Friday afternoon. It was Addison's first live play and she did REALLY well! She was SO excited to see one of her favorite princesses on stage, but I knew she had no idea what it was all about. When the play started she was on the edge of her seat, eyes shining bright. She was so intent on the story and the music and the beautiful costumes, and kept asking if she could go say hi to Cinderella. We had a few bathroom breaks and towards the end she was getting tired, but all in all I wouled consider it a success.

We spent a relaxing Christmas Eve together as a family, kicking off the day at the gym, then heading home for some blueberry pancakes and getting the house ready for the following morning. We headed to Ba and Nana's in the early evening for some gift opening and dinner. The girls loved their presents, the highlight of which was a puppet theater complete with a plethora of gorgeously fun puppets. We can't wait to see the shows the girls put on! We left cookies and milk by the fireplace for Santa that night as the girls shuffled off to bed, right after we read "T'was the Night before Christmas" that is!

Decked out in their matching PJ's the girls climbed into our bed bright and early (but amazingly, not TOO early) for a snuggle fest before venturing out to the living room to see what surprises Santa left under the tree. The excitement in their eyes and in their little screams of happiness were enough to make your heart melt. We opened stockings and a TON of other presents before Ba and Nana even arrived - there was that much to get through and they lose interest pretty quickly. We focused a LOT on practicing thank-yous and expressing gratitude...we have a ways to go in that department. Next year we would like to scale back, with no more than 2-3 gifts for each girl. We plan to "adopt a family" in need and give back to others who don't have anything which we feel will be an ongoing, valuable lesson to Addison and Isla. We thank EVERYONE for the wonderful and generous gifts we received this year. Some highlights include: Easy Bake Oven for Addison - we made some cupcakes yesterday; Naartjie (fave) outfits for both girls - ADORABLE!; Books, puzzels and movies - always a hit; Disney Princess songs and Bambi the movie - these are today's faves; Belle doll for Isla - she carries it around kissing it saying "My baby!" Too cute!

Ba and Nana made it over later in the morning and we took a present-opening break for a brunch of lox and bagels with all the fixings (tomatoes, cucumbers, capers, onions, cream cheese, etc.) and coffee. YUM! Then it was back to the tree for round 2 of gift-time. When the gift mountain finally disappeared we sat around enjoying bloody marys and mimosas while the girls played with all of their fun new stuff. It was entertaining watching them bounce from one thing to the next, truly reveling in all the newness!

When the afternoon rolled around, Ba and Nana headed home for some rest while the girls went down for a nap and DJ and I picked up some of the chaos and started prepping for a Christmas Feast! DJ and I both find a lot of fun and pleasure in great food and entertaining - the planning, prepping and creating of delicious meals and experiences. If I could have any dream come true in terms of an ideal "job", it would be to own my own event planning business! Anyway, we feasted on grilled filet and new york strip, lobster tails, green beans with shallots and toasted walnuts, roasted cauliflower with herbs and parmesan, a potato/parsnip/gruyere gratin and Judith's baked apples with cinnamon and caramel for desert. We lingered over dinner and dessert as the girls went down for the night and talked about what a lovely weekend it had been.

I'm working from home all week which is a huge treat for me. None of the rest of my team is in the office this week, so my lovely boss suggested it. Love her! I can sleep past the crack of dawn, throw in a load of laundry between emails, hit the grocery store if needed and have dinner ready when everyone comes home. The girls are in back-up daycare downtown this week since Brenda is on vacation. They absolutely love it there and are kept busy and enterainted with art projects, lots of toys and games and of course, other kids to play with.

We're so thankful for all that we have and all that 2011 has entailed. DJ and I are looking forward to a pre-New Year's date day/night on Friday the 30th while the girls stay overnight with Ba and Nana. We plan to take down the tree, relax, see a movie, go to dinner, and maybe even set some goals for 2012. We're excited to move into the new year and all it's potential!

Photos and videos are completely out of order, but enjoy!