Christmas Eve and Morning

 After we returned home from ice skating, we set to work baking and frosting cookies for Santa. Leila uses almost one jar of sprinkles per cookie…we are still working on less is more! Chris took a nap. 

Chris and Leila tracked Santa throughout the evening and then she started worrying that she should be in bed already. By 8 o'clock she was itching to go to bed. 

 Santa came! 

 Checking out what Santa brought...

After opening gifts, eating our traditional cinnamon rolls for breakfast and watching the Disney parade on TV, we headed over to Gramma and Papa's house for dinner, more presents and White Christmas. 

Christmas Eve Skate

It is official! We have a Christmas Eve Tradition! For the second year we went ice skating on Christmas Eve. The session started a little earlier this year than last, but it fit into our day just perfectly. After lunch, our little family headed over to Sprinker. It was more crowded than last year's Christmas Eve skate, but not too packed. Most people had Christmas attire and colors on and the atmosphere was jolly! Leila did amazing!! She fell a few months ago and has been a little hesitant to get out there again, but she overcame that fear and skated it up!

We don't let her get a slushee when we go skating but we figured it was Christmas Eve…I think this is what gave her the initial motivation to lace the skates up again…the idea that she would get a slushee at Zamboni time. Whatever works, right, to get her over that fear of falling again?!?!

Pre-Vacation Snow!

 We almost had snow on Christmas vacation! The last day of school prior to break, we woke to a little dusting of snow. It was enough to delay school for two hours and to allow for some snow play before school started. I used to love snow delays because Chris and I could sleep in a bit longer, but those days are gone! We are up and out in the snow with Leila as soon as she wakes up. We can't miss the chance…especially with it being just a dusting as it was gone by early evening. 

Leila's snow rabbit she made that morning. 

To make the morning even more special, Leila got to go to school with Chris to ERHS! Morning kindergarten sessions were cancelled with the two-hour delayed start, so rather than taking her to daycare Chris opted to take Leila to school. Save to say she had a great day all around!

Excellent Eagle Award

 The Wednesday before Christmas vacation began, Leila was chosen to receive the Excellent Eagle Award at the school assembly. Each month the teachers recognize 2-3 students per classroom. The teachers select a character trait or academic achievement that the students will be celebrated for. These assemblies are a surprise for the kids, so Leila was not told that she was receiving the award. I took the morning off and Chris found coverage for the morning. It was a "Gramma Day", so Shawn had the day off and was able to come to the assembly too. Mrs. Madsen recognized Leila for her "awesome reading, her helpfulness and for being kind". We couldn't be any prouder of Leila. She is a great reader, loves school and, most importantly, she has a kind heart. 

Chris had to scoot out right after the assembly was finished, but Gramma and I stayed for the refreshments that were offered by the school's PTO. While Leila was eating her treat, I asked if she was surprised. "No, I saw the award on Mrs. Madsen's desk and I read it to myself." Well, there you go…too smart for her own good! 

Santa Visit

 This year Leila asked Santa for a Barbie house and some Legos. There's a decent chance those wishes will be under the tree! 

Nutcracker

 The girls had quite an afternoon on the first Saturday of December! Leila, Grammy, Gramma and I went to The Nutcracker in Seattle. It was COLD day, but clear, so walking around the Seattle Center before and after the show was just perfect! We had tickets to the matinee performance. I grew up seeing The Nutcracker every Christmas (from the age of 4 to my freshman year of college). This was Leila's first Nutcracker experience and she loved it! Next year we are planning on seeing Portland's production (it really is amazing, and truthfully, I like it 82 times better than Seattle's). What a wonderful day full of memories to last forever. I loved watching Leila's face when the music started and the show began. Magical! 

At intermission, we had tickets for a special treat. There were cupcakes, a cupcake sprinkle bar, appetizers, and sparkling cider. We also had the opportunity to play with some props and take some photos in front of a snowy scene. 

After the show we walked up to the Center House so Leila could take a turn driving the miniature train. 

It is safe to say that Leila loved it! As soon as we got home, she changed into her ballet shoes and danced the show several times over. You can't ask for a better thank you! 

Christmas Tree Shopping...and MORE

On Black Friday, instead of joining the crazies, the Taverns headed to the tree farm. We walked in the gates right at opening and were the first folks to purchase a tree from good 'ole Jo-El Tree Farm. The owner hadn't even plugged in the cash register for the season yet! We had an agenda though and the first step of the plan was to get a tree early! 

 The driving force behind the early outing for our tree was the fact that we were heading to Honda, as soon as we dropped our tree off, to BUY A NEW CAR!! It is very fitting that my CRV's last duty would be to bring the Christmas tree home given how much I love the Christmas season!

As excited as I was to buy a new car, I have LOVED my CRV. I have a strong emotional tie to my car...Chris totally, 100 percent surprised me in 2004 when I graduated with my masters degree by buying this car for me. He had it parked in PLU's parking lot and after graduation, I walked out to find the car that we had been dreaming about and then was handed the keys. It had been such a fabulous family car that we knew we wanted a new CRV when the time came to finally purchase a new vehicle. Well, that time came on Black Friday. 

 Here's our NEW CRV! It is dark brown - kona coffee - to be exact. It looks black in photos, but in real life you can see the brown. We LOVE it! 

Our tree got decorated that night too! Leila was a huge help this year and really enjoyed unwrapping all the ornaments.