Christmas Joy

All lit up outside - looks great, Derek!

Waiting to open presents on Christmas Eve

Daddy said to wait on the stairs

Cookin' up something great!

A beautiful Christmas Day to test out the new BIKE!

We have had such a wonderful Christmas with our little family. It's been a hectic couple of months leading up to it, with our fair share of ups and downs. We feel so lucky to have our happy little family, healthy and happy here in Virginia. I think Derek and I have been more excited for this Christmas than ever before, knowing the ages of our kids and how they would react on Christmas morning. I feel like I had played it in my head over and over for the last few weeks. Tate has been so excited this year - knowing exactly what it meant that Santa would be coming and trying so hard to be good, and running down to find Harrison the elf every morning. Avarie could only mimick Tate's excitement since she had no idea what all this Santa, Christmas, present stuff was. (Nevermind she's been with me while I've done almost all the shopping. Guess this is the last year for that, huh?) So, we knew that they would both be thrilled Christmas morning.

It was everything we hoped for and I think Derek and I sat there for over an hour just watching them before Tate turned around and asked if we were ever going to open our presents too. So, here's some pictures of Christmas morning . . . happy kids, happy mom and dad!

Hope you all had a magical and Merry Christmas with your families too!!!

Tra La La ~ Tate's Holiday Performance

Tate has gone to the same preschool for 3 years now, and loves the weekly music jamboree. All the teachers chuckle at Tate singing away each week. Last year we were in Colorado and missed the Christmas performance, so this year the teachers let me know in September to plan my travel accordingly - that the date was set for December 16th. Well, we aren't travelling this year and were priveleged enough to be entertained by the Woodlake Preschool in holiday song yesterday. Derek, Avarie, Mary and I were there to enjoy their smiling faces and happy voices. I wish I had more video to share but it didn't come out too great. What I do have is a bit shaky from me giggling at my son.

Take a look

Oh man! As a teacher/mom, I know I'm in trouble! He is my paybacks for sure, because I have heard stories about me at preschool and elementary school programs. I missed the warm up to the song because I was having a moment of inappropriate laughter - him feeling his throat, wiggling his arms, and dancing as he prepared for his peformance.

Getting that holiday feeling

We are still learning the ins and outs of seasonal events in Richmond. The first year we went on the Tacky Lights Tour - yes, Richmond is the CAPITAL of tacky Christmas lights and we took a tour bus all over town to see some amazing displays.
This year I asked around for other events and found a Santa brunch at Maggiano's. What could be better - yummy breakfast food and a chance to see Santa? It was early, and very cold, but we had a great time. I was hoping to get a picture for the Christmas card, but Avarie had other ideas.

Tate was thrilled with all the characters that came to the table to visit. There was a Raggedy Ann and Andy which Avarie loved but wouldn't dare pose for a picture. There were two elves that Tate was quite happy with even though he thought they were a little large for Santa's workshop.

And, of course SANTA!!! We were shocked that Avarie was willing to let Santa hold her for a picture. We think it's because she really wants some dolls so she doesn't have to play Batman with Tate any more. So, she thought she had better cuddle up!

So, that was breakfast on Saturday. We came home for a nap, and daddy put up some Christmas lights outside. YAY!!! We had to go back to Lowe's for more lights, so I thought I would try again to get a Christmas picture. Avarie still wasn't having it, but I did sneak one that will appear at your house soon. Good thing I got one because then the distraction was much more exciting - SNOW!!!!!!!

You can see a few flurries in these pictures and it did leave enough to cover the grass in the morning. We hope this isn't the only snow we see here this winter.

Tate and Avarie tried to catch some snowflakes, and did catch some at Lowe's when there was more coming down.

We finished the weekend by making a Gingerbread House. Tate and I had so much fun, until Avarie woke up and was furious that it wasn't for her to eat. Imagine that? Notice the box in the background - Tate is just like me and wanted his house to look EXACTLY like the one on the box. No pressure, right?

Uh Oh . . .

It all started with a little after dinner treat of chocolate Santa . . . Oh so happy that mommy gave me candy . . . Oh lucky me . . . Wait until I tell daddy and get wild and crazy on the couch, running, standing on the couch, giggling away . . . "Avarie - sit down" . . . "Avarie - get down or you will go boom" . . . "Not me boom" . . .
BOOM goes Avarie!

And here's the result - her first shiner. In fact, Tate has not had a black eye yet; he's had lots of other bruises and bumps, but no black eye. So, way to go, Sas! This morning she pointed to the couch and said "Me bonk No No."

Do it again. . .

As a mom, we are oh-so-familiar with those moments when our child is doing something cute and we run to grab the camera, hoping they will keep doing it. Well, I had one of those moments the other day while Tate and Avarie were playing with the nativitiy set Nana gave them last year. It's a darling set with wooden figures that are great for them to handle and move around. Avarie "arranges" them several times during the day and will threaten you with a finger to the lips and a "Shhhhh . . . baby . . . nigh nigh" which of course means that Baby Jesus is sleeping.
Tate was trying to mend Avarie's destruction in the manger and I hear her giggling away at whatever he is doing. So I run for the camera. Sure do wish I got the first few belly laughs because this is what I ended up with . . .

Needless to say, that was the end of that fun game. Naptime, anyone?

Thanksgiving Victories and Defeats

(Uploading pictures on this is tricky so my summary is a bit out of touch with the pictures. Sorry!)
We had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday and long weekend. We spent Thursday afternoon and evening enjoying a delicious meal and the company of our friends (and Virginia family) at the Bickfords. They have a tradition of hosting those folks who don't go "home" for the holiday and we joined several other Circuit City families to celebrate. It's lots of food,wine, laughs and football . . . and this year I provided delicious gravy and EVEN more laughs than usual with a dinnertime catastrophe. That's for another post, though. We are so thankful to have them as friends!
Friday morning Derek began his usual Black Friday at 4am helping with crowd control at the stores. He and some coworkers decided they could use some FUN in these tough times and organized a flag football game for the afternoon. I have to say I was nervous and thought they might be better off watching football instead, but the kids and I trekked up to watch anyway. Boy, for a bunch of corporate guys, they sure did play some great football. And, I could tell that was just what they needed. The kids loved watching Daddy, Charlie, Phil, Matt, Doug, Keith and many other CC coworkers run around like little kids. No major injuries, Derek's team was victorious, and my next worry . . . would the soreness pass in time for the work week on Monday?

Avarie and Tate found some other friends to play football with and then they borrowed some toys, and the car for some more fun. Avarie batted her eyes at everyone there to get them to push her up and down the hill in the little car.

It was getting cold and now it was time for some BUFFALO football! So, we headed over to Doug and Chrissy's to watch the Black Friday Bowl - CU vs. Nebraska. Well, let's just say the food was great, the friends were fun, and ...the Buffs were not victorious like Daddy's team. Bummer! Tate shed a few tears when Cody Hawkins' last pass was tipped and intercepted. Then, after a few moments to gather himself, he blurted out, "I know what the problem is...something is different...the problem is HIM!" As he said this, he turned and pointed to our friend Phil who is behind Tate in the picture in the Nebraska shirt. Usually Phil cheers for the Big 12 with us when we watch the Buffs, but he cheers for the Huskers too. Well, leave it to Tate to turn that frown upside down. Sorry, Phil, we forgive you!

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving where you are too!

New Camera!!!

I think Derek and I realized how important a camera would be the day Tate was born. We received a nice digital camera as a wedding present from a vendor when Derek was the camera buyer at Soundtrack. That one camera has documented everything since then and has always taken GREAT photos, easy to operate, great size, durable. Well, apparantly eveything has its day and that camera's day came last week when it informed me that it couldn't read the memory card. What?!?! After I tried a few memory cards, made a trip to the camera store, and the specialized camera repair man, the sad reality was that the camera bit the dust. I sulked over it for a few days, not ready to make friends with a new one. Well, Derek is not the camera buyer anymore so there was no great gift this time. But we were able to find a new version of our old one and we tested it out last night during Sunday Night Funtime on the Bridge (that's what Tate calls this playtime.) So far so good . . . it's going to get a test this week with my Ebay listings and as we enter the holiday season. Hope it can last as long as the last one!

Run, Tate, run!!! Daddy has been hiding . . .

Avarie needs a break . . . Daddy is scary, she says.

Mommy's turn - and Avarie's turn to have CHUBBY CHEEKS!!!

Halloween and Leaf Collecting

Happy (2 weeks later) Halloween!
We had a great Halloween and enjoyed all the usual fun - pumpkin carving, dressing up, trick or treating and eating candy! Here's Tate helping carve one of 5 pumpkins Derek carved this year. Tate loved helping sort the seeds so we could cook and eat them. Avarie was a little more concerned with the mess and followed everyone around with a tissue to wipe up. Hmm...maybe she can clean the kitchen today.


Here are the kids in their costumes. Tate had wanted to be a spider and have Avarie be Little Miss Muffet, but appropriate Miss Muffet costumes are hard to find unless she was going for the sexiest baby contest. So, we settled on a pig which Tate was thrilled that it was like Wilbur and Charlotte, "Only I'm not a girl spider," he informed us.

Here's Dora and Diego; we also had a white one that said BOO, a pirate ship and a good ol' fashioned smiling jack-o-lantern. Derek is a bit of a pumpkin overacheiver, but we got lots of compliments that night.

Here's Avarie after trick or treating as she digs into the candy! She was thrilled that she had a bucket all to herself. A new tradition in our house this year was a visit from The Great Pumpkin, as in the Charlie Brown special. The allergist suggested separating all the unsafe candy (peanut butter and many chocolates, and those with no label to check) and leaving it out for The Great Pumpkin. The Great Pumpkin then visited after the kids were asleep and left a safe treat - some safe candy and some Potato Head characters. Yay for the allergist and The Great Pumpkin!!!

Fall colors in central Virginia don't usually peak until the week after Halloween. We had an unusually cold Halloween here this year, so that hurried the leaves along and we were able to get out and take a few pictures and collect a few leaves. This is in our neighborhood the week after Halloween when it had warmed up a bit.

Tate Speaks

Tate has been home with me and Avarie this week since the county schools are off for conferences. I love having him home and can't imagine how quiet it will be next year when he goes to kindergarten. Here's two conversations . . .

I brought Avarie into our room while I finished getting ready and put her on the couch with Tate. They were watching their usual morning fare of "Arthur" and "Martha Speaks" when he started to get a little sentimental with her.
Tate: Avarie, I love you. You are my best sister I ever had. I'm so glad you came to live at our house.
Avarie: Yeah, me.
Tate: You are my best buddy. (Now hugging (wrestling) her off the couch to be sure he has her full attention.) Avarie, I love you. Buddy, guess what? I get to stay home with you two days this week. I have no school because the big kids are out of school. Buddy, did you hear me?
Avarie: uhhh-huuuuh (This is the standard answer when she doesn't really understand. A happy affirmative.)
Tate: Avarie, aren't you so HAPPY to get to play with me? We are bestest buddies, and I love you. Am I your best buddy too?
Avarie: No. . . No, Tate.
Tate: Mom, Avarie is not understanding us this morning. She is answering the wrong things I am asking her.

I love listening to them!

Then today Tate was in examining the jack-o-lanterns that are now in the foyer waiting to go with the trash tomorrow. I thought I knew where this would go, but I was wrong. I thought he would be so sad that Halloween is over and "what time" (how long until) we can carve pumpkins again.
Tate: Mommy . . . something is going on in here. These pumpkins are. . . are. . . are. . .
(I'm smiling and listening in the other room, ready with "Halloween will come again next year. Don't worry, there are lots of other things to look forward to.")
Tate: Well, they are not happy. On Sid the Science Kid they said a word DECAY. That's it, mom, the sad news is that our pumpkins are in decay. Do you know that word?
Me: Wow, Tate, that's a big word.
Tate: Yes, I know. I learned it and wanted to try it out and this is the perfect chance. Our pumpkins are decaying. I think I will look to see if anything else is in decay around here.

Seriously?! I think I better donate to PBS for my kids for Christmas. I wonder if they know what they have created in my house.

Fall Festivities

I can't believe I didn't get this posted during the week. Oh well, guess I will have to get busy then!
We had an action packed weekend last week with three days of fun. Derek took a much deserved afternoon off so we could head up to Charlottesville to pick apples at Carter Mountain Orchard. We had heard about it for a few years and finally got a chance to go check it out. It was a cool, grey day but it was perfect for a walk in the orchard and picking apples. We found trees full of Fuji apples; we wish we could have been there the next day for Pink Lady apples but maybe next time. We picked (and ate) lots of apples, drank some warm apple cider and ate the famous apple cider donuts before we headed back. The donuts absolutely melted in your mouth - TDF! We took a short detour to drive around the UVA campus and decided that we will definately have to make a trip back this winter. Charlottesville is just far enough west, and just a little higher, that they actually get SNOW.

Saturday night, Derek and I were lucky enough to attend a wedding of someone that works for Derek. Matt and Annie had a beautiful wedding in Colonial Williamsburg and a fabulous reception at a winery there. How cool - the church where they were married dates back to 1683 and is where some of our country's founding fathers worhipped. Mary was so nice to keep the kids at home so we enjoyed the evening without kids and drove back the next morning. Congratulations, Matt and Annie!

Sunday we had to pry our eyes open and head back so I could put on the community Halloween party at the Clubhouse. (Probably not my best date planning, but at least the party wasn't until 4:30.) Actually, as it usually happens, Derek ends up doing as much work as I do and we end up co-hosting the party, hee hee! The kids ate, paraded, ran around and got another chance to show off their costumes. Tate chose Spiderman for this party and Avarie was a piggy.

It was such a FUN weekend with Derek and the kids, and next we are ready for Halloween!

Finally - time for Pumpkins!!!

Snake skin in the hay pile - thank goodness it was just the skin!

One of the things we love about living in Virginia is the fall. It is an absolutely spectacular season here . . . when it finally gets here! Even though the calendar says fall arrives in mid-September, we struggle with summer temps into October. Last week it was 90 one day and I was forced to turn the AC back on!!! No thank you!

Well, lucky us . . . because the fall temps arrived on Friday and we couldn't be happier! We spent the weekend decorating our house with pumpkins, ghosts, scarecrows and leaves. Actually, Derek and the kids did most of it. Saturday we spent running errands on the West End and preparing for Derek to make homemade green chili and chile rellenos. Derek and I got to go out for a date on Saturday night to have a grown-up dinner, and it was so cool and fallish that I got to wear a sweater - HAPPINESS!!! (for date night and sweaters!)

Sunday we headed to the Pumpkin Patch at Chesterfield Berry Farm, where we picked strawberries last spring. It was a goregeous, blustery day and we had a great time! We played in the hay pile (until we saw the snake skin), we fed some farm animals, Tate played in the corn, we ate some cotton candy, and most important - We got 3 great pumpkins! It was a great family day. There was no afternoon Bronco game, so Derek roasted the chiles and made a fantastic dinner. We miss Mexican food SO much and the only way we get decent food is if Derek makes it. Lucky me to have a husband who cooks every Sunday!!!

God Love 'Em!!!

I always knew wanted to be a mom, but there are some days I could just eat mine up!!! Yesterday was one of those days. After preschool, my kids spent about 30 minutes ruining the squirrels' winter by collecting acorns around the oak tree by the driveway. I have to admit that I wasn't really paying attention and didn't think much of it when Tate asked for a bag. He went in and got one, me still not paying attention to the fact that he had a gallon ziploc bag, not the usual sandwich size! So, the rule is that the acorns have to stay outside (I'm afraid critters will smell them and want to get in the garage) so this HUGE bag of acorns is sealed outside in a planter. It's a terribly cruel joke on the squirrels on Kipper Turn. Maybe they will undertstand that the bad economy affects them too!
Next up, Avarie as the next Immelda Marcos . . .

Derek and I love to play card games with Tate before bed, so last night we were deep in our 3rd game on UNO and Avarie often wanders around while we play. The child LOVES shoes. If we are out shopping and go into the shoe section, she squeals with delight and shouts, "Choos, Choos!" Derek does not understand the dangerous connection between shoes and Choos and I think we should keep it that way. I knew she was in the shoe basket (not unusual) but about died when I walked over and she had EVERY pair out and paired up and had probably tried on all of them. (That picture does not show all the shoes she eventually had out.) What's even better is the pair she finally chose as the perfect finishing touch to her outfit . . . Tate's DIRTY Keen sandals!
I don't think this look will make it in the pages of "In Style" or on Project Runway, but her ultimate happiness came when she realized she had pockets too! Strike a pose, Sas!
God love 'em!