Grand Cookies

We had a Grand time in the kitchen this Christmas Eve Eve.  Yes, the baking was great fun {still one of Maggie's favorite Christmas traditions}, but we got to do it with my Grandma, and as my littles like to call her...GG.  It seriously can't get anymore GRAND that that.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention, for at least the umpteenth time, that I adore my Grandma and that some of my best childhood memories are in the kitchen with her.  I love that my kiddos get to experience it too.

So while GG managed the organized chaos and Maggie assigned jobs and positions for everyone, I got to sit back and revel in the sweetness of it all.  {And then I was gifted with the clean up job.}

I'd like to think that Maggie will never grow out of Christmas cookie baking.  She still wears a giant smile {and a ponytail per her request} through the whole process.

My sweet Lucy is fighting another cold, so in between bouts of coughing and sneezing {yum, huh?}, she was right in the middle of the fun.  All the while doing her best to follow Maggie's orders....pony tail and all.

And this my friends is something I NEVER want to forget...bet you wish you had one of these💚

The girls and GG mixed, rolled and cut the morning away.

While the cookies baked, Maggie led us in a round of Christmas caroling.  And she even let me record it...what?!?!?  My girl is growing up!

Before long it was time to decorate...a fan favorite!

And look who showed up just in time for the decorating part?  And proceeded to down a spoonful of icing...some things never change.

As if the day weren't GRAND enough...look who showed up just in time for cookies?  Grammy!  I mean can this Christmas get any better?

The big EVE is tomorrow!  Lots of giddy folks around here.

Showtime

'Tis the season for holiday shows and apparently the stomach bug.

Excuse my lengthy absence during this festive season.  But after finally getting through my second sinus infection this Fall, the dreaded bug came to our house.

As I watched the students and teachers drop like flies at the big's elementary school over the past few weeks, I just knew we were on borrowed time around here.  All I asked is that it came and went before Christmas Day.  I've got some good news and bad news.  The bad news is...I got it...and let me tell you it was not pretty.  {I suppose that's what I get for over volunteering}

Good news? Well, as of date all my littles are still standing {and hubby too}.  Gotta wonder how that happens.

But in an effort to keep things that way, I have fully sanitized my house.  Bleached and Lysol'ed every nook and cranny AND...am keeping the bigs out of school for the last two days before winter break.  I am not playing around.

But, before all that loveliness hit Momma Bear, I was able to squeeze in a few showtimes with my girls.

The first being, Trolls the Movie.

Can I just say...cutest movie ever!  Totally exceeded my expectations, because, honestly I was not expecting much.  I hopped out of that theatre with a little pep in my step and a song in my heart.  So much fun.

But, not nearly as darling as a local theatre's presentation of Madeline's Christmas.  With or without the girls, this is getting added to my Christmas traditions list.  I'm a huge Madeline fan...and I adore kiddos.  So with a cast of 12 little girls and only 3 adults, I was loving every moment.

We followed the show with a meet and greet and autograph session.  I could have just eaten Madeline up...she was a doll.  Lucy was in complete awe and adored meeting the girls.  She was front and center to get her copy of the book signed.

{iPhone pics ahead as I'm sure you assumed}

Maggie hung back, clinging on to me for dear life, but was just as fascinated.  She even announced that she would like to be in the show one day.  Big girls are the bomb!

Grandma also joined us for the show and an afternoon girly luncheon.  So much precious fun.  

Little did Grandma {or I} know that she was about to get a lot more of these sweet things in the days to come.  Thankfully she swooped in and rescued the kiddos from our germ ridden house when I came down with the bug.

The kids spent the next couple days with Grandma while I pretty much died at home.  She even had to stand in for me at school Christmas parties.  I was pretty much devastated to miss out.  Ugh!

But they all had fun and needless to say, there will not be a blog post on how those went this year.

However, stay tuned for all the Christmas merriment up ahead.  Tomorrow our house will begin to fill up with holiday guests...I can't wait!

A Date To Rudolph

I asked my littlest out on a Mommy/Daughter date to see Rudolph this week.  Since she claims, "she never gets any time with Mommy".  I find that hilariously ironic because if you see me then you generally see Lucy right there beside me.  We are ALWAYS together.  Mind you this is the kid who only attends school three days a week because I want to soak up every minute I can.

Regardless, I thought it might be fun to cater to her unwarranted complaint.  So I played up our Rudolph tickets to the extreme.  Lucy got a big ol' kick out of it.

I started the morning off by asking my darling out for a "date".  She immediately obliged and then I gifted her with a box of Rudolph {Target Dollar Spot} goodies.  We got her dressed in her sweetest Christmas attire, did the same for me, and headed off to the show.

I deliberately chose the later show time so we could attend the puppet making workshop before hand.  We arrived a bit early which gave Lucy ample opportunity to take in the holiday decor of the theatre.

We made our way upstairs to create her puppet.  I just knew it had to be the year of the "snow monster" puppet { I mean I have been to this show the past 7 years}.  I went ahead and warned Lucy that might be the case knowing she was not going to be thrilled.

Of course, I was right.  But, Lulu didn't mind a bit.  She cut, glued, and colored away creating a fierce looking puppet.  The best part about the actual show following the puppet workshop is that we didn't have to spend an eternity in the art room.  If you recall last time I took her to a show, we were the last crafters in the room.

This time she was super anxious to get going to see Rudolph and his red nose.

Excuse the over kill on pictures of Lucy putting on a "show", but these seriously crack me up.  If only these pictures could talk...my Lu is an imaginative little character.

And please note the yellow teeth, because you know "snow monster teeth are supposed to be that color".

We arrived at the show in just enough time to get a picture of my cutie in front of the screen.  From there, the puppets took the stage and my date and I enjoyed the holiday show.

Lucy and I made a day of it.  We followed the show with a lunch of her choice.  It was at a local bagel shop where she dined on scrambled eggs, bacon and toast with jelly.  {Have I ever mentioned this girl LOVES eggs?}

We then stopped at an old school drug store to stock up on cold remedies for the two of us.  {in case you are counting this is our second cold of the season...dying!}  The best part was the store was full of other odds and ends.  We got a kick out of the gifts, knick-knacks, and Christmas goodies.  We even grabbed Christmas presents for a few of Lu's buddies.

I love shopping with my girls...surely it's going to get me in big trouble in a few years.

We returned home and I am convinced that Lucy's "mommy bucket" is full.  Before I knew it she was off to play with neighbor friends and hopefully feeling mighty loved.

As for the bigs, they took it like champs.  We are all about throwing away the score book around here...they were 4 years old and home with me once too and they know it.

Now, I'm off to go drown myself in wrapping paper and scotch tape...tis' the season!

The Nutcracker Tea For Two

What is Christmas without The Nutcracker? 

After taking Maggie for the first time last year, I just knew it had to be added to our seasonal traditions.  She raved about the performance for what seemed like months, she coveted her autographed program, and secretly danced the Nutcracker in her room.  She was absolutely mesmerized.

I decided to "risk it" and add Lucy to our new tradition this year.  And if you really think about it, it truly was a risk.  I mean she is only 4 years old, the show is near 2 hours, and the dancers don't even talk or sing.  Eeek!

Sometimes the risk is well worth the reward, and thank heavens, it just so happened to work out that way.  Lucy was. absolutely. enamored.  I mean in complete awe, glued to the show, and over the moon about meeting the dancers.  I am so happy Maggie and I decided to give "Tea for Two" a try.

Just like last year, I picked the Sunday afternoon show with the Plum Fairy Tea and Meet and Greet.  And once again, it exceeded our expectations.  

The girls, robed in their finest fancy dress, piled their plates high with a never ending assortment of sweets.  Lu even threw an egg salad tea sandwich on her plate {that girl is seriously addicted to egg salad}.  A southern girl after my heart....next thing you know it will be sweet tea and country music just like her mama.

After Tea Time, we headed into the theatre to get our programs and meet the dancers.

And just as I expected, the girls were star struck by the beautiful ballerinas.

We met dancer after dancer and oohed and ahhhed over their glittered costumes.  Our last stop was another visit with Santa.  That was an added bonus we weren't expecting.

The best part was taking a seat in the theatre with our friends.  My girls adore the "big" Micca girls, our dear family friends.

From there on, it was stone faced stares at the stage.  Maggie and Lucy didn't move a muscle as they watched the show.  Not even a bathroom break until intermission...quit impressive for Lucy{especially after she downed three cups of Sugar Plum punch}.

On the way home, the girls reminisced about their favorite parts of the show, how much they loved it, and the beautiful ballerinas.  But, the best part was Lucy's exaggerated and emotional..."I just loved the Nutcracker Mommy!", "Can we go every time?".

As you can imagine there have been several pseudo "Nutcracker" performances at our house this week.

Loving the season around here!