December is for Stockings, Sledding, and Babies

Of course, as soon as I found out that I was pregnant with a boy, I started looking at which stocking I wanted to start making for him. I looked through the Bucilla catalogue and also at the stockings we already had because I wanted them all to be a little different but to fit together. We didn't have any green stockings, how can that be - green is the ultimate Christmas color! So I decided on a little boy's green stocking and started working. And of course, I stopped working and picked it up again and set it down again for the better part of a year. The best thing about this stocking is that it is a vintage design that Bucilla was re-releasing. So it wasn't nearly as complicated as making June's (I've still got a little PTSD from embroidering and stuffing all the individual tree branches on that one!) In the end, it came together a lot quicker than the others.

Ta Da! I love it so much!

 Here it is with the other ones. We only had four train cars for stocking holders and Target discontinued making this one. I looked on eBay and found it but it was $$ and someone else snatched it up before I could even think about spending money on it. In the end, I hung Lar's loop around Mary's head in this little Nativity. Here's hoping to next year! I'm probably just going to have to start from scratch for everyone.

Rebecca's work does a fun tree-lighting every year and this year we finally made it. It was SO MUCH FUN!! I'm so glad we made the effort. It just made everything a little more magical. The girls got to do pony rides, make hot cocoa, and go sledding on snow that they brought in! There was actually way more to do, but that's all we got around to.

And now, Lars' cuteness must be documented! I was shopping in Walmart in December and they had these amazing Christmas diapers. I thought in my mind, "These are so cute! I wish June was still in diapers so I could use them." Then I thought, "What are you, crazy?! Lars is in diapers, you idiot,  grab some!" So I did. They had these little elf ones and then a pair of red Santa bottoms.

Lars loves to play the piano whenever I am teaching. It's not usually very helpful. One day Jacob came to his lesson wearing fleece Christmas pj's so I had to get a photo of the two boys with their Christmas jammies on.

I was annoyed at waiting at the dr's office for a well-check when I looked over and my good friend Lidia was there! She's one of the moms I meet at the park! She was bringing her foster baby in for a check-up. He's just a little younger than Lars. So we had a good talk and almost forgot that we were there waiting over an hour and a half!

December is for Dragon Dancers and Playdates

Willa, forgetting how much she hated staying late after school last year, begged and begged to do Dragon Dancers again. I think a lot of the problem last year was boredom because she would be after school almost two hours and I don't know how much of her time was spent working on her actual dance. I emailed the dance teacher before and explained my concerns and she said they were going to do things a little differently to hopefully avoid some of that this go around. So... Willa did it and complained a little, but overall she liked it. It was Wednesdays until 5 p.m. Ryan had to come home early on Wednesdays anyway for Scouts, so he would swing by and pick Willa up. Score! Anything to avoid a drive, for me. (On Tuesdays when I teach piano, Willa gets a ride home with Gunnar because he happens to be my first student. So for three months I didn't have any pick-ups on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons, double score!)

This year they did Charlotte's Web and Willa will tell you that she really wanted to be a Web Weaver, but she got put with the rats and was a very cute rat, if I do say so myself. I think this is the only photo I have, but so cute. I love the top hat (she hated it!).

June and I have been going to the park in our old neighborhood with some of our old friends and it has been very soothing for the soul. I miss these ladies and little girls a lot. No fear, we decided that once these cute kids start Kindergarten that we are going to do a monthly lunch group together so we can still see each other. Since Las Vegas is pretty restaurant heavy, hopefully we will get to try some fun places and not resort to McDonalds every time, ha ha!

Emi, Lyla, Annie, June

 June also got invited to a Build a Bear birthday party in December too. The girls were all so cute. And yay, one more stuffed animal for their room, eek.