We have been very blessed this December.
Our days have been packed with fun times shared with friends and family.
Here is a little (okay, huge) summary of out happenings lately...
Santa visit 2012
This year we visited Santa at a neat event put on at our neighborhood clubhouse. They really went all out and made it fun for the kids. We made it in time to see Santa arrive on trolly and they even had an authentic reindeer.
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| Eli got his first little taste of a candy cane while we waited. |
They promptly handed each child a toy while we waited our turn to meet the big guy. There was also an elf, Mrs. Claus, and a guy making balloon animals to keep the little ones entertained.
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| Eli was in love with this stuffed goose, he couldn't stop giggling! |
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| Max was not such a fan. |
As we got closer to the front of the line I noticed that Eli was starting to nod off. We tried our best to keep him awake, but about 2 minutes before it was out turn he fell asleep. We poked and prodded, there was no waking him.
We weren't sure what to do...so we just handed him to Santa while he was sleeping. We got a lot of laughs as our sweet baby slept through his first visit with Santa. Of course, the Mamarazzi in me wanted to get that perfect smiling picture of my boys with Santa...but this is what happened, and this is SO Eli.
Max was a good boy this year and there were no tears or screaming. In fact, he continues to ask each day if we are going to go visit Santa again.
Good food, music, toys, and a visit with Nana...our visit to see Santa this year was a great success.
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Gingerbread party
I wanted to make our play date last week extra special, so I put together a little "gingerbread house" activity (the houses for the little ones are actually graham crackers).
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| The wine was for the adults...in the aftermath of toddlers crafting :) |
I am not a naturally crafty person, and the houses were far from perfect, but I think the kids had a really good time.
Uncle Chris and Jenny arrived just in time from St. Louis to join us...I think this was the first play date they have ever been too, and I think they were impressed by the toddlers exuberance, sweetness, and drama ;)
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| My friend Nicole made this darling owl hat...and she is managing two little ones like a pro :D |
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| I always end up with more pictures of Shirhi than the boys because she is the only one that will stop and pose for pictures! |
The big kids did great with this activity, and mostly decorated the houses, sneaking a treat every now and then.
The resulting houses were priceless.
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| Max's house had been demolished and rebuilt a couple of times at this point ;) |
We had recently been saying what a good architect Max would make, because he loves shapes (especially triangles) and building houses/forts/castles...after this activity I am not so sure anymore!
We read seasonal books, exchanged gifts, and decorated an adult gingerbread house as well. I'm hoping this will be a new holiday tradition, it was a lot of fun!
We thoroughly wore out Chris and Jenny, and they napped along with the boys afterwards (okay, I did too).
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2nd Annual Blossoms of Lights
This weekend we spent both Friday and Saturday checking out some amazing Christmas lights displays around Denver.
On Friday, we met our friends Natalie, Jared, and Evie for a lovely dinner at Maggiano's downtown. Perhaps the most notable part of our dinner was our discovery that Eli is obsessed in love with rigatoni. I already knew my boy could eat, but he truly put away an astounding amount of rigatoni and he could not have been happier about it.
After filling up on delicious food we headed to the Blossoms of Light display at the Denver Botanic Gardens. We sipped hot chocolate as we took in the beauty of these sparkling lights.
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| This is the most wonderful time of the year for photography...I love experimenting with pictures of the lights. |
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| Gotta love the traditional Dad's + the kids photo! |
We also met for dinner and lights last year near Christmas and we were joking that Max was a little sad that he didn't get to ride in the wagon with Evie this year, instead he was stuck with his stinky little brother. It struck me that when we came last year I was carrying Eli, and now this year Natalie is pregnant with another little one. It is amazing to watch our families grow as we make these memories together...we are so blessed to be able to share this season of life with friends.
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| A great family photo taken by Natalie...my friends have been holding me accountable to "get in the picture" |
In typical Eli fashion, he started to nod off at the end of the lights...his head bobbing up and down in the wagon. We kept the kids up way past their bedtime and they were happy to snuggle into their warm beds after a night out in the crisp air.
A great thing about Maggiano's is that they send you home with extra portions of each pasta dish...so when we served up rigatoni for lunch on Saturday, Eli literally did a happy dance. He's eaten so much that he has smelled like a rigatoni all weekend and Julian and I have actually been calling him "little rigatoni" which is a such a funny, fitting nickname.
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On Saturday, we visited the sister site of the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Trail of Lights at Chatfield.
We had dinner and a gift exchange with Uncle Chris, Jenny, and Grandpa...and then it was time for more Christmas lights!
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It was pretty chilly out last night, so we warmed ourselves by the bonfire before we headed out on the trail. Again, hot cocoa was our companion as we walked. Julian and I assumed that everything we needed was still in the car from our adventure the night before...parenting fail...we had no blanket to cover the boys in the wagon, and I was worried they would get too cold.
A strategically placed warming hut saved the day, and we warmed up there until we were nice and toasty. Then it was back outside to see the light/music displays...
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| This is a huge tree that always reminds me of a neuron when lit. |
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| Three gigantic trees...so beautiful. |
We warmed up by the bonfire one more time before heading home. There is something about being out in the cold mountain air...with the hustle and bustle of crowds of people... it really felt like Christmas is approaching.
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So there you have it...we have been absolutely spoiled with outings and fun times with friends and family this holiday season. I am just enjoying each moment and holding onto my boys extra tight this year.
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