Christmas 2016

 We have had a wonderful Christmas season this year, and we hope you have too!

 Orelia and I have spent the past week making what seems like endless treats.

Four year olds are perfect for a jam-packed Christmas season of baking and decorating.

 Orelia very proudly and carefully got to hang our stockings this year.

 She was so excited for Santa to come and claimed, very seriously, that she would peek out the window at him when he arrived.

 Bennett didn't really know what was coming, but was thrilled to receive the crane and Thomas he asked for.

 Orelia was ecstatic to see her "real" tea set delivered from Santa.

 She had laid out homemade cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer the night before, and was eager to check whether they we still there in the morning.

 John's brother and mom were here for Christmas, and we enjoyed matching pajamas for the first time ever.  It took a bit of coaxing to get Orelia to wear them on Christmas morning (instead of a costume), but reason prevailed and she wore the matching set until she opened a new dress of course.

 Bennett is easy to buy for and he was delighted with every package he opened.

 Trucks, trucks, and more trucks!

 Orelia was mostly occupied with her tea set all day.  The tea set was the only thing she asked for, and while she was eager to open anything with her name on it Christmas morning, she has essentially just held endless tea parties ever since the tea set arrived at our house.

 Bennett was especially in love with the goodies in his "talking" (stocking) this year.

 Santa stuffed it full of, you guessed it, trucks!

 He has gone back to check the contents of his "talking" several times since, and is sorely disappointed when there are no more trucks inside.

 The stocking stuffers were put to good use immediately.

 Play-doh and trucks are a great combination, apparently.

We took an afternoon walk down the street to visit our neighborhood dinosaur.  Our sweet neighbors actually bought both our kids corduroy dinosaurs for Christmas, which delighted and surprised everyone.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

A First Nutcracker

When we were invited to see the Nutcracker up in San Francisco by our friends, I was hesitant, but optimistic it would be a fun adventure.

The reality truly blew me away.  Orelia not only handled the show and the experience well, but she truly loved it.

I loved the ballet, too, but the real joy was sitting cuddled next to my daughter while she watched her first first ballet and her very first Nutcracker.

I teared up when she leaned her head on my shoulder during the Sugar Plum Fairy dance, as it was such a memorable moment for me - almost iconic in terms of mother-daughter dreams, really.

We had been reading the story of the Nutcracker every day for two weeks, and Orelia had so many questions about what the show would be like.

Orelia always enjoys an event better with a friend by her side, and she was fortunate enough to do this with one of her best friends.

They were amazed by the "palace" (city hall) and wanted to know which princesses lived there.

Intermission was a bit of a downer for Orelia, who mostly just wanted to get back to the action.

During intermission, however, we did run into the girls' ballet teacher (the same one they have had since the girls were chubby legged toddlers).  Miss Nadeen has been such an inspiration and mentor to them these past two years, and we are so grateful she has fostered their love of dance.

During the second act, after every dance Orelia asked "Is there another dance after this?"  When I would say "yes" she would reply with an enthusiastic "great!"

I am so grateful I got to share the Nutcracker with Orelia this year.  It would be wonderful if we turned it into a yearly Christmas tradition, but I know I will always remember this first visit with my starry eyed girl.

The Glory Days

 We are living in the glory days

 Both kids are still napping. And at the same time.

 Our weekends are mostly free to do whatever we please.

No one has homework or tests.

  Harper is fit and healthy.

 The kids take lessons and classes for fun not because they have to.

 Preschool starts at a reasonable hour of 9:00.

 Bath time is leisurely and full of princess squirt toys and race cars.

 The days start and end with a warm cuddle.

 Things are changing, though, some for the better some for the worse.

 Bennett will eventually be out of diapers but Orelia will ease out of taking naps.

 We are not taking strollers with us much anymore, but "uppies" are still required at the end of an outing.

 Orelias biggest concerns are just starting to elevate from where is my Elsa gown to why did that person say mean words to me at the park?

 Orelia tells us she loves us all day every day and Bennett is just learning to say "I wub wou" in the sweetest way possible.

 Both kids are old enough to play at a park but not so old that it bores them to tears.

 Bennett is almost ready for a big boy bed, which makes traveling easier, but bed time a little more stressful.

 Orelia is just getting old enough for sleepovers, which means we will need to start hosting some too (let's hope our guests eat toast or cold cereal).

 Orelia and I cried in each other's arms the other night when she realized one day her mommy, daddy, and dog would all die. She's getting older and wiser, but sometimes ignorance is bliss.

 Both kids are still so young - at 2 and 4 they still have so much to learn, but luckily they can do at least a little bit on their own too.

Some moments are tough, but these glory days are mostly full of sweetness.

Believing in Santa

 We had the most magical visit to Santa today.  So magical it basically made me believe in the guy myself.

 Orelia doesn't have school on Monday, so we decided to pop over to the Stanford Mall to visit Santa before the stores even opened.

 You can basically see the stars in Bennett's eyes as he spotted Santa for the first time.  He was mesmerized.

 There was no one in line, so Santa and Orelia were able to have a long chat.  She asked him where his reindeer were, and he told Orelia that only Rudolph can fly year-round and the other reindeer can only fly on Christmas Eve.

 Then he took Orelia by the hand and lead her over to this virtual snowball fight game which they played together.

Silicon Valley at its finest.

The kids then got a turn on Santa's lap.  Everyone said "front loader" (the truck we had just pried from Bennett's hands) for a chuckle instead of "cheese."  Orelia asked Santa for a tea set and Bennett asked for "a crane and Thomas (the train) pease."  Bennett was so earnest and sweet about it, and was moderately disappointed when said crane and Thomas did not immediately appear.  I know he will be thrilled if Santa does bring them Christmas morning.  Said "Thomas" was literally just eyed the day before at a toy store, so Santa's elf may have immediately gone back to the toy store immediately after this photo was taken.  No one is losing belief in Santa on my watch, not when we had such a sweet visit with the man himself today.

2015 Santa photos with Blue Hair
2014 Santa photo with Bennett's giant cheeks
2013 Santa photo with meltdown 

Winter Recital

 Orelia had her winter recital this weekend and performed in a ballet dance and hip hop dance.

 Before I dropped Orelia off, I asked Bennett if he wanted to come outside to take photos with his sister.

 "With Rocky and dump truck?" he asked.  "Sure, I replied."

 For some reason, my kids seem to take their sweetest sibling photos when the other child is having a special day (See, Bennett's First Day of School.)

 Bennett has seen his big sister dance countless times, and was very sweetly excited for her recital.

 Orelia, of course, loved the attention.

The performance was wonderful and hilarious and everything you can hope for in a children's recital.  We are so proud of Orelia for being brave on stage and enjoying every minute of the spotlight.

Here is the link to her ballet dance (shes in the far right, starts in the back then moves up front and refuses to leave).
Here is the link to her hip hop dance (shes in the far left middle row).