Tuesday, December 27, 2011

The Burns Family Christmas Band


 We spent Christmas afternoon and evening at the Burns pad in Ballard this year, and the girls were pretty much ecstatic to see their cousins. (We missed you, Hannah, Chey and Jon!) 


 This is Phoebe trying to negotiate for another truffle. Smart girl.


Poppy (aka Colonel Blimp.... a long and comical story.)


The family gathered with instruments in hand and rocked the carols... and then some. 


Phoebe got into it as well, discovering the joy of thumping a bass string.


Mike and Charles


Amelia joined in with her ukulele and rocked the party. (Seriously, you were fab, girl!)

It was a wonderfully warm and easy night of reconnecting with family and enjoying a delicious feast. (Thank you, Mom!) And although Phoebe woke at 2am throwing up until 6am, it was a really great visit. (I know that sounds like I'm kidding, but you take the good and the bad, and we're just feeling happy the hurling waited until after Christmas day.)

Upon returning from Seattle and settling back into our quiet but cozy house, we had our usual grateful circle at dinner. (The four of us take turns saying what we're grateful for that day, and it's a real highlight of Stella's evening to partake.) It was a beautiful end to Christmas when Stella told us what she was grateful for. Presents? Candy? Cookies? Nope. This is what she told us - "I'm grateful that I got to see my cousins and that I got to share an apple with Grandma Carol in front of the warm fire." That about sums it up, doesn't it? Seeing those you adore and sharing a bit of love and warmth.

Happy Holidays to our beloveds, near and far. May your New Year  be filled with laughter and love.  

Christmas Morning


So while we don't do Barbie or archaic Princess stories in our house and usually opt for hand crafted wooden toys, we went for it this year. We got the girls little Princess dresses for dress up. And Stella has pretty much had hers on for forty eight hours straight. (No, honey, it actually can't go in the shower.) And what's hilarious is that they have no idea they're wearing Cinderella dresses. Stella calls hers the ballerina fairy dress, and Phoebe just likes to rub her velvet arms saying "Phoebe soft!"


Of course, Princesses can build rockin' wooden slides and mazes with new wooden toys. (I must rave about my longtime favorite toy company  - check it out!)


My favorite moment of the morning came when Phoebe opened her gift from Stella - a quilt Stella designed all by herself. While Mama did the bulk of the sewing (Stella helped guide the fabric for some of the blocks), Stella suggested the original idea, drew a beautifully modern design and picked out colors and fabrics she thought Phoebe would like. She calls it their Sisters Quilt, and we've already enjoyed countless stories and snuggles under it. Thank you, Stella, for you thoughtfulness and creative spark!


And I do believe Santa was quite pleased with the girls' gingerbread and milk. A very Merry Christmas indeed.

(And for those of you book-obsessed like me, I have a great list of fabulously empowered princess stories for those of us modern girls.)

An Interpretive Carrot Dance for Santa


We had a lovely and quiet Christmas Eve, putting all the finishing touches on handmade gifts, wrapping in secret and making pizza together. And of course, one must write a note for Santa so he remembers what you asked for and to thank him for all his hard work. 


One must also look adorably cute despite a bruiser of a week. 


And then... well... I'm not sure what happened next. Just before bath, we brought out the most reindeer-friendly carrots we had and set out cookies and milk... and well... the excitement brought on this...





(By the time Stella was moving into her slow motion backward Matrix move, Brian and I were in tears, laughing so hard.) 

So here's hoping that Santa enjoys a good ol' traditional interpretive carrot dance just like the rest of us.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

A Very Bressler Christmas



This year, we celebrated our first round of Christmas early with the Bressler family. It was great to see Grandma Jannie, Grandpa Harte, Aunt Mandy and Uncle Jeff. The girls were thrilled to host the celebration at our house and were eager to help everyone open their presents. (Of course, Vinnie partook as well. Massive piles of crinkly paper? Cat heaven.)


My skirt? Who needs a skirt when you have a new sparkly headband? 


As the festivities came to an end, Stella got to partake in her first round of Bressler card games. It was  really great to see her be a part of a family tradition, and both Brian and I kept thinking Grandma Bette would have been quite pleased with our little card player. 


High fives with Grandpa!

Thank you, Bressler Family, for a lovely early Christmas! We wish you all a New Year full of love and peace. 

Solstice Treats



Every year for Solstice, we like to celebrate the long shadows of winter and the oh-so-coveted light to come. Isaac and Eddie joined us for a little Solstice celebration at one of our favorite spots in town, the Big Rock Garden, a Japanese Maple-filled sculpture park. The kids know the spot well and were totally jazzed to make pine cone feeders for the birds. We gathered cones, slathered them with nut butters and the kids rolled them in bird seed with total delight. And the shadows, as you can see, were indeed long. 



The kids loved picking out spots for the critters' snacks and were great sports about the biting chill. 

And yes, Stella is not wearing her coat. And yes, I ask her to all the time. And yes, I choose my battles. 

Our dear friends, Leah and Nali, were gracious enough to invite us to a small gathering this week to celebrate the second day of Hanukkah. Leah prepared a delicious meal of latkes, and Stella was pretty impressed by Leah's blessings in Hebrew. I love this photos since Stella and Nali are goofing around with balloons as Leah lights the menorah. There is nothing like a bunch of little munchkins to remind us that the sacred is not always quiet and composed. It includes the wacky and hilarious as well. Light is light - whether it come from candles, prayers or giggling children. 

Thank you, Leah and Nali, for sharing such a beautiful celebration with us. We love you!

Visiting Santa



Stella and Phoebe were joined by our best buds, Isaac and Eddie (and Lena, of course), as we visited Santa this year. They were pretty darn cute, navigating the Christmas crowds while holding hands. 



Glamour Puss. 

The First Nutcracker


Stella experienced her first Nutcracker ballet this year at our beautiful local theater. She's been loving dance for several months now, and the thought of seeing real ballet... on a stage... in a real theater.... she was beside herself.  Both Grandma Carol and Grandma Jannie joined Stella and I as we enjoyed a lovely and dignified lunch of tea and scones at our tea shop and then sat captivated watching the performance.  Needless to say, it was a huge hit, and it was a sweet walk down memory lane for me and my mom since I saw my first Nutcracker around the same age as Stella and was just as smitten. 


Dressing up is always a thrill.


So is hamming it up for the camera. 


And soaking up the Grandmas is always a treat.

Stella has been en pointe now for about three weeks, and I think we've listened to The Nutcracker over a hundred times. Yup, over a hundred times. 

A Cat and His Girls




This cat has the most charmed life.

He is loved. He is adored. He is showered with attention. He is respected. He is mimicked. He is given countless treats. He is loved and then some. 

The Great Christmas Tree Adventure


For our 2011 Christmas Tree Adventure, we were joined by Grandma Jannie, Grandpa Harte, Aunt Many and Uncle Jeff, and our beloved friends, Leah and Nali. It was a bit hit, with the kids running from tree to tree to taste the frost on the evergreen boughs. 


Phoebe was a bit quiet during our adventure, bewildered but content to just watch the process. 



Nali and Stella were troopers, wanting to help pick out and carry trees. 


A rare still moment.


Grandma Jannie


Grandpa Harte


As if we weren't sure they were growing...


Phoebe was pretty oblivious with the tree last year, so it was really fun to watch her get into trimming the tree. 



Cookies under the tree - literally - after a chilly day at the tree farm was the perfect close to a lovely day.


Hugs


I am reminded daily of how fortunate we are. We are rich in friends and family, and these two bring boundless love and laughter to our lives. May they always hold close their devotion and adoration for one another. 

Bundled Up


While we've experienced an unseasonably warm stretch of weather, it's starting to get a little chilly - especially for our evening moon walks. The girls were thrilled when we pulled out this  year's snow suits and ran around in them like crazy chickens for several hours - inside.