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. 

A Fairy Halloween

Stella is obsessed with fairies at the moment. She walks and runs like a fairy - flapping her imaginary wings at all times - and wants to find woodland sprites every time we walk in the woods. It's pretty darn sweet. So when she asked to be a Flower Fairy for Halloween, we jumped all over it. And what's better than one Flower Fairy? Two, of course. The girls were super sweet as they enjoyed friends on Halloween and as they took their first trip Trick or Treating. Of course, we had to do a lot of talking with our sensitive four year old about why some folks like to be scary on Halloween. And Phoebe would take one piece of candy from one house and then put it in the candy bowl of the next house. It was a lovely night overall.

(I think Phoebe's crown lasted all of two minutes.)

The Switch Witch brought both girls matching umbrellas this year in exchange for their extra candy. And while the candy was a hit for about twenty minutes, these umbrellas have been a hit all day, every day. Stella told me she thought the Switch Witch must be really smart. Indeed, Little One.

The Big Carve

It's become a tradition to carve pumpkins with the Bressler family. This year, we had a lot of fun sharing a warm meal and digging into some pretty big pumpkins. Stella was intent on drawing itty bitty designs for Papa. Her pumpkin - thanks to Brian's willingness to carve the most minute detail - has tiny little hearts, cats and smiley faces which captures her innocent grasp of Halloween this year. Thanks to the Bresslers for a fun evening!