School Christmas Show - December 15th, 2011

Ethan's Preschool II class put on a little Christmas show this year where they practiced and sang 3 Christmas songs - Feliz Navidad, Santa Clause is Coming to Town, and Jingle Bells. Ethan practiced his songs for 2 weeks prior to the performance and had the songs down perfectly. We sang them on our way to and from school each day. Each time, he would get a get round of applause from his adoring sister. He was very excited for his performance that day and I couldn't wait to watch him. He did a GREAT job and they all seemed to have a great time!

Decorating the Tree at home - December 3rd, 2011

After helping Mima decorate the tree at her house, I knew the kids would be excited to help decorate our tree. So, during nap time, while the rest of the house slept, I made good use of the quiet, turned on some Christmas music and got everything set up and ready for them to come down and put ornaments on the tree. Stockings were hung, the Nativity scene was set up and the Christmas village was arranged and lit. All that was left was the tree. Both kids enjoyed putting the ornaments on all by themselves.

Obviously, the highlight of the decorating came when it was time to assemble the train track around the tree.  Becca loves whatever her big brother loves, so she was equally excited to sit back and watch it go around. 

Tree Trimming at Mima & Papa's - December 1st, 2011

This year we kicked off the month of December and the Holiday Season by trimming the tree at Mima and Papa's house. Both kids really enjoyed putting all of the ornaments on the tree and all of the decorations that Mima has set up all around the house.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving - November 24th, 2011

This year Mom and I decided to do an Italian inspired Thanksgiving feast and try out some new recipes. The result was amazing. All of the dishes were delicious and it was a great meal to share with our family. 

(left to right) Green Bean Casserole (from scratch), Italian Stuffing with sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives and ciabatta bread, Mashed Rosemary Sweet/Russet Potatoes, Sweet Potato Gratin, Citrus and Herb brined and stuffed turkey, Warm Asparagus and Brussels Sprout salad with bacon and pomegranate seeds. Topped off with a Maple-Pumpkin Pie with homemade whipped cream (not pictured). 

 

Ethan loved being able to eat the Turkey Leg.

Skyline Drive - November 13th, 2011

We always like to take a trip down Skyline Drive each Fall to enjoy the colors of the leaves. This year we went a bit after the peak color had passed and most of the leaves had already fallen, but we wanted to take a nice family day so we decided to go ahead and make the drive. The kids both had a good time looking out over the landscape and running around the fields. The highlight was going through the tunnel at the turnaround point. It was a great family morning drive and something I look forward to enjoying again next year, hopefully we can actually enjoy the wonder of the leaf colors next year.