First Comes Love...

We're off to Leavenworth for a week of fun in the snow! Wishing our family and friends a very, merry Christmas.

Here is Miss Abigail's 2016 Fall / Winter Collection!

The wait is over - I give you the George Lauckner, Fall / Winter 2016 collection...

Most days I feel like everyday occurrences (running to the store, washing dishes, getting people to school on time) are wrapped in a layer of chaos, and Ben's first haircut was no exception. We had a 12:30 appointment at Kid's Club in  U Village but after hitting 520 traffic, we showed up 12 minutes late.  TWO MINUTES past the grace period, and the gal that was to cut his hair said she couldn't do it. 😳 But the salon was very sweet about it and asked that we stick around the village while they try to squeeze us in.  And lucky for us, 30 minutes later I got a call saying they could take us. Aside from a couple George meltdowns over Thomas the Train ownership rights (the salon's trains, not his) and Ben throwing a bottle of bubble bath that burst all over the floor, I would say it was a success (low expectations are key!) Here are some pictures of little man's first cut:

Oh boy...aliments were the name of the game this month.  Not necessarily yours each time, but from Thanksgiving until now, we've had everything from stomach bugs and bronchial congestion, to back pain (the latter was mine - in bed for 3 days straight, driving everyone mad) .  Today is the first day of Christmas break, and while most everyone was sick last week, you, me, and Dad are still on the tail end of this cold.  I brought everyone out for errands this morning, twice (cause I'm stubborn like that!) and you managed to tell me in every non-verbal way you know how that it wasn't cool. My bad.  (but just bear with me once more while I drag you to the mall for your first haircut after nap, alright buddy?) 😉 You started talking a lot this month.  Dada, bah (bottle), bye, and buh (book) are your first words.  I'm not sure which came first, but the fact that you're such a big Dad fan (seriously, you can't get enough of the guy!) , I think we'll award hi...

Is there anything more adorable than children's Christmas performances?  Especially when it's your own kids?? Nope 😍 This past week George and Abigail had their school Christmas concerts and parties.  George's class was mainly a party with a couple welcome songs, while Abigail's was a concert with three well memorizes songs + choreography  ;) Abigail and I attended George's party on Thursday.  The three of us had so much fun making Christmas cookies, painting and decorating ornaments, and being serenaded by 3 year olds! Here are some pictures (and video) from his party:

The kids were thrilled to see Santa this year (I'm not sure when Christmas magic peaks for little kids, but we sure feel ripe this year!) As usual we went downtown to visit Macy's Santa - he was so kind to the kids, talking to both Abigail and George for a while, asking how they've been, commenting on how big they've gotten, and then asking what they would like for Christmas. Neither Abigail or George were scared, but Ben was not having one bit of it.  So while the big kids were able to sit and chat with him for a few minutes, Ben was our quick in-and-out, for pictures only kiddo. I think it turned out pretty cute!

The kids really enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving this year! It started with Thanksgiving Feasts at school on Tuesday; they were each allowed to bring their favorite food to share.  George brought strawberries and hot chocolate (ever the random eater!) while Abigail went with a classic: mac and cheese. After school that day, we ventured to Leavenworth with Gma to spend the rest of the week, and holiday weekend, at the cabin with family. It was a nice, relaxing week.  We got a snow dusting Wednesday morning, enjoyed a relaxed Thanksgiving day, some time in the hot tub, bonfires, a trip to town to see Santa on Friday night, and a HUGE log fire on Saturday (that was still burning when left on Sunday, and probably kept embers through the early part of the week!) Here are some pictures from this year's celebrations Wednesday morning snow!