Christmas Surprise!

Special delivery from our preschooler! 

Annual Light Gazing!

 Pajamas, hats and jackets on.  Check.  Hot chocolate in hand.  Check.

Roll down the windows and play the Christmas music loud!  Check.

We went light gazing!

 For the first time ever, we got out and walked one of the streets!

I highly recommend walking.... you miss a lot of detail in the car alone.

 Lights can be a little scary.... G was convinced she could see a spider!

Loved this gorgeous white dog outside with St Nicholas.

Christmas Cuts!

I have always cut the girls hair.  However, my lack of experience was starting to show... especially in the back of the head.  Thanks to Yelp, I found this great kid friendly barber close to our home.  Cute cuts, not a big change, but SO MUCH neater!

Cookie Thief!

Mmm... loving the holidays!

Beatrice's Goat

Every year we search for ways to fill the holidays with the spirit of giving.  Now with little ones, we seek out ways of giving that tots may understand.  For the past 3 Christmas seasons, we have gone to World Vision's website and the girls have each chosen an animal to gift.  We talk about what the gift means to the family receiving and the importance of giving to those who have less.

Thanks to Heifer Project International — a charitable organization that donates livestock to poor communities around the world, I have found a GEM of a children's book!

Beatrice's Goat

 by Page McBrier

Illustrated by Lori Lohstoeter

 

It's a lovely story of how one goat changed the lives of a family in Uganda.  The girls loved the story and now have a fuller picture of how their gift can make a difference.  It's been my favorite find of the season and will likely be part of our giving tradition for years to come.

FYI: I borrowed the book from the library OR you can listen online here!  Also, the story is TRUE and you can read about the amazing ending here.

Advent Wreath!

May I have a moment in the spotlight?

Although not the most beautiful wreath I've seen, I am proud to say I made it!  The best part.... I used the trimmed branches from our Christmas tree and candles from the dollar store.  Cost me about $6!  Yes, thank you!  I love it too!  :)

Seattle Center Fountain

 One of my favorite places in Seattle is the fountain at The Center.  It's especially nice on a warm day as there's lots of fun people watching.  Well, on this fine day in November, the fountain did not disappoint!

Could not believe this gal was running through the fountain!  She entertained many people with her joyous laugh as she ran!  A true free spirit!  :)

Unicorn Fan!

Stomach flu... yuck!

CoCo missed her preschool Thanksgiving Feast thanks to an unwelcome bug.  :(  Super disappointing!  But our thoughtful friend, Dan, shot the header photo and sent it our way with a short memo, "Hope your unicorn fan is feeling better".  It definitely cheered us all!  :)

Happy Turkey Day!

Giving Thanks!

What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! 

1 John 1:3  (the Message)

Art At The Center!

We tentatively ventured into an art fair, not sure if the girls would enjoy it.  Lucky for us!  The fair hosted a kid's art tour by little collector.  It was quite interesting and fun!