Christmas 2012

This is a picture heavy post, as I learn to use my Christmas present: A new telephoto lens for my Canon!!! Come to find out, Matt really does listen:)

We were looking for any way to get out the pre-Xmas excitement, so Matt started cutting down our overgrown Burning Bushes. It was a chilly day and Devin's eyes were watering. She discovered that her swimming goggles are excellent for cold, windy days.

Even the next day, she still wanted to play in the sticks.

The big morning finally arrived & she was thrilled with her doll. It was the only thing she asked for from Santa & her favorite part is dressing alike.

The tennis never stops around here...we've been playing nearly everyday. I was testing my new lens by watching Devin run around the court. The lens is great, but best used outdoors for super-sharp pictures of action.

We made the trip to Papa and Grandma's over the break & had a great time! Devin was more than happy to get a second Christmas. As you can see, I've been washing the cowgirl dress everyday. She received a few of Grandma's keepsakes:

But, best of all she opened 2 more (handmade) matching outfits. She's already wearing the dress in this picture and this skirt has a matching doll skirt. Now, we have a 3-day rotation of matching doll outfits!

She showed off her chess skills with Papa.

Gaga went with us and got a nice greeting from Maxwell.

The long drive home from Illinois went fast and we didn't (for once) get stuck in bridge traffic. After sitting for so long, we decided to take a walk at the park. There are some awesome nature trails less than a mile from home & Devin's big enough now to handle the rugged terrain. With the sun out, the day felt perfect and we ended up walking over 3 miles!

We investigated the old Central State grave stones.

This tunnel of brambles seemed so cool!

Until, one jumped out and scratched Dev:(

We sat for a few moments, before the final walk to the car. Devin was certainly in a silly mood!

Christmas Break Catch-Up

We've been going full throttle since Thanksgiving, which is part of why I've neglected my blog. But, with a wonderful 2-week break upon us, it's time for some catch up.

I think the biggest news of the last few weeks has been our health. I haven't had any stomach trouble or episodes of nausea in several weeks. Lately, I've had to watch my diet closely and be careful eating/drinking to minimize feeling awful. The upside is, fat and alcohol seem to be triggers for me feeling bad...so it's easy to maintain my goal weight! Other than a case of tennis elbow, I'm hanging in!

Devin may have set some sort of record. She was healthy & didn't miss a day of school until this week. She went from August 15th to December 15th...4 months without a sniffle. This week, she caught a cold and we kept her home a few days. After 2 days, she was actually ASKING to return to school. She also chose to attend a Parent's Day Out afternoon, we were thrilled.

This is round one of Xmas sugar cookie decorating. Years ago, I found THE BEST recipe for sugar cookie cutouts and frosting. They're very easy to make and delicious. Not too sweet, since all the frosting and candy add enough.

Devin has been sewing up a storm at school. Her teachers report that it's one of her favorite activities and she can focus for long periods of time on finishing her work. I thought these owls were precious.

But, then she brought home this tiny gingerbread house. So sweet:)

We all worked on Xmas decorations around the house. The website "Pinterest" is my new time sucker and I find all kinds of inspirational ideas browsing those pins. For our mantle, I used Ball jars, my Grandma's red glasses and epsom salt for snow. It really twinkles and shines at night, which was my goal.

I had a crazy idea to visit the Kentucky Expo Flea Market-Christmas Show last weekend. As you can see, we were not exactly dressed to see santa. But, Devin insisted and she got her wish. I think we'll take a mall trip this week, in a more Christmas'y' dress. Plus, you can't tell Santa enough times how much you want an American Girl Doll....apparently.

So, this week was Devin's first Holiday Performance for school. Her class (and all classes) rehearsed for weeks & she was very excited for the evening.

Although, she was a bit apprehensive in the first moments. The church was BIG!

Once her friends arrived, she was all smiles.

Thanks to Matt for even attempting pictures. I don't have a telephoto lens yet ($$$) and I wanted to just enjoy the music and the moment. This gives a slight glimpse into the coolness of having 3-6 year olds in one class. Devin can be a leader and a learner in her class. She loves to help the younger children learn how to thread a needle or show them a more advanced lesson. But, she also sees the 6 year olds reading and doing more sophisticated math lessons...which is a big motivator for her.

This is the last time we'll see Miss Katie for a while. She's (obviously) going to deliver in the next few weeks and then take 3 months off....so Devin will have to adjust. She is the lead teacher and Devin is very attached. Luckily, the assistant teacher is Montessori certified and will take over as the lead teacher. They also found a 3 month substitute, to help with consistency. I'm sure I will get some subbing opportunities, during the cold winter months!

(Small) Lady in the Water

We spent a week in Destin, Florida & this was Dev's first trip to the beach. She was thrilled to be missing school, riding on an airplane and renting a new car. It's the small things, right?

Here's her first touch of the ocean...

When the sun was out, the warmth felt amazing. The water, however, was too cold for swimming. But, that didn't stop our little lady. She was so drawn to the water, it was hard to stop her. She spent one afternoon jumping waves and having a blast in the ocean, with her swimsuit on. But, mostly we searched for shells and dodged jellyfish.

She found a struggling little butterfly in the sand & gently brushed off it's wings.

One highlight was the Dolphin Cruise. Devin got a chance to drive the boat!

It was beautiful to see the animals living freely and investigating our boat.

This day it was way too cold to be in the water and the red flags were up for rough waves and current.

I love the hair horns she's sprouted. That's the result of a small round brush getting hopelessly tangled in her hair and I had to cut it at the root.

But, there's plenty of hair to go around. That's for sure.

Some Late Halloween Photos

I forgot to post a few pictures from Halloween. We took a walk down the famous Halloween street, on a warm and wonderful late October day. Just about every house decorates a little, some go all out.

My little jack-o-lantern has lost another tooth (on the bottom) since this picture!

This is Dev's lead teacher doing some pumpkin carving. Nothing like a long, sharp knife near a pregnant tummy to make me very nervous. But, she did a great job and the children were thrilled. As the room mom, I spent the day helping at the annual Harvest Festival. We painted pumpkins, scooped seeds, toasted the seeds and ate pumpkin muffins. It was a wonderful look into Devin's school world and how their day functions.

This was one of the houses from Hillcrest Street. The aquarium was on and bubbling.