December 2011

Community Tree lighting and nativity

Santa #1 at the tree lighting

Santa #2 at the Cleft Team party

LiaVietnamese culture exhibit being taken for a ride

Practice for being a mom; tote that diaper bag, and lift that child, have a few too many white wines and land in therapy (with apologies to Paul Robeson)

Mary and Joseph waiting in the wings at Pageant rehearsal

Reheasrsal - the Christmas eve production will be in Church

Making cookies for caroling

Entering the North Pole

Santa's sleigh

With the Big Man

Adding on to the already extensive Xmas lists

Sending off the request- her list now has over 50 items, hum we need to talk about consumerism

Cool digital feature at Santa Land

There are 6 more pix like this despite Mama's pleas to "just smile for one second!"

Visiting the lions in NYC

At Rockefeller Center with Donna

And Mama

It was spectacular

Making a friendship wreath at school - all the hands are formed into a giant wreath.

Caroling reindeer

Caroling -we go to Grandma Pines house too

Decorating Grandma's tree

Cookie Monster, or rather Microwave S'more monsters

Getting to the end finally. And now we’re headed into the main event, Christmas. Party number one, sponsored by Lian’s Cleft Team was at the County Children’s Museum, always a fun event. There was a terrific display on folktales from Vietnam, Santa visited – with presents - and they could spend as much time in the bubble-arium and hanging climber as their hearts desired. Santa # 2 was at the community Xmas tree lighting and live nativity. Next up, cookie baking for the Xmas caroling party. We went caroling, which includes racing around town in a car convoy to various houses, and then back to church for cookies and hot chocolate. Jamie sang in the Messiah concert, the girls squirmed in the back pew until I sent them out into the cloister to color. So much for culture -in Lela's words, "But it's BORING." Santa #3 was the big kahuna, the Man himself, or at least one of his top eleves, says Lela, at Macy's Santaland. If you go , go on a weekday right afrer school - only took 25 minutes. Then we walked up 5th Ave to see all the Xmas decorations, and had dinner with Lian's Godmother and my long time friend, Donna. Santa #4 visited church coffee hour last weekend.

Lela has a big role this year- she has been cast as Mary in the church Christmas pageant on Christmas Eve.

We are not going out to WI to visit my family this year, as the logistics are not working in our favor -school is not out until the 24th, and since we don't really want to spend Xmas eve in a hotel in Ohio, we'd have to leave Monday, drive 2 days out, stay 3 days, drive 2 days back. Christmas will be with Chris and Christy this year. But we will have lots to do. Surprise visitors showed up this week, the girls' good friends, Meiling and Ian, arrived with their Dad from China for a visit with their grandparents. We're planning playdates and outings with other good pals. And of course, after Xmas shopping.