we end up doing all sorts of fun activities and it just adds so much joy to the season!
some people might feel overwhelmed at the prospect of keeping up with all the joy, sparkle, and fun of the season but i find that being busy and on the go such a part of the season. don’t get me wrong…i love having slow days and catch up days and days where you don’t have a million places to be but i also try to be smart, efficient, and effective with my time and learn to say no when it’s too much.
with that said, here are a few snippets of some of the fun we had this past december!
G I N G E R B R E A D H O U S E
every year we create a gingerbread house. olive loves to decorate it and ellie likes to eat all the candies. LOL next year, i am going to try to create my own from scratch. well not from scratch scratch but i saw, this past season, a house made from graham crackers and all the fun trimmings and i think i might try that next year! i’ve gotten the same house for olive a couple years in a row and i am hoping to find a different one for her to make next year!
gingerbread trimmingsthis pretty much sums up all our projects. olive working hard and ellie watching and eating candy. LOLolive very cautiously putting on the candiesmy sweeties
S A N T A
in awe over mr. and mrs. clausI always say 4 is the magic number when it comes to santa! the sweetest letter that olive wrote to santa. i asked her what she wanted from santa and she said this. be still my heart.
D R I V E I N T H E A T R E
Z O O L I G H T S
a fun rainbow globe of lights having fun in the rainbow globe of lights having a blast with val
C O O K I E D E C O R A T I N G
excited to decorate!
R A N D O M S H E N A N I G A N S
painting animlas she cracks me up. showing off to me how focused she is. ellie working hard on her gorillahome baked cookies for the neighborshome from school, ugly sweater day, and ready for winter break!
once thanksgiving is over, we go all out for christmas! i know this year has been hard for a lot of people and many people decorated earlier than usual but hc and i still chose to wait until after thanksgiving. that poor holiday…no one really gives it a chance!
we always kick off our decorating weekend by pulling everything out and getting the tree done! the girls get so excited over it! they love going through all the ornaments. we blast holiday music, grab some drinks and get as much as we can done! sometimes we overwhelm ourselves. we have concluded that we have accumulate a lot more decor over the years, we can’t just nail it in one day {years prior…we used to get it done in one day}. we literally have to decorate over the weekend. oh em gee. so much work! but honestly, it’s worth it…it turns out so pretty!
with it now taking so much longer to decorate, i might change my tune and start decorating before thanksgiving! LOL it’s too stressful to do it all of black friday weekend! there’s just too much going then. oh, we shall see.
it just gets more magical as the girls get a little bit older. they are just more aware and more in awe and so so excited over christmas. ohhhhhh, i don’t know how i will handle it when they lose their innocence and it’s not as fun and exciting as it is now! i hope not…i hope they never lose their sense of wonder! i know it’ll be a slow progression but my heart aches at that thought right now.
decorating the treethey were so excited for the ornaments!such a doll. she was excited to find this ornament trimming the treeattempting to put the star on the treeshe found the santa hat and loved it!advent calendar i can’t with their sweet faceseating her delicious chocolate from the advent calendar
first off…it’s always around thanksgiving and that makes it difficult to plan anything as it’s a major holiday and many people travel. so, i always try to plan a party for her a weekend ahead of her birthday.
well then there’s covid. ohhhhhhh the rona. always getting in people’s way. it first started with a great idea. olive recently became interested in american girl dolls {hello…her friends influenced her LOL} and i thought…’oh! let’s host an american girl doll party at the american girl place in chicago!’. totally a great idea! i told hc that it’d be ideal to host a party there because it would be cheaper than what it would cost for me to host one. LOL #truth i buy that much decor for every party and it’s so much!
we thought, let’s invite a small group of girls, rent a limo, and go to the city to have lunch, explore, and then come home. a quick 2 ish hour party and it would be so much fun!
i have always committed to throwing parties for the girls at home, with only family, up until the age of 5. after that…i’m like…nope. that’s where friends become involved and i’d rather rent a space to host than to hold that in my own home. i don’t want to clean, worry about the food, create all the decor, and honestly…fret over the mess.
so with that in mind, i called american girl place to secure a reservation. first problem…with the pandemic, they didn’t take any reservations more than 30 days out. okuuuurrrr, if anyone knows me, they know i plan parties 4 month in advance. LOL having to deal with 30 days out was annoying but not so bad as i didn’t have to take care of much since i wasn’t hosting it at our house. so, with that…i have to wait a couple months until i could actually make a reservation!
it was finally near the end of october and i could, at last, secure a date and time with AGP. yahoo! i then sped through the motions and ordered invites, bought favors, and ordered all the extra jazz that i possibly could! i didn’t want to do any of that until i could confirm with AGP!
well, the bad news started rolling in. the week i made the reservations, our county and surrounding counties shut down indoor dining. not chicago yet but i was like ohhhhhh noooooooo! i only hoped chicago would stay open. as the weeks rolled by…it was looking dismal. covid infection rates were not looking good everywhere and i was stuck. what do i do??!!
i decided to just throw the party at our house. at that point, chicago had shut down and i didn’t know when it’d open up again. what i didn’t want to do but c’est la vie, non? so last minute, i started organizing and planning for a fete at our place. i ordered a cake, ordered games, ordered decorations, and so on. i was ready! a quick party turnaround and we were set to go!
then the covid struck again. the damn virus entered our household. ughhhhhhhhh. just days before the party. oh my goodness. i was at a loss. what to do?!! what to do?!!! oh olive! i wanted to celebrate her and make it special! so once again, i recalculated.
i decided to throw a zoom party. i put together party bags for all the girls. i brush lettered each of their names onto white bags. i put favor bags {full of AG themed goodies and treats!}, i put games that we were going to play, a craft project, and AG themed plates, cups, and napkins so they all could have lunch together. last but not least, i tied balloons to each bag to create the party ambience!
i porch dropped off all the bags the day of the party and we were ready to go! i picked up olive’s cake on the way back, got her ready in her sparkly AG dress, made her star filled lunch and logged in.
first on the agenda was all the girls having lunch together with their AG dolls and on their AG themed plates and cups. once they all ate, i started the games. we did a ‘do you know the birthday girl?’. all the girls had to answer questions pertaining to olive and at the end, olive said all the answers and whoever got the most right won! second, we played bingo. that was a lot of fun. the girls wanted to play several games and each time we had a different winner. we then did a scavenger hunt. the girls got to run around their house to find all the objects listed on the sheet. it was so fun! after that, the girls grabbed the craft project i placed in the bag and created the cutest paper butterflies.
the party lasted a little over an hour. exactly how long i wanted it to go for. it was soo much fun! what i loved most was that olive had so much fun and she had fun with her friends, zoom and all
her birthday celebration plans were all over the place but in the end, it turned out perfect. she was able to celebrate it with her friends, i was super happy to see her happy, and it felt like a somewhat normal birthday!
happy birthday my dear olive. you mean the world to us. we love you so much. you’re growing into the most beautiful girl and your soul is beyond kind. we are so proud of who you already are and can’t wait to see what you will become. thank you for being you. sweet, kind, loving, thoughtful, sensitive, practical, inquisitive, hard working, and responsible. we love you to the infinity and beyond.
my sweet girl celebrating her 7th covid style poms for the win! they’re so sweet! american girl doll cookie favors american girl doll favors: chalk, cookies, antibac handitizer, lip balm, pink mask with mask holder, crowns for girl and doll, and bracelets for girl and doll!gorgeous flowers by my sister kim american girl doll place settings what a poser. she’s so cute!american girl doll cake by strictly sugardelicious cookies i forgot to take a picture of the bags i dropped off! thanks to kiersten, she documented it for me! each bag contained a favor box, games, crafts, a american girl place setting for lunch, and of course, balloons to create the party vibe!ready for her zoom party! having lunch with her friends and their american girl dollsparty set that i dropped off at each house! ellie partaking in the scavenger hunt me leading craft time madison and taylor having fun craftingopening presents reveling in the aftermathsuch a sweetie!make a wish!
last year it snowed. this year it was near 70 degrees!!!! it was gorgeous out and the kids were so excited to not wear coats!
there are a few parts to this post.
pumpkin carving night. party decor. trick or treating.
we switch pumpkin carving between my parent’s house and our house. depending on the mood. this year, we decided to do it at my parent’s house. one…because of covid, we haven’t been over there a lot and two, it just felt right.
while the big kids carved, the little kids painted. the girls got dressed up because why not? it’s halloween season and they never get many chances to wear their costumes.
*****
PUMPKIN CARVING
[painting pumpkins]
[family time]
[silly sister, silly auntie]
[ellie’s pumpkin]
*****
i decided to decorate our place for a halloween party for no reason at all. i had a collaboration with a balloon shop for the big garland that you see and i thought, why not decorate? it’ll be fun – three hours later. LOL
i did have fun creating this festive space! the girls went nuts over the floating witch’s hats! that was a big pain in the butt as i had some trial and errors on figuring out how to keep them afloat without them falling down but i succeeded!
HALLOWEEN
[i decorated just for the hell of it]
[creepy cake]
[pretty blooms]
[cauldron of candy]
*****
halloween arrived and olive WAS SO EXCITED!!!!! she could not wait to go trick or treating! the best part about this day was the WEATHER. it was near 70 degrees and amazing!! it made for the best kind of trick or treating. when you are in the midwest, the weather on halloween is most likely cold, snowy, raining, or something not pleasant or conducive to being outside and asking for candy.
add in covid…everything was up in the air. no one was quite sure if trick or treating was allowed leading up to halloween but the most amazing part was how everyone came together and made it happen. so many houses made it so fun and special for the kids!
the creativeness behind candy chutes, tables, packaging, and community was off the charts. it seriously was the best halloween ever. people were awesome, welcoming, and festive. it added to our experience and the girls were having so much fun running from house to house. what was also great was the fact that you could identify which house was participating and which house wasn’t and that created the most efficient trick or treating time ever!
it’s obvious the girls are getting bigger as their stint of trick or treating lasted the longest it’s ever lasted. they literally succeeded in making it around the entire long circle block in my parent’s neighborhood. by the time we reached the house before my parent’s house, olive was done. just in time to head back home. their bags were filled to the brim with candy and they were super happy!
it was seriously the best halloween to date…thanks covid for inspiring the creativity in everyone and neighbors banning together to make it special for the kids!
TRICK OR TREAT
[such a gorgeous day for trick or treating!]
[super auntie thuy started them out on their route]
it was so sweet of our friend elisa to throw the cutest halloween party for our girls!
elisa and i are cut from the same cloth…as in we love to craft, be super extra, and throw parties! haha! yes, our minds never stop creating and before we know it, our simple party blows up to a crazy craft storm where too much is never enough. LOL
well, elisa’s party for the girls did not disappoint! we arrived late because the girls had swim lessons and we walked into a frenzy of crafting craziness. the girls who were already there were making halloween inspired wands, masks, and other fun things.
olive and ellie jumped right in and were instantly having fun with the other girls. all the moms were congregating around the drinks and food and that’s exactly where i ended up! my love language, food and drinks! and you can’t beat the great conversations we engaged in…these mamas are the best and are so fun!
there was so much cuteness involved. elisa not only had the girls crafting for hours, she had a pin the tail on something game, a candy bar where the girls could choose different types of goodies to put in their cauldrons, a photo booth, and the most festive favors to take home! it was absolutely adorable!
these are the moments i live for. i love socializing and i love that my girls have so much fun with their kiddos. it’s the best combo in life! hanging out with mamas who get you and kids who are besties cannot be beat.
olive’s friends have lost so many teeth. she wasn’t pushing it but recently noted that her friends were losing their teeth and she couldn’t wait! well her wait was over. it finally happened. a couple months ago, she mentioned to us that her tooth felt loose and sure enough, it was! weeks went by and it became looser and looser.
hc’s cousin ryan was coming into town for his birthday and his wife invited a bunch of people to a house they were renting in michigan. we were game to see ryan and celebrate his birthday. we drove up there to stay the night and leave the next day. the party was in full swing when we got there and we just shimmied our way into the festivities.
it was definitely a fun and crazy night. i felt like i was at a frat party with kids. now everyone there had kids but not with them like us. LOL the girls were super good and gramma and auntie missy were there for the early part of the evening and spent it with the girls. they left early and i then put them to bed. they brushed their teeth, put on their jammies and really wanted to watch t.v. for a bit and of course i let them. they definitely went to bed way too late! but hey, it was a party!
the next morning, while i am getting ready, hc comes downstairs with olive, ready and excited to show me something. oh my goodness!!!! baby girl lost her first tooth!!!! hc literally yanked it out of her mouth and olive didn’t flinch. i was so excited for her. she was soooooo excited herself! she couldn’t wait to show the entire world that she lost her first tooth! oh to be a sweet little kid!
she couldn’t wait to go back to school and show her friends that she lost a tooth! i also forewarned her that since most of her friends have already lost a lot of teeth, it might not be that exciting to them. ha! also, that she had to wear a mask all day at school and it might be difficult for her to actually show her friends her mouth. LOL
well, that didn’t matter…she was excited to show anyone who she saw and let them know she lost her first tooth. i love her for that! that night, we put her tooth in the tooth fairy pillow that she’s had and the tooth fairy brought her big bucks for her first lost tooth. way to score some dough olive!
the year of the corona. it didn’t stop us from going to the pumpkin farm.
everywhere you go…something has changed. so, we bought our pumpkin farm tickets in advance as they were only allowing a certain number of people to attend. i was excited we were able to get tickets for everyone and couldn’t wait to go.
it was supposed to be a beautiful day and it was. the sun was shining and the temps were supposed to be warm enough to not wear a jacket. soooooo i thought! ughhhhh! it was warm when we left the house and when we arrived, it was freezing! the temperature completely dropped and we were not prepared! so not prepared. even my hubby was cold…and that’s saying something! we only had cardi’s for the girls but they were running fools and didn’t need anything else to stay warm. where i was just standing around all cute and flipping cold. LOL
this is basically how it goes. our kids run around like crazy people exploring everything and us adults just stand around and talk and follow the kids wherever they go. hahaha! it works out perfectly!
once they explored all the rides, games, and animals…we decided to grab some grub and go inside to their open tent. the only place where it felt somewhat warmer. eep! hot cider, doughnuts, cookies, and all the fried greasy food you could eat! hc ordered a bunch of food for the girls and of course all ellie wanted was a cookie. she loves, loves sugar. especially chocolate but she won’t deny anything sugary.
once the kids were done eating, we were like peace out! we were cold and did not want to do anything else, after a couple hours of already exploring the entire place we were dunzo. i was hoping to grab a pumpkin or something festive to take home, high hopes before we got there but the cold just wanted me to run to the car. haha!
the girls had a blast with their cousins and we were happy! we got into our warm car and headed home to rest. our favorite thing to do!
ellie was invited to her first preschool birthday party for her friend Sienna {back in september}!
sienna and ellie started in prek3 together and will continue on as classmates for the next many, many years to come!
her mom, kelli, hosted the fete at a local princess party place in town. it was a beautiful day out and ellie was super excited to attend her friend’s party. olive had attended a party there for her friend betty, several months prior – right before the shutdown, but i didn’t take her, hc did. so, i had never been to this establishment.
we arrived to a lot of pink and princess everything. the girls could dress up as fairies, by picking out fun tutus, wings, and crowns. ellie was obsessed! she loved the rainbow wings and tutu. she originally picked a pink iridescent skirt but then soon found a matching rainbow one that went perfectly with her colorful wings.
once dressed up, they could walk the runway to show off their pretty gear. couple by couple, the girls working the venue eventually got all the little ones into their make up chairs and painted their faces and bedazzled their hair with a ton of glitter each. LOL i was like, dada is going to be so mad. he hates glitter!
after they had their hair and make up done, the girls then got manis! once everyone was decked out, they all walked the runway again before the pizza and cake was served!
overall, ellie had the best time with her friends! it was nice to be able to go to a party with just ellie’s friends! she’s always hanging out with olive’s friends – which is great! but it’s nice to have her hang out with girls her age, specifically the girls she goes to school with.
thanks kelli and sienna for having us at your party! it was so much fun!
[nice photos by morgan clare photography…bad photos by my iPhone LOL]
our house. it’s been a long story. we’ve been wanting to finish our house since we moved in years ago. LOL much like anyone else who buys an older house not suited to their style.
anyhoo, if you know us…it’s been a long process because my hubby, who’s talented, loves to do it himself {not even his day job…just a side job} and it’s taken foreverrrrrrrr to finish. well that day had come. over the summer, the downstairs basement was finally finished. hallelujah! total game changer friends. game changer. we now have so much more usable space and we love it!
i’ve been dying for the girls to have their own play area. a place where we can house most of their toys. a place where they can freely play without interfering with anything or anyone. i envisioned them having the cutest play area!
once the dry wall was finished, rich and i couldn’t wait to put it all together. we are currently still putting together the finishing touches to the other areas of the basement but the playroom needed to be done asap! i knew i wanted a rainbow painted in there. i knew i wanted a wardrobe space, a table, chalkboard, etc. i shopped feverishly to find the right items and quickly, it all came together!
voila! the cutest play space for my girls! i love it down there just as much as they do! every corner is too cute and feels so fresh!
thanks to my hubby and my mother in law for their help in getting this space done and ready for the girls! we all love it so much!
[we love the rainbow wall!]
[a remodel of the playroom and a remodel of this play kitchen]
[let’s play dress up]
[cute little rolling tray that i decorated with brush lettering]
olive never really had any interest in AGD until her friends had interests. and so it begins!
the first part of our day started out with the girls picking out their doll. it was eerily quiet in the huge store, usually bustling with lots of people. we walked in and started perusing the cases of dolls and olive knew immediately which one she wanted.
ellie, on the other hand, had some difficulty finding one. obviously they are sisters and look alike but we didn’t want to get the same doll. a very sweet salesperson helped us out and we found one for ellie that was similar but not the same doll as olive!
of course we bought accessories and spent a billion dollars on their dolls and stuff. ahhhhh! now for the really big moment down below!
*****
PICKING OUT THEIR DOLLS
[ready to shop]
[the choices]
[decisions, decisions, decisions]
[we got one]
[they actually have different dolls, believe it or not]
[talking to dada]
[she’s so excited for her doll]
[showing off their goodies]
*****
so this was the day. the BIG day olive wanted to get her ears pierced! she hemmed and hawed for months and every time she said she was ready, she backed out. this time she was serious and told me over and over that she was ready to get her ears pierced. of course she was solid ready when we were sheltering in place during a pandemic and all nonessential businesses were closed. doh!
when everything opened back up, i was ready to make the appointment and make a big deal for her! as i always do! i planned for us to go downtown, hit up AGP, get her ears pierced, and have lunch! we did just that!
once we were in the room where she gets her ear pierced, she started to get nervous. i did my best to calm her and ensure her that she was going to be so brave and that it, seriously, is just a quick pinch! she wanted to believe me but become super somber as the lady cleaned and marked her ear. i gave her a tissue and she covered her face as the lady pierced her first ear. she still wasn’t convinced and started to wince once the lady went in for the other ear. but once it was done. once it was over. once her two ears were pierced, she was allllllll smiles!!
i was so proud! she was super happy and olive had her ears pierced! wahoooooo! she also got her doll’s ears pierced as well! they both had blue matching earrings. so cute!
GETTING HER EARS PIERCED
[excited to get her ears pierced]
[measuring]
[wincing for the actual pinch!]
[very somber feeling to get the other ear pierced]
[second ear!]
[super relieved and excited to have her ears pierced]
[all smiles]
[matching earrings]
*****
after she got her ears pierced, we celebrated by having lunch at their restaurant. what a fun experience! they have chairs for you and your doll and your doll gets a bag of goodies! we ordered our food and reveled in the experience. we loved seeing all the other parents and girls with their dolls, most were celebrating their birthdays!
once we finished our lunch and dessert was served, we headed back to the car on this beautiful day to head home. overall, it was quite the day…we had the best time, things were accomplished, and so much fun was had!
