C is for Cookie!

four year old plus holiday cookie party equals BLISS. isa and i went to a cookie party this afternoon, hosted by the fabulous aimee, and i dare say that isa had a very sweet time. pun fully intended. as they say, it takes a village, and we are lucky enough to be in a village full of bakers! good thing, since mommy can't follow a cookie recipe (that doesn't include Betty Crocker) to save her life. isa had a blast, spending a good hour and a half at the table, surrounded by icing, sprinkles, gingerbread men, and sugar cookies. good times, good times.

around the house...

it really starts to seem like winter when everything is centered on being inside. ok, not that we have become complete hermits already, but it still really feels like winter when you spend so much time indoors. so, given the disclaimer, here's what our week looked like... we have a family of six deer that come and hang out in the yard every day. it's not a surprise anymore to look up from the windows of the shop and be face to face with an inquisivite deer. yesterday they finished off the rest of the pumpkins on the porch. sylvi was pretty ticked at this and i think we can safely say that deer have been added to the same list of disliked animals as the seagulls.

we've been doing some crafting and decorating as well, hence the color felt balls and the resulting garland. it was intended to be a kid-friendly project but turns out it takes alot of time to thread all those balls (with a needle and pliers too, actually). so they didn't make it through the whole thing, but they did enjoy picking out each ball and helping find a pattern for a while. and of course they love the end product now, so that's something!

sylvi had her two year screening at isa's preschool this morning, and she was very excited about it. as soon as she knew we were headed to the school, she insisted on wearing her backpack. she really enjoyed the screening and took part in all the sections, passing with flying colors like we figured she would. now we just sit back and wait and hope she gets a spot for preschool next year. that's right... sylvi will be in preschool next year and isa in kindergarden. all i can say is WOW.

what a girl wants...

an apple slice, a comfy chair and some sesame street.

christmas cards

Cool Collage Holiday 5x7 folded card

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magic

and now it feels like christmas. isa and i decorated the tree tonight and can now sit back and enjoy the view. sylvi just couldn't stay awake for all of the action, as she is getting caught up from a week of being sick and can barely make it to her normal bedtime without dozing off. but we saved lots of ornaments for her to put on tomorrow and will let her help with the angel as well. even though he doesn't necessarily agree, phil is sweet enough to indulge me in my "we must get a BIG tree" holiday impulse. what can i say? it's in my genes or something.

one more

this gem oh a snapshot got left out somehow! it's pretty fun! isa was lucky enough to have many, many of her favorite people in attendance on both nights. clearly she is enjoying the presence of curtis and sam here!

the Nutcracker 2010

in unusually slow fashion, we are just now getting some Nutcracker photos and commentary up on the blog. i know, a whole 48hrs right? but what can i say, it's been a really busy weekend. thursday, friday and saturday nights were filled with late night dress rehearsals and two performances. then sunday was the annual Art in the Afternoon christmas show for mommy. on top of all that excitement, sylvi ended up with an ear infection and a weekend of feeling pretty under the weather (although still in remarkably good spirits, let it be known). we have alot to catch up on around here, but without further ado: the Nutcracker 2010!

isa's ballet school puts on a production of the Nutcracker each year as a fundraiser for a community member in need. this year, the show was in honor of one of the youngest dancers, who is being treated for a malignant brain tumor. she's only three years old and is now on round two of her battle. she lost almost all of her eyesight from the first surgery to remove the tumor but has still taken part in ballet this Fall. with the help of Ms. Tricia and some creative teaching tools (Krysta can really only see vague shadows), she was able to take part and dance with her class on stage. it was a sight to behold and i think it's safe to say that there were very few dry eyes in the auditorium.

as for the rest of the girls, they put on a heck of a show as well. it was really impressive, given that there are over 90 students ranging from toddlers to grown women. isa and her classmates were the "baby party girls" and took part in the open scene with Clara and her mother and sister. i know i'm pretty partial but... the little ones stole the show! they were clearly enjoying themselves and did their routine quite well, considering. even though it was alot of work, isa really enjoyed taking part and is already insistent on doing it again next year. sylvi is too, for that matter, and if the current trend holds she will be joining her sister on stage as well.