Christmas 2014

We had a very nice Christmas this year and were very thankful everyone was able to be here. Brian had the week off which was really nice for him to spend time with the kids. For the last two years he's planned a building project to do with the kids the week he's off. They plan it all out, make trip to Home Depot and of course get out the big table saw and make a huge mess (that's the best part!) This year their building project was racing cars, last year was the manger which became front and center as part of our Christmas decorations. I had a short week and only had to work Tuesday and Christmas Eve until 1:30. It was nice to get off early and not have to rush off to church. Steve and Steph came Tuesday night and Becki and Dallas drove up Christmas Eve. We went to 4:30 mass and discovered they started a new tradition of inviting the kids up to the altar where Father Paperini reads the story of the Poinsetta and how it came to be the Christmas flower. Pretty cool story! The kids choir performed, which was beautiful to listen to. Nothing like kids singing Chrismas music to warm your heart! After church we headed back to the house to open pjs and get the kids settled with Gram and Gramps while Brian and I went to the Selby's for dinner with Mom and Dad. It's great to be a part of the Selby tradition and catch up with everyone else that goes every year. I've been going since I was a kid, so I love that Brian enjoys going as much as I do. We were hoping to meet Marie's new baby girl Greta, but they spend time with her husband's family Christmas Eve, so we'll have to wait for another time. Christmas morning everyone came over in their pajamas and we had a nice breakfast and opened gifts. It was a little different this year since cinnamon rolls weren't on the menu, but Brian made up for it with a delicious frittata. Some year he'll take on the challenge of making gluten free cinnamon rolls, just wasn't this year. Of course we stayed in our pajamas until we had to get ready to go to Grammy and Grandpa's for dinner. Over there we met Bonnie, Al, Adam and Lucas, Dan, Mindy and her 3 kids. It was a full house, just how it should be for the holidays!

The Nutcracker

Aunt Becki had been talking about taking Ashley to see the Nutcracker for a few years, so we finally made it happen and met them in Eugene for the Eugene Ballet Company's performance at the Hult Center. I was very impressed with the ballet and our seats were great. We had seen the ballet a few weeks prior when our neighbors performed locally. I was impressed with that one, but this was incredible! I was in awe at how well they told the story though dancing, unlike a play or musical where voices are used. I always thought of the Nutcracker as something I would fall asleep watching, not so! There was so much going on, such beautiful costumes and sets, and the dancing was phenomenal. Can you tell I enjoyed myself! Then after the show, Uncle Dallas used his connections and got us back stage to see where the dancers performed and the different sets they used. That was really cool too!

We weren't supposed to take pictures, but I had to sneak at least one in!

standing in front of the orchestra pit

Behind the scenes on one of the set pieces

Ballet

Ashley had a little dance performance on Grammy's birthday, so we invited them to come watch and then went out to dinner after. Usually the curtain is closed and we can't see what they've been working on, so this was a good opportunity to see the hard work they do in class. The teacher is tough, but the kids love her. She really focuses on getting them to be stronger, better dancers. She's in the big leagues now, no more Community Center stuff! At the end, the kids performed to a song from the Nutcracker all on their own. It was really cute to see them counting to themselves and looking at each other to see what they should be doing. I was proud of Ashley, for her first time performing without the teacher, she did pretty well!

Snowball Social

Ashley's school had a "Snowball Social", which the kids and I volunteered at setting up the day before. They had a breakfast, an area for the kids to make an ornament, 2 balloon makers, and of course pictures with Santa. It was a fun event to go to and be a part of.

Polar Express

Papa bought tickets to the Polar Express this year and we all had a blast on the magic train to the North Pole! He took the kids to buy the book since they hadn't read the story yet. Then the night before he took them to get some gluten free candy and caramel corn for the trip. I took Ashley to see our neighbors perform in the Nutcracker at West Linn High School the same afternoon. I don't know what address I put in, but I thought it only took 30-40 min to get to Hood River and we had plenty of time to do both. Boy was I wrong! Brian text me in the middle of the ballet to leave early because it took an hour to get there! We rushed home, quickly got into our pj's (because that's what you wear on the Polar Express) and we got there with 10 minutes to spare! Too close, but it all worked out! On our way to the North Pole we listened to the Polar Express story, had hot cocoa and the treats that we brought (everyone else had cookies that they provided) and sang Christmas carols. Of course the train was magic so it got us there quickly. A reindeer even crossed the tracks when we got close so we had to stop (Ashley thought it was telling us we needed to turn around because we were going the wrong way). Then when we got the the North Pole, we picked up Santa and he sat with every little girl and boy on that train. His helper elf even gave each child a Polar Express bell (the first gift of Christmas in the story). The kids loved it and now when we unpack their special bells at Christmas time, we'll remember that night and how much fun we had.

The conductor punched a "P" in each of the tickets and made a huge mess all over the kids.  They thought that was pretty funny!

Waiting patiently for Santa