1) St. Nicholas Day. the evening before December 6, Cecilia decided to use her Easy Bake oven to bake special brownies for St. Nicholas. she took some liberties with the directions and the resulting brownies were about 3 mm thick, but she was convinced he would love them anyway... and he did!
Cece put both shoes out in hopes of extra recognition ;) St. Nick brought chocolate coins, chocolate Santas in varying sizes, hot chocolate bombs, and baby food and a Chews Life decade rosary for Victoria
2) The Nutcracker. starting when she was three, Greta has gone to the Nutcracker each year with Nick as a special daddy/daughter date. then Cecilia joined them, and then one year we went with friends, and in 2020 we watched the Nutcracker over a specially streamed production. when it came back as a live production in 2021, I decided I wanted to join in on the tradition too. ;) this year, I was able to take advantage of a special sale to snag tickets just eleven rows back from the front. it made such a difference to be able to see all the details of the set and costuming, not to mention the dancers' facial expressions and even their most subtle movements. my one beef with our local professional production is the recorded music. the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra used to play for the Nutcracker, but due to cited financial difficulties, the ballet company has been using recorded music since 2005. I'm sure there's some politics and drama behind the scenes; it's definitely a point of contention between members of the arts community. the symphony does play for a few select ballet performances each season, so I hope one day they will be back for the Nutcracker too!
a kind stranger took this photo while Nick was parking the car!
Cecilia was Feeling It (and it was 50 degrees outside, so she could wear her beloved strappy sandals!)
the production contains so many whimsical nods to Pittsburgh history and culture. the clock above the stage represents the large clock outside Kaufmann's department store downtown (the store was converted to a Macy's when I was in college). the mansion is based on the McKee family estate on Fifth Avenue (it has since been torn down). a toy pirate and a toy penguin come to life in the party scene, representing the baseball and hockey teams.
traditional photos with the Sugar Plum Fairy at intermission (Cecilia was very confused by the fact that the sugar plum fairy on stage was blonde; we had to explain that the leading dancers alternate for performances!)
3) Christmas preparations. on an unseasonably warm day in early December, we traipsed out to one of the local tree farms to cut down our own tree. unfortunately, the pickings were slim -- the nicely shaped trees were small, and the taller ones were asymmetric or thin. we finally selected the best one and got it set up at home, where it seemed even more inadequate. I told the girls it was a good lesson to be grateful for what we have and that some families don't even get a tree, but every time we walked past it I could almost hear an audible "wah-wah" Debbie Downer side effect.
after a few days, Nick said he couldn't take it anymore and stopped by a pre-cut tree sale hosted by the local high school's marching band. we had never bought a tree from them before, but I think they will be the first place we check in coming years! he found a beautiful tree for the same price we paid for the first one, and put up the original tree outside with lights on it.
Cece was the only one up for a photo shoot at the tree farm (once again, note the sandals!); Greta was mad about the tree and the babies were losing their minds
just... not quite what we had in mind
a few days later! (this was right after the tree went into the stand, so the branches fluffed out and Nick trimmed the stragglers at the bottom)
this was the first year I ever bought matching pajamas for the whole family. I usually do it just for the girls, but Old Navy had an epic sale over Labor Day and I jumped on it! unfortunately, I didn't even open the package until mid-December and discovered they had sent me the wrong pattern for Victoria's sleeper (the packing slip listed the pattern they sent me; my order confirmation showed the picture of the wrong pattern but the name of the right pattern). it was past the return window and they were all out of stock of the right pattern anyway, so poor V was left out. I suppose she'll never know, unless she reads this someday!
decorating the tree; I didn't push for a whole family photo since Victoria would have been left out!
I did the Christmas baking all on December 23 and it was nice to just lean into it. apart from an occasional banana bread, I don't bake during the rest of the year. our essentials include seven layer bars, peanut butter blossoms, candy cane cookies, and sugar cookie cutouts. this year I tried a new recipe for peppermint shortbread bars, which immediately earned their own spot on the essential list (and the bag of crushed candy canes from the baking aisle was completely worth it, although I did make my own graham cracker crumbs for the seven layer bars).
little miss independent moved the trash cans out of the way, scooted her stool up to the counter and was just about to help herself to freshly baked cookies when I caught her
our dear friends dropped off a cookie decorating kit and other goodies for us!
Greta learned how to make these little yarn hat ornaments in art class. all you need is a section of toilet paper roll to form the bottom of the hat, and then some kleenex to stuff inside to plump it up!
cheesin' it up at daycare
our first snowfall of the season was barely enough to cover the grass, but Cece was determined to build a snowman. she named him John. :D
4) Christmas concert. the annual Christmas concert and carol-sing at our school has become a highlight of the holiday season! when the school first opened three years ago, the concert was sweet and of course we enjoyed seeing all of the adorable kids. as the music program has grown, the choral singing has developed as well. I appreciate that they are teaching the kids good diction and supported, beautiful tone. the church is always packed, but because Nick accompanies the closing carols on the organ, our family gets VIP seating in one of the front rows. this year we even got VIP parking! this concert was particularly special as the 6th through 8th grade schola sang pieces they would be performing in just a few weeks' time in Rome, as part of an international choir consortium that sang for the papal mass on New Year's Day, as well as several other masses throughout the week. they made several local papers as they were the only Pennsylvania school to participate, and Aleteia did a nice article on them as well. by the time they do this again, Greta will be old enough to participate, and I can't wait!
Cecilia in the back row: first grade sang O Come, Divine Messiah
fourth grade sang In the Bleak Midwinter (excuse the poor quality; this is a screen recording of the school's video, as Victoria started screaming for a bottle just as the song began and Nick took over recording for me, but accidentally pressed "stop" recording at the beginning so we don't have any of our own footage. grateful for the school video for sure!)
I love peppermint/candy cane flavoured things. I'm STILL sipping coffee with peppermint mocha creamer and I will be legit devastated when my final carton runs out because it is seasonal but why BECAUSE IT'S SO GOOD and deserves a spot on the shelf all year round...
My mom and I used to make those hat ornaments and I have all sorts of them on my tree. I don't think I've ever done them with my daughter though - note to self for next year. It's such a fun craft and they look adorable as ornaments and are a GREAT addition to a gift bag.
Bummer about the sleeper not being in the right pattern. *Sigh*
Haha, it's technically Christmas until February 2 (Candlemas) so we're just riding the wave over here. We may or may not still have our Christmas tree up!
I'm right there with you on the peppermint, especially when combined with either white or dark chocolate.
I had never seen those hat ornaments until she brought them home from school! They are just so cute and easy to make, even for my first grader. It kept the girls occupied and COOPERATING for an entire weekend afternoon (!! I know you can understand the beauty of THAT feat!).
OK I think I saw Les Mis in that theater? Phil took me on a date while we were in college to see Les Mis and he was very excited about it (because it was a big splurge) but I didn't like the play at all. Too dark and dirty and depressing for me, and I tried to pretend I liked it because I didn't want to hurt his feelings. Yikes. You ladies look lovely for the Nutcracker and so cute in the matching pjs. And yum on all your Christmas baking!!!
Yes, you probably did see Les Mis there! That's the Benedum Center downtown. Les Mis is one of my favourite books and musicals of ALL TIME -- I've never seen the play, but it SHOULD be a story of such wild redemption and mercy that it is worth all the darkness in the beginning. Obviously the play did not communicate that enough!
On the flip side, the Broadway national tour of Les Mis came through here last year and I was SO excited. Nick came with me even though he hates musicals. He definitely was dozing off through the last part, while I had literal goosebumps of emotion. Maybe Phil and I can go see it together next time it comes into town and you and Nick can go get dinner ;)
it feels a bit preposterous to sit down and type out a list of woes on my personal laptop, in my own heated house, while my four healthy children nap or play (respectively) and I sip on a San Pellegrino flavored water from a case that a neighbor on our Buy Nothing group just gifted us. and yet. and yet! there has been quite a bit of woe in the last several weeks and I want to complain about it, so I shall. at the top of the list: car woes. not one, but two of Nick's cars were hit by other drivers within the past month. fortunately he was not injured, but working on his cars is essentially therapy for him -- so he lost not just two vehicles in his fleet, but also the time that was required to deal with insurance and police reports, and the emotional benefit of his favourite hobby. this car was rear-ended while parked. Nick wasn't actually in the car, but saw it happen -- the driver of the SUV in the photo below was driving full speed in the right hand lane and didn't reali
Victoria Anne was born on the Fourth of July, weighing 6 pounds 3 ounces and measuring 19 inches long! Miss Victoria arrived right on schedule -- I had requested a 39 week induction based on numerous factors, including my age and gestational diabetes, although thank goodness the diabetes was well controlled without medication, so my maternal fetal medicine/high risk OB was comfortable letting me go up until 41 weeks if I wished -- which I didn't! I had an easy induction experience with Greta (at 10 days post-due date), so I was fairly confident that my body would kick into gear quickly the fourth time around. Cecilia's birth was a precipitous one-hour labor that has garnered her the nickname Sidewalk Baby, and Elizabeth was born after a relatively quick five hour labor. 39 weeks happened to fall exactly on the Fourth of July, and we decided to go for it! Mom arrived on a red-eye flight the morning of July 2, and came along to mass with us. that evening, we squeezed in
1) Baby Victoria Anne is here! you can read her full birth story here . she arrived at 5:18 PM on the Fourth of July, and we are all absolutely smitten. she is four weeks old today. as I've experienced with now all four of my girls, time is such an elusive concept in the newborn stage. on the one hand, it seems she can't possibly already be almost a month old, while on the other, I can't imagine a time that she wasn't a part of our family. one of the things I treasure most about this postpartum time is the opportunity to visit with friends and family. I'm so grateful for their support and thoughtfulness in bringing meals and spending time together -- it's nourishing for both body and soul! Vin and Susan brought us a delicious meal featuring pork belly and pork tenderloin (we had corn on the cob and salad too, but we probably could have all used a bottle or two of Lipitor!) unbelievably delicious ladies' night with my best girls (not pictured: pizza and wi
Now I'm feeling...festive.
ReplyDeleteI love peppermint/candy cane flavoured things. I'm STILL sipping coffee with peppermint mocha creamer and I will be legit devastated when my final carton runs out because it is seasonal but why BECAUSE IT'S SO GOOD and deserves a spot on the shelf all year round...
My mom and I used to make those hat ornaments and I have all sorts of them on my tree. I don't think I've ever done them with my daughter though - note to self for next year. It's such a fun craft and they look adorable as ornaments and are a GREAT addition to a gift bag.
Bummer about the sleeper not being in the right pattern. *Sigh*
Haha, it's technically Christmas until February 2 (Candlemas) so we're just riding the wave over here. We may or may not still have our Christmas tree up!
DeleteI'm right there with you on the peppermint, especially when combined with either white or dark chocolate.
I had never seen those hat ornaments until she brought them home from school! They are just so cute and easy to make, even for my first grader. It kept the girls occupied and COOPERATING for an entire weekend afternoon (!! I know you can understand the beauty of THAT feat!).
OK I think I saw Les Mis in that theater? Phil took me on a date while we were in college to see Les Mis and he was very excited about it (because it was a big splurge) but I didn't like the play at all. Too dark and dirty and depressing for me, and I tried to pretend I liked it because I didn't want to hurt his feelings. Yikes. You ladies look lovely for the Nutcracker and so cute in the matching pjs. And yum on all your Christmas baking!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, you probably did see Les Mis there! That's the Benedum Center downtown. Les Mis is one of my favourite books and musicals of ALL TIME -- I've never seen the play, but it SHOULD be a story of such wild redemption and mercy that it is worth all the darkness in the beginning. Obviously the play did not communicate that enough!
DeleteOn the flip side, the Broadway national tour of Les Mis came through here last year and I was SO excited. Nick came with me even though he hates musicals. He definitely was dozing off through the last part, while I had literal goosebumps of emotion. Maybe Phil and I can go see it together next time it comes into town and you and Nick can go get dinner ;)