Cute Smiles

 

Estelle lost both her front teeth.  She was very excited and looks super cute.

Happy New Year

We have never had to plan New Years before.  We have gone to a party every year for as long as I can remember...and then Covid changed parties and we found ourselves wondering what to do.  

We ended up watching movies until Midnight with the girls on actual New Years Eve and then two days later we had our friends, the Van Dams over for a post (fake) New Years celebration.  We played card games and they brought a Nintendo, so we all had some fun playing Tetris.

2020 was a unique year and it certainly turned out  different than we anticipated at the first of the year.  I don't think anyone could have guessed back in January that we would spend most of the year at home doing virtual school or that all our normal activities would be canceled.  I never guessed there would be no volleyball season in 2020 or that we wouldn't go to church for months.  It certainly was unexpected.  

Yet, different as it was, 2020 was a really great year for our family.  We were able to take a couple road trips that we would not have had time to do without the flexibility that Covid created.  The girls thrived in school and we discovered some new fun ways of learning.  We had time to learn new skills and prioritize things that often slipped through the cracks in the past.  We are grateful to not have been sick or out of work, and we recognize what a huge blessing that is as we see friends and neighbors struggling with these things.  We were grateful for some opportunities that we had to serve others.  

2020 was a great opportunity to learn adapting skills and a reminder that happiness is a state of mind.  One can be happy in most circumstances.  I hear so many people complain about what they are missing, but I can't help but think about what we have gained.  While we do look forward to returning to school and larger activities, we will always remember 2020 as a good year.    

 

Missing Teeth and Dr. Check-ups

Sienna had her final arm checkup over the break.  She was a bit nervous (we don't have a good track record with getting good news at the doctor's), but all is well and we are hoping to never go back.  

Estelle lost her front tooth and is pretty proud of her new smile.  

 

Post Christmas Fun

Sienna enjoying the new beads.

Estelle got some new hair accessories.  Natalia tried them out and then she put in all her new pony tail holders and turned into a unicorn.  

We did lots of Lego building and playing.  Jodee got her own Lego set this year, so even she got to get in on the fun.  

I love that the Christmas fun does not stop after Christmas.  We spent the next two nights at Grandma's house.  We played games and had fun playing with the new toys.  We ate so much food, got in a little outdoor time and just had a great time together.  Plus Sienna got to use her new bow. 

Then we headed back to our house for second Christmas morning.  All the Christmas stuff is still on the floor in the living room and the kids haven't really had a chance to play with anything yet so it feels like Christmas all over again.  

We spent the rest of December playing with Jodee and enjoying all the new Christmas stuff.  We played lots of new games, watched movies, ate leftovers (pie for breakfast...my favorite), and rarely changed out of our pajamas.  It was fun.  We were all sad when it was time for Jodee to leave.  She really does make Christmas so much fun!

 

Christmas Day

 

After all the fun at our house in the morning, we headed down to Grandma's house for more fun.  We love spending the rest of Christmas Day at grandma and grandpa's. The kids opened their gifts from grandma, we ate more yummy food, and played some games.  Sienna and Eli put on a musical performance for us.  Sienna has been practicing her Christmas songs all December.  She did a really good job.  The girls also performed their nativity poppet show again.  

We continued to eat good food, and the adults opened gifts from each other.  It was another fun filled day.  I love that Christmas seems to last and last.  The girls were so happy with their gifts.  Estelle was especially excited to get kinetic sand and Polly pocket dolls.  Sienna was thrilled to get a big nerf gun (the kids...and the men...had a great war in the basement).  Natalia was thrilled with her Lego sets and, while surprised to get a baby Yoda, has decided that she is quite a fan now.  (Hector and the girls binge watched The Mandalorian after Christmas and baby Yoda sat right there with them each episode.)

  

Christmas Morning Surprise!!!

 

We had some fun at Sienna's expense this year.  We knew she really wanted a bow and Hector is not the best at keeping secrets about Christmas, so Sienna thought she knew that dad was getting her a new bow.  We pulled a stunt straight from the movie, A Christmas Story, and hid a gift for each kid and didn't tell them about it until well after the gift opening was done.  

We got all ready to go to grandma's house after all the Christmas Morning fun and then the kids found one more envelop hidden in the tree.  It contained a riddle.  Once they solved the riddle, it led them to the back of the van where they found three gifts.  Sienna was so funny.  I could see her get so excited when she found the note; it was like Christmas had been saved for her...maybe she really would get her new bow.  Then the girls find all the big boxes in the van, but hers does not look big enough for a bow, so I see her get nervous.  We of course make her wait to open her box last.  We had them carry the gifts back inside and Estelle went first; she got a fun art board.  Then Natalia opened a big Harry Potter Lego set; she was thrilled.  Sienna was dieing waiting, so we finally let her open hers.  It was the bow she wanted and she let out a sigh of relief.  "I knew it, I knew it, I knew I was getting a bow!"  She then felt okay about sharing all her feelings from the morning.  She told us that she felt disappointed to not get the bow, but didn't want to feel that way because she was so grateful for all her other gifts and she loves Christmas and her family.  She was so cute about it and soooo happy.  Love her and her emotions and thoughtfulness.  What great kids we have!

The bow was definitely Sienna's favorite gift, but she was also really excited about her new basketball (it is blue), her multi-purpose camping tool, and her blue camo vest from Jodee.  

Natalia was must excited about all her Legos, her cooking book and new slippers.

Estelle LOVES her new slippers, she is so excited to have sewing stuff and her own Fitbit watch!  She is always counting steps now.  

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning is so much fun!  When my kids are grown, I think this is one of the things I will miss the most.  All the buildup and anticipation for Christmas morning is so alive with young kids; we love to let the morning last as long as we can.  We heard the girls up early, but they know not to come into our room before 7:00.  They came barging through the door the moment the clock struck 7:00am.  They already had their beds made and they were ready to go downstairs.  We, of course, torture them a little and make them wait as we get ready.  It drives them crazy, but they love it at the same time.  

They were not disappointed when they finally came downstairs.  Sienna found treats that our Elf left for us; they all love Fererro Rochers and our elf left us a huge tray of them.  They were very excited.  

Us adults had fun watching the girls go through their stockings that Santa left for them.  They get so excited about all the small stuff...and candy canes!  Some of the gifts in the stockings are wrapped.  Natalia had come up with a fun idea to play to play a little game with these gifts.  She made a dice challenge.  Depending on what number you rolled, you had to open the gift in a different or funny way.  Some gifts were opened with feet, eyes closed, with gloves on; it was a fun idea.  After stockings, we took a little break to eat our rice pudding for breakfast.  We may have had some pie too.  

After breakfast, we went to work on the rest of the gifts.  I love how excited the girls are to give gifts.  They truly love giving presents to each other.  They all made gifts for Jodee and they could not wait for her to open them.  They were more excited about that than their own gifts.  Sienna put a lot of work into some great wood burning projects this year.  She wood burned a baby Yoda for Jodee and was so excited for her to open it.  It turned out really great.  

The girls love to give gifts to each other as well.  We swap names each year and we help cover the cost of the one gift, but I am impressed with their litter generous spirits.  The made or bought with their own money other gifts for the sister they didn't pick.  Natalia and Estelle enjoy their American Girl dolls and Natalia was excited to get Estelle a bunch more clothes for her dolls.  Estelle loved it.  Natalia said she didn't want more doll clothes, but Sienna found her Harry Potter clothes and knew she would love it.  She did!  Natalia loves Happy Potter so much.  Natalia was sweet and really wanted to get something for Sienna but was having a hard time coming up with ideas.  Then she had the great idea to get her more cute wood for her wood burning projects.  And then there was Estelle's gift for Sienna.  She ordered it at the beginning of December on Amazon Prime.  We waited and waited for it to arrive (Estelle asked every day if it came yet; she was so excited to get it all wrapped up for Sienna).  First they moved the arrival date to Dec.17th, no problem.  Didn't come.  They they said it would arrive between Dec. 22-25.  Okay, not ideal, but we can deal with that.  Did not arrive.  Christmas was over, but we thought for sure it would be there a couple days after Christmas.  Nope.  Then Amazon says it may be lost.  Okay, start working on a refund because nothing has changed on the tracking number since we ordered it almost a month ago.  Then...we start to see that a package with that tracking number is finally being moved from warehouse to warehouse.  After another week...Now into January...Sienna finally got her gift from Estelle.  She loved it and both girls were happy.  Merry Christmas in January.  

Estelle was excited to get a sewing kit!  She has really been into sewing lately.  She opened the box and found some fabric, "My own fabric! Yes, I can sew whatever I want!"

I got Hector a few gifts, one was really big so I wrapped it as soon as it came and it sat near the tree for a few weeks.  The girls are were dieing to know what was in the gift.  Big boxes are just to alluring.  They could not wait for Hector to open it.  It was a really nice camping chair.  It is mid January now that I am finally writing about this and the camping chair is still in our living room because it is so comfortable.  We all fight over who gets to sit in it when we watch movies.  Haha, we all prefer it to our regular furniture.    

There were so many fun gifts.  I got a cute pie dish from Jodee and I cannot wait to use it.  The girls got gift cards from Grandma and they are looking forward to a shopping trip.  

Estelle got ballet lessons and she was so excited!  Sienna and Natalia got a gift certificate to a zip line course they have been wanting to go to.  I get to go with them, so it is like a gift for me too.  

I love watching the girls open gifts.  It makes me so happy and I love spoiling them a little at Christmas.  

The Girls seemed really happy with everything they got for Christmas.  Sienna was the only one that we could tell was a little bummed.  She really wanted a new bow for Christmas.  She loves to shoot bow and arrows with Hector and she has outgrown the one she currently has.  She was "covertly" looking for more gifts as we neared the end opening and then she would ask, "so, are these all the gifts?"  She was putting on a smile and she really was happy about the presents she got, but we could tell she was a little bummed at the same time.    

We had them leave all their stuff in the living room and we got ready to head to Grandma's house for more fun.