Christmas 2011

I have a very strong feeling that this may be a multi-post update but we will see if the spirit overtakes me. First I just want to say that I hope you and yours had a Merry Christmas and that the holiday season found you healthy and happy, regardless of who you spent it with. I will say that Santa was very good to everyone in the Mitchell clan, but the best part about the weekend was the memories that we could capture. I apparently also tried to capture every memory in pictures so I hope you enjoy my trip down memory lane even though it was just a couple of days ago that this all started. It is like your wedding day...so much planning and its over before you know it!!


Friday, December 23, 2011
So Friday evening, Sydney had her first Christmas program at school and it was so special. We had bought her a special Ms. Claus' type outfit, knowing very well that she would not be participating in much of the "concert" festivities. She was there and that was all that mattered to us. Participation will come very very soon. Isn't this the cutest dress ever?

We rarely get pictures of Mommy and Sydney so I was very excited when we snapped this gem..

And a good family picture that wasnt a formal "family picture"? Well I guess Sydney may not be quite with it, but she is easily forgiven :)

Saturday, December 24, 2011
Saturday morning we woke up very excited to start our day. Our plan was to have Nana, Opa, Billy, Bridget and Eric over for some general Christmas Eve festivities. We needed to assemble the playground that Santa got Sydney and there was a lot of baking going on. In general, the morning started with a fun meal of bananas, a breakfast bar, and some goodies while mommy baked some blueberry streusel cake. We made it fun though for the Christmas Eve effect :). It was basic, but I was so proud of myself because my creative mommy brain seems to be developing ever so slightly.

Someone loves her blueberries!!!



Then Sydney helped Mommy bake 7-layer bars for our guests:

And then the comedian got herself all wrapped up for this one... ha ha 

Then she had to take a break to tend to and feed her kiddies :) my little nurturer

We also attempted to go to Children's Mass at a Catholic Church on Christmas Eve. With the word "attempted" being used, you can assume our success...0%. We didn't have too much crying, she just could not sit still. Let me clarify, she would not sit still, stand still or sit/stand near me. She just wanted to run! I was officially "that" parent, but we had to learn somehow. Girl sits through a hockey game, but she does have limits and we were asking her to behave way too well, ha ha.

At the end of the night we got ready for the big guy so that he would make sure to leave us something very nice to enjoy the next day. Sydney also called Santa on Daddy's phone and that was a great thing.

Video of our Call to Santa: I don't think you can hear Santa, but you can hear Sydney. I also hope the quality isn't "too" bad...

Then we all went to bed with dreams of Santa dancing in our heads :)

Christmas Day update will come tomorrow night :) If you are back to work tomorrow, I will be right there with you but we can all get through it together! I have an AMAZING husband who, among a million other things, is going into work late so that he can take Sydney to school and I can go into work early to work all of my overtime in the morning instead of being at work until 5:15 again all week! :) I am sooooo blessed and lucky :) Have a great week!

WHOA...

It was early November when my last post was written... busy much? Definitely not my goal when I first started this blog to skip so many days! This will be a resolution for the New Year, I promise you that. So what have we been up to lately? I can give you a brief update and then the details will have to come eventually over time...

For Thanksgiving, we went to Dallas to spend the holiday with Cory's family. It was a great trip.

Daddy, Uncle Colton, and Sydney at the Dallas Stars game.

In December, we have spent the majority of the time enjoying our second Christmas season. We got our family pictures taken by the amazing Erika Ross (www.urbanpeacephotography.com).

We also spent a portion of November and December sick and on antibiotics. We had 2 ear infections and Roseola virus. Oh the things these kids get at daycare!! But we are all better now and I am LOVING my happy girl again. We have our occasional terrible two moments (prior to 2 which I am learning is normal). I also think that we are getting some molars so some fussiness is to be expected. All of our patience is being tested but we are all working through it.

We also went to see good old S-A-N-T-A!! Santa and Sydney became great friends this year. She did so good and I was AMAZED that she was not scared or squimish with him. LOVE HER!

Well I promise more over the next few weeks. Have a great holiday week everyone!!