Looking back on December, it seems almost like there was a time warp. You know how in horror movies the person standing in the hallway gets closer to you while the hallway elongates and gets further from you? That felt like December. I started the holidays off right by making sure everything but the stocking stuffers were wrapped and ready to go.
That glitter looked so charming on the roll in the store, but it was a nightmare to work with because tape didn't work. It would just fall apart so wrapping actually took much, much longer than it should have and we have a layer of glitter on the carpet I'm convinced will never come out.
Ireland, Brigitta and Sydney were invited to participate in the Festival of Lights parade in downtown Crystal Lake. Ireland marched with her Daisy Troop and Brent rode with the two little ones on a bus. The only person willing to keep me company on the parade route was my dad. We stopped in at Starbucks to warm up with some hot chocolate.
I'm trying to be better about taking focused pictures- not just pictures of everyone staring at the camera firing-squad-style with frozen smiles on their faces. I love this particular picture because you can see the ring Dad bought in South Africa. The black is actually hair from a giraffe's mane. The weather was indeed freezing, and even though I made sure we were near a bench so Dad could rest his legs, he stood for the entire thing. The parade was all kinds of small-town goodness which we both really enjoyed. I'm so glad I was able to spend that one on one time with my dad.
I also nabbed some one-on-one time with my mom! Our birthdays are exactly one month apart and Whitney and Reagan gave us tickets to see The Nutcracker in Iowa City. After the girl's dance recital, we headed out and so for a couple of days, I kind of got to be a kid again. I slept in, Mom made a fire in the fireplace, Dad handed me the remote to the TV, they slipped hot chocolate into my hand and gave me warm blankets to cuddle up.
I should have asked someone to take a picture of both of us, but we were headed to our seats and I had just enough time to snap this one of my cute mom!
This is the first time I've been to Hancher since it was reconstructed after the floods of '93. The place is pretty darn sweet!
This was Christopher Wheeldon's version of The Nutcracker which centers around the Chicago World's Fair. The characters come from more humble circumstances which makes the transformation all the more spectacular. All the numbers in the second half are different exhibitions in the fair. By far, the most memorable is what was done with the Russian Trepac which was done as Buffalo Bill's Wild, Wild West. The man playing Buffalo Bill had a fringed jacket and he could fly across the stage, seemingly suspended mid-air. It was joyous and beautiful. I really hope I can take my girls to something like this, and Iowa City was a homey (pun!) and easy place to see such a professional production.
The tire tread on the Pilot was way too low to safely drive in winter weather. One of the challenges of motherhood is dragging kids to places that are not at all kid-friendly and having to wait.
Brigitta brought her Disney princesses so we played "Which Princess is Missing?". Mulan stumped me every time. I was feeling a little sorry for myself having to pay for new tires just before the holidays when a woman came in with a car that was smoking. After about 20 min, a mechanic came out and told her the issue with her car was irreparable and she couldn't even drive it home. He kindly offered to help her find a tow truck to take it to a junk yard but she broke down and sobbed. I stopped feeling sorry for myself.
I had a YW presidency meeting at the house and as we were wrapping up, Mom made shortbread. There's nothing like shortbread straight from the oven.
I think it's the first time the girls have ever had it!
Brent's work holiday party was fantastic, as always. I asked the bartender to make his best non-alcoholic drink and yet again, I had the most delicious drink to sip on while everyone else downed their stinky wine. Sorry, but does wine just smell like straight up sulfur to anyone else? After an evening around it, I honestly get a headache and of course beer smells no better.
This year there was a photo booth which was a lot of fun. I feel like Brent and I are getting more and more reclusive at these events. I love catching up with his co-workers, but I also really value just getting to spend time with him.
I was super proud of myself for coming up with this little gift for my visiting teachees. No Pinterest or Sugardoodle involved!!! Just my own little idea.
This sweet lady from our ward has a fantastic collection of Christmas books and she invited the girls over to read some.
She has tons of nativities and her home is really big and beautiful. The littlest ones kept getting up to explore, use the restroom, grab some water... you know how little kids can be antsy. Trying to be a good mom, I kept following them, supervising them, hovering to make sure we would be welcomed back. Finally, my friend turned to me and said, "Danika, they can do no harm here. Don't worry about them."
Suddenly, I felt a huge amount of tension-- that I wasn't even aware I was carrying-- leave me. She'll never understand what she did for me with that assurance that her home is a place where children are truly welcome. She also gifted us with a couple of her favorite Christmas books. I'm hoping we can make this a tradition, because it was something really simple but it added so much to our holidays.
After a YW activity at the Bishop's house, his sweet wife started giving away the gingerbread houses they'd made together- which is a big tradition for them.
She told the girls she had sprayed it with a special spray and it wasn't to be touched until Christmas. I intended to get a before and after photo, but the whole thing was completely gone by the end of the day on December 25th. I mean, gone, gone, gone.
I love my time with Sydney and we finally tried out a diner we've driven by a bajillion times.
Diners are such happy places... with their antacids and gum at the register.
Our friends introduced us to Pajama Run for Ice Cream. We unveiled the girls' Christmas pjs (we don't reserve them for Christmas Eve, we let them wear them throughout December) and put them to bed a little early. After they'd been tucked in for about 15 minutes, we ran screaming into their rooms, "Pajama run for ice cream!!!" Brent grabbed Brigitta, I grabbed Sydney, and the other two confusedly followed us downstairs as we threw on coats and Hunter boots.
We headed to Culvers where our friends and their kids- all in pajamas- were meeting. We refused to give the girls details so they whispered among themselves in the car, "Do you think we are really getting ice cream? Will they make us run? What's going on?" They cheered when we pulled into the parking lot and were delighted to find so many of their friends inside. Brigitta kept telling us, "You scared me to DEATH!!!" This is another one I think we need to make a tradition. It just added a little more fun and magic to the holiday-- and it was so simple!
Yup, we packed a lot in during the holidays!
