Christmas Goodies

things have been crazy busy around here lately, but my shopping is 99% finished so i thought i'd take a few minutes to post some highlights. (ruby-lovers be warned there is NO ruby is this post!)


i know what you're thinking..."how on earth did they travel back in time and snap this awesome shot of a megaraptor in action and live to tell about it?" truth is, it's just a diorama. shocking, right? it was part of xan's first major school project...a report (written and oral on a dinosaur and a diorama.) alan totally saved my bacon on this one and it was a "guy project" for the better part of a week.

the finished product...i have no idea what he's doing or pointing at. we honestly could not get a good shot of the kid with the diorama...as evidenced in the following photo.

granted, it was late. the boy was TIRED!

now onto the girl....today hadley had ballet class with a special performance at the end! if you scroll to the post below this one, you can link to the exciting video clips, but for now, here are some stunning still shots.

the girl is a ham, but a lovely one.

hads and miss maya...sooo cute in the tutus for today's performance.

this next shot is my fave...

because it looks just like this drawing hadley did for miss susie last week.

see what i mean? i have no idea why she wrote "hadley" across her head, but i guess it's as good a place as any. it serves an an artist's signature and a decorative element.

last weekend was the P2 Christmas party (that's our ward party...princeton 2nd). as is tradition in our ward, we had a special visitor.

love the look on the kids faces here. but it doesn't even compare to hadley's face in the next photo, which i captured just as santa made his grand entrance:

priceless!

we also made and delivered a few Christmas goodies this past week. here's what most of you are missing out on.

toffee, peppermint sticks, and gingersnaps. doesn't get much more Christmas-y than THAT! and the bags were tied up with a cute, red, green, and white cord that you can JUST make out in the background.

and finally, a sneak peek inside. just pretend you've just found one on your doorstep and are anxiously peering inside. the peppermints look so festive! no match for what k. lyman left on my porch this morning though....i think it contained about 12 different cookie varieties. one-upper! :) j/k it's fantastic. hope the kids get some.

one last note...one of my favorite parts of my blog is the funny names i give the photos as i'm sizing and saving them, so i know which is which when i upload them, and no one has ever commented on that aspect. maybe no one noticed. i think you have to click on the pic to enlarge it and then you will see it in the page header. anyone find a fave?

we love and miss all our family and friends that are not a part of P2. (we love you guys too, but don't miss you, per se...)

merry christmas!

sugar plum fairy

hadley has been taking beginning ballet from miss susie since september. today, we enjoyed a mini-performance during class with 2 fabulous dances. the high squeaky voice you hear in the background is miss susie, who is dancing along with the girls and telling them each step...they were still all over the place, but soooo adorable.

www.dropshots.com/spyderette for both video clips

where did november go?

where did december go, for that matter? here are some thanksgiving pics for your perusal. granted, they are late, but seriously, where did the month go?

this was our first thanksgiving all on our own. i really tried to go all out even though it was just the five of us. the turkey turned out beautifully. (thanks alton brown!)

soooo yummy.

alan gives it the thumbs up. it tasted as good as it looked.

the full menu: thanksgiving punch, mashed potatoes and balsamic gravy, honey glazed carrots, green beans, turkey (duh), apricot-pecan stuffing, and homemade rolls. actually, no, there was yummy fruit salad too! luckily simon's invited us for pie, so i was spared that much work at least. cooking this much food for 2 adults and 2 kids is kinda not worth it.

my plate, ready for me to dive in. i'm getting hungry just remembering. :)

ruby opted to just have milk. (shout out to lauren and fam for the CUTEST dress! thanks again!)

me and my handiwork. tiny kitchen, huge feast. i rocked it, if i do say so myself. the kids actually bowed to me and chanted, "all hail mom" so that was cool. still not sure if they rehearsed that with their daddy prior to dinner.

ruby just smiled and had thirdsies on her milk. i think she really got the feast day thing.

xan man, needing a haircut and digging in.

had, using a knife like nobody's business. who taught her? we have no idea.

our little thanksgiving table.

me working some stuffing magic in the still-a-work-in-progress kitchen.

and finally, to get you into the Christmas spirit, another conversation with hadley.

aunt mindi (on the phone): so, haddles, what do you want santa to bring you for christmas?

had: a barbie and the diamond castle doll

aunt mindi: wow, that sounds awesome! what else do you want?

had: uh, i don't know....i'll have to watch more commercials.

Would you be offended?

Alan overheard this conversation at work between a marketing-type person on the phone (presumably with another marketing-type).

"Would it be offensive if someone was wearing Sushi Pajamas and that person was Japanese?"

"Yeah, me too, we'll change it."

(Alan informed me that the girl in question was Hawaiian.)

She drives a hard bargain

On the way home from dropping of X at school this morning, Miss Hadley said she was going to sing me a song she wrote. She told me it was "kind of a marrying song" and that it was called "I won't be your bride". I went like this:

I won’t be your bride.
I won’t be your bride.

Will you be my bride if I give you twenty-five boxes of flowes?

I still won’t be your bride.
I still won’t be your bride.