Christmas 2011

Christmas is busy! We're lucky to have our East Coast family to spend it with...

The Christmas Eve post-feast recline at the Hawk's...Tavish felt it was his duty to help everyone open their presents. He did turn out to be a great trash-picker-upper.

Someone is about to get spoiled...

Exhausted boy...right in the middle of dinner at MarJo's he said "I want to lay down in your lap"...this picture is about two seconds later :)

Happy couple :)

Gingerbread, Stockings and Santa

Yesterday I finally hung up our stockings...we don't have a fireplace in the apartment and I was trying to figure out where to hang them when I remembered this rack. I got it when Mom was visiting and I took her to my favorite antique shops...she told me she would take me out over this awesome mantle we both loved, but it turns out I don't have a house to put it in right now and she couldn't fit it in her suitcase. So I got the rack instead and it's perfect for our stockings. This morning we woke to find Fizbee, our elf, perched on top ready to keep an eye on Tavish and report back to Santa.


Then we went to visit the big man himself. This was Tavish's first visit to the mall Santa and he did great...he's had lots of practice with his own private Grandpa Santa. Here he is waiting for his turn at the North Pole...it looks pretty but fake snow doesn't brush off well and the people in line behind us didn't appreciate it being thrown on their baby (too bad Fizbee wasn't watching then...)


In the evening Tavish got to decorate his own gingerbread man. Trader Joe's has these awesome kits that includes everything so mom doesn't have to do anything :) Tavish loved decorating it and has been loving eating it every day since.


Here's the final product...fast forward three days and you would find he has no arms or legs and his belly is rapidly disappearing.


And here's our cute little gingerbread man in his new winter hat.

Debut

Now that Tavish is three and it's almost January and he's almost a Sunbeam, his nursery class has been attending singing time with the Primary kids the last couple of weeks. They have been practicing for their performance at the church Christmas party which was Saturday evening...


Tavish was so excited to get up on stage with the "big kids" and sing their Christmas carols. He was standing above the piano and was watching the pianist intently most of the time he was up there. Their first song was Silent Night and he did a good job singing it but the next song was one he didn't remember and so he called Rafal over to the stage to tell him he didn't know the words *cute!* Not so cute...unbeknownst to me, right before he went onstage, he told Rafal he was too hot so Rafal took off the fleece he was wearing and let him go up in his too small, slightly see-through undershirt, and I know you can't see it in this crappy picture...but his belly is hanging out...awesome. Nothing says Holy Night like a little belly...

Holly Jolly Trolley

On Saturday we headed over to the Capital Trolley Museum because we heard a certain someone might be there...

All aboard!

Tavish held his ticket tightly...

He picked out his seat and waited patiently to go...but he did say "it's not chugging!" while we were waiting.

Guess who rode on the trolley with us?
Santa came up and talked to each kid on board...Tavish was excited but refused to look him in the face.

Well, hello! Do you want come sit with me?

Afterwards we got to pose with Santa...

...and check out some of the other trolleys in the car barn.

Tavish had so much fun we went for another ride!

Party like a rock star...

like 3 year old rock stars...
This is Tavish with his GF Elaine (the future Mrs. Tavish)...they both turn three right in the middle of holiday season so we moms decided to do their party together at a little monkey's gym...it was super fun!



there was playing...



and climbing...



bubbles...



and music...



games...



and Tavish loved this most of all...
they put him in the middle of the parachute and all the kids spun him around while they sang Happy Birthday to him...he was soooo excited he was jumping around...it was hilarious



there were cupcakes (which Grandma Pat spent all day Thursday baking)



two birthday kids...



and two very happy three year olds!

His family birthday party that evening was a little more tame, but still fun with grandparents, aunt and uncle, build-your-own pizzas, a giant chocolate cake and lots of presents! We no longer feel bad about him losing most of his toys in the flood...his toybox is full again!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Seattle, actually...

This isn't snow it's rain...
Grandma Pat is visiting and we wanted to take her to see the lights at the Temple, tonight was the only night we could go so of course it rained...mom felt right at home :) and it actually turned out great because rain=no crowds.

The view of the Temple is beautiful but if you turn around and look back, this one is pretty awesome too...

We checked out the outdoor Nativity...I'm sure the wise men wore galoshes...

Then we checked out the Nativity collection in the Visitor's Center...here's the one from Poland.



and South Africa wins the prize for coolest animals in their Nativity...I think that's a warthog in the front!

An Outing...

While Grandma Pat was here we took her to my favorite holiday display in DC...the Botanical Gardens, every year there is a different theme with little trains running through it, this year was animal and fairy houses...these are a few of my favorites...



















And for some reason, although Tavish can spot the actual Washington Monument miles away, he couldn't find this one right in front of his nose...