Tuesday, December 30, 2014

December Round-Up

A Christmas Carol

Our second time reading The Christmas Carol at our friend's house. Two nights in a row they invited families over to read the entire story out loud, supplied a spread of food, and provided cherished memories. Love, love, love! Keller took a turn reading a sentence this year.  

 

Good times with good friends. 


As J describes it, probably one of the best feelings in this world is when a little person falls asleep on you. 
 

Looks totally legit, right? Take a closer look at that book that Keller is reading. ;)
 

Stow House


Our friends took Vera to a Christmas event at The Stow House in Goleta and emailed this adorable photo!

Christmas Crafting with Cousins

Focused and quiet kids for at least a good 5 minutes.


Babies with paint brushes are too cute...right up to the point where Pearl tried to eat a little green paint. 


So thankful that she enjoys crafting with her brothers and sister + cousins.  


 Gus was a painting machine - lots and lots of red!


 Sweet boy!


First Christmas Celebration - A Hogwarts Experience


My big sis knows me well. Yes, I am letting  my geek flag fly admitting that I am still slightly obsessed with Harry Potter. Why yes, I do dream of visiting the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida. Every year, TaTa and I exchange stockings, a ritual that we both enjoy. This year, the presents in my stocking were numbered and all were Harry Potter themed!!


I loved the small details. The Owl Post is so cool and I even have a small Dobby sock now. Out of everything, I will admit that my Flying Snitch necklace is pretty darn rad and I wore it to Christmas dinner. Not kidding, the couple sitting next to us were also Harry Potter nerds. It was awesome. The other present that was amazing. Chocolate frogs!!! Now only did TaTa make some, she also gave me the mold. Hmmm...how can I convince Vera that we need a Harry Potter party?


Potter glasses + Christmas tree hat = 2 cool sisters!


Along with exchanging stockings,our two families whipped up some pelmeni (the Russian equivalent of the ravioli). So yummy!

Because TaTa and I exchanged stockings, we decided that kiddos would all get to open one Opa gift. Gus (and every other child in the family) loved his magnetic Etch-a-Sketch. Keller has been learning about circuits with his Snap Circuit Jr. The toys today are so neat.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

3rd Grade Candy Cane Trains


The Candy Cane Trains are definitely a fun way for the third grade class to end before the holiday break.


Gotta have a driver!


Super adorable!


Pearl just wanted a little piece of the Candy Cane Train. 


Thursday, December 18, 2014

Granada Santa Claus

Santa Claus at a book store, yes please! Pretty awesome. One, Santa was extremely nice and interested in what the kids had to say. Two, each kiddo got a free book! The only downside, Santa pretty much said he will bring whatever the kiddos asked him for. Hmmm...okay for our kids. The little girl who sat down before our turn wanted a kitty. Good luck parents with that one.





Friday, December 12, 2014

Nose


 Oh my, he might be my handful. 

Well, it seems that this kid is going to take after his Tata..and enjoy sticking things up his nose. For Tata, it was a raisin. It was funny enough that I had to take a picture, but then when I was trying to get it out with tweezers, a little anxiety about how high that Joe's O could go. Turns out I didn't need to tweezer at all, just plugged up one nostril and had him blow out the other. 

Darn it though, how many conversations does this kid need about safety?

Friday, December 5, 2014

Frosty the Snowman


Vera's Girl Scout Troop participated in the Santa Barbara Downtown Holiday Parade. Each troop was responsible for coming up with their own costumes and I have to say one of our moms rocked it. Ms. Jamie must have been Pinterest inspired, because the Frosty the Snowman outfits are adorable. 








Had to get a mama picture!


Thursday, December 4, 2014

Arghhhh!


I love that Vera decided to be a pirate instead of a princess at a recent costume party. She is awesome! The mustache just completed the entire look. Thanks sis for the photo!

Monday, December 1, 2014

Livermore Gathering


Marin Headlands

From the National Recreation Area website, "Welcome to the Marin Headlands! One of the most unique areas in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the Marin Headlands covers various types of histories from the Miwok Indians to the Military, including historic Fort Barry and Fort Cronkhite, the NIKE Missile site and the 150 year-old Point Bonita lighthouse."


The views were incredible.  



Vera spent the day taking notes and wanting her picture at different sites. She is determined to start blogging. 

Not kidding, this is where Vera's notes were dropped and the wind blew them straight off the cliff. About 10 minutes later a very nice and young guy brought Vera back her notes. He and his friends were exploring off the beaten path...aka, off the side of the cliff. Thanks for the notes young man, now please be safe and stop climbing over the safety railing. Seriously.


Still, she was thrilled that all of her hard work had not been in vain. 



So interesting.