Ballerina and Christmas Tree Lightning

It seems that this year Thanksgiving was pretty late in the month and since a couple of weeks now, I itched to pull out the Christmas decorations. But one holiday after another. So I patiently waited until Saturday morning. While Derrick and the kids went to the gym, I put on my Christmas music and got ready to decorate. The playroom upstairs had the perfect spot for the kids' Christmas tree and our big Santa figurine. 

Downstairs, the stockings were hung by the fire place (next house, I will make sure there is no electronics in the way) and our dining area was decorated. 

Since we had already made plans for the afternoon, we didn't get to buy and decorate our Christmas tree yet but it will be done this Saturday. After nap time, we took the kids to a local shopping plaza where they had set up a Santa's Wonderland in an empty storefront. That afternoon, a ballerina from the Nashville Ballet was reading the Nutcracker story to the kids. But when we got there, Santa was waiting to hear about the kids' Christmas wishes first. 

Amelia was so excited to see the ballerina and since there were only 3 other kids in attendance, it felt like a private performance. She even showed the kids some ballet steps:

My German friend and her husband met us there and after the performance we all went to grab some dinner at a local sports bar. Too bad not many people knew about this event because the ballerina as well as Santa and his helpers were all so nice and the store was very thoughtful decorated. On our way back to the car, we were waved in to Santa's Wonderland again as a surprise character was making its round there. It was Snow White and Amelia was so delighted to see her. 

 

Sunday afternoon, our town held its annual Tree Lightning in a nearby park. While Derrick had to pack for his upcoming business trip, I took the kids there. It was pretty chilly, but we bundled up and had fun anyway. There was live music, Santa and Mrs. Claus made their rounds, dancing as well as a bounce house, food, and free carriage rides thru the park. 

While we waited in line for the carriage rides, we met another mommy and her kids and had a good time chatting. Finally, it was our turn:

And then it was time for the countdown to light up the tree:

What a fun and festive way to start the Advent season. And just in time, our first package with goodies from Germany arrived this weekend...yummy! (Danke, Opa!)

Wishing you all a blessed Advent!

Fun with Family

From Tuesday afternoon till Saturday morning, aunt Bahar and uncle Lee (Derrick's brother and his wife from California) visited with us. The kids were so excited to see their aunt and uncle to play with them and the adults enjoyed hanging out with each other, watching football and cooking dinner together. 

 

Enjoying some delicious Kurdish dinner Bahar cooked for us:

Look-a-likes: Brothers:

While Derrick had to work on Wednesday and Friday, the kids and I went to the hotel to have breakfast with Lee and Bahar to celebrate their 9th wedding anniversary with them.

On Friday afternoon, we took our guests to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel for their Country Christmas to look at all the wonderful Christmas lights (more than 2 million). Despite being early, it was very crowded. But nonetheless, we enjoyed all those pretty Christmas decorations and the cold air made it feel like a Winter Wonderland. 

Group picture:

Inside the hotel, they had set up all kinds of decorations ranging from Santa's sleigh, to a picture Op with Santa to a gondola ride on the little 1.3 mile waterway, and lots of different Christmas trees. 

  
Christmas lights in front of the hotel:

The outdoor nativity display featured special lighting effects and an audio rendition of the birth of Jesus.

There is so much to see and do at the hotel from the Elf scavenger hunt to baking with Mrs. Claus, carriage rides and other (pricey) adventures, but we just kept it simple and enjoyed all the free stuff like warming up at the fire pits and the kids visiting Santa to tell them their wishes (Elliot wants the Imaginext Pirate ship and Amelia a Barbie Dreamhouse). We had a great time but before we could make any dinner plans, the kids were ready to head back home. We said our goodbyes to Lee and Bahar and can't wait to see them again soon. We really loved having them here.

Just a couple of streets from our house, there is really festive decorated house and we stopped because Santa and Mrs. Claus were outside handing out candy canes. The lights at this house are synchronized to music and we enjoyed watching the show from our car.  

When we came home, the kids enjoyed their dinner and milk in front of the fire place watching the Grinch. The perfect ending to a full day. 

What a wonderful day it has been and I'm so thankful for spending it with family and these two crazy kids. 

Thanksgiving 2016

This year, our Thanksgiving started off a bit differently: At 8am I ran a 5 miles (8km) race with hundreds of other people and the whole family came to cheer me on. This was the first race in a long time for me and I was quite a bit excited. 

Hendersonville running club member Deanne, my friend Bettina and I before the start

 The kids found a turkey DJ:

Here I come. Amelia was excited to run the last 100m with me to the finish line. I finished the 5 miles in 41.35 minutes (6th in my age group and 26th overall from 133 female participants), which I am very happy with. There were three inclines, wet roads and breezy conditions to deal with, so I'm more than satisfied and proud of my accomplishment. 

Exhausted but happy:

After a shower and something little to eat, it was time for me to start cooking our feast. We had invited a coworker from Derrick's office as well as his brother and wife from California to join us. So this was my first time cooking an entire bird, a 14 lbs nonetheless. 

Amelia's stuffed animals are testing the seating arrangements:

I also prepared mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, homemade stuffing, gravy from the turkey drippings, cranberry relish, roasted Brussels sprouts and biscuits. It was a feast and according to everyone, delicious. 

 All of us:

We are very happy and thankful this year that we got to spend this holiday together with each other (after being apart for more than 20 weeks this year due to travels, moving, etc) and with family and friends. But most importantly we are thankful for good health and always having a full belly. The Lord truly blessed us! We hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday as much as we did.

Kicking off Christmas Season

This is the time of year for traditions and we added a new one this week to our repertoire: homemade pizza night. The kids were excited to make their own, individualized pizzas from scratch.  Elliot loaded his pizza with all the meats and cheeses available and Amelia tried some mushrooms, pineapple and corn next to her regular staples. They turned out great and were delicious! Pizza night will now be a monthly event in our house, for sure. 

Oh, and just in case you are wondering, safety goggles are now Elliot's new accessories. He only takes them off for eating, washing or sleeping. 

Albeit early, we kicked off Christmas season yesterday by going to see How the Grinch stole Christmas-The Musical at the Grand Ole Opry House.

I have never been there before and the Christmas decorations looked great and I bet there is not one bad seat in the house.

 Up close to the stage:

It was Amelia's and Elliot's first musical ever and they loved it. The performance featured colorful costumes, catchy songs, a great cast and the right length to keep their attention.  Every year during my childhood my mom took us kids to see a Christmas revue or play at the big theater (Friedrichstadtpalast) and I loved those children's revues. That's why it is important for me to expose my children to theater and make it an annual tradition of going to see a new play every year.

Since we were already next to the Opry Mills Mall, we decided to visit Santa's Wonderland at Bass Pro Shop after the musical. While I waited in line, the kids enjoyed playing games and coloring. Then it was their turn to sit on Santa's lap and tell them their wishes. 

I love this picture of my two babies. Just smiles and no tears.

Picture Op at the North Pole:

Me and my kids in front of the big fireplace at Bass Pro Shop. We definitely will turn ours on today after hitting below 32F (0 C) last night for the first time this year and a daytime high in the 40sF (8 C) today.

I'm so ready to decorate for Christmas and listen to Christmas songs all day long. But we won't decorate till after Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to hosting a big Thanksgiving dinner this year and hope that all my menu ideas turn out good. I love this season with all it's trimmings and food!