Birthday Celebration and Pajama Day

On Sunday, we celebrated Elliot's 2nd birthday. We didn't do a party or anything fancy but rather enjoyed spending time together as a family of 4. Just because his birthday is right before Christmas doesn't mean that we skim on decorations or presents. We celebrate his birthday the same as any other birthday in this house. So, I got busy and purchased some balloons (Elliot loves Thomas the train and Amelia got an Ariel balloon) and decorated the table the night before. Even our Elf wanted to join in to the fun.

My little guy seemed pretty surprised and happy about his gifts. He got a book from us, a ride-on motorcycle (purchased used from a friend), a stuffed Goofy, a wooden puzzle, a dinosaur, and an Iron Men doll.

Elliot also received gifts from family and friends and has been getting really good at unwrapping for the past 14 days. Thank you all for the thoughtful gifts for my little man. He loves every single one of them. 

Daddy decided that Elliot needed an action figure and he sure was right. This kid (and my husband) love playing with Iron Man:

Mommy and her baby boy:

Happy kids:

Even though we had plans to go to Charlotte that day to ride the train/ trolley and hang out at a big park, we ended up not going to due a Panthers Football game that would have made the drive and town very crowded. So we rearranged our plans and took the kids to a nearby mall to ride the escalators and play on the two indoor playgrounds. Both kids didn't mind the change-up as they had tons of fun. 

We finished the morning off with lunch at Firehouse Subs and then went home for their naps. In the afternoon, the birthday boy got his birthday cupcake and a song. He sang along too:

After talking to some loved ones on Skype, Elliot and Amelia enjoyed playing for the rest of the afternoon in the backyard, where it was unusually warm for this time of year. 

 

My little boy truly enjoyed a fun-filled birthday and loved everything about it. That same night, the choir at our church hosted a Christmas Special "Darkness Into Light" and while Derrick put the kids to bed, I enjoyed some lovely Christmas music in a peaceful and relaxing setting. 

The next day was Pajama Day at Amelia's preschool and my little girl was very excited and ready to go. She had picked out her pj (Elf on the Shelf) already on Friday and couldn't wait to slip on her boots and go to school. 

All the teachers and almost every child wore their favorite pj and the kids enjoyed watching a Christmas movie while eating popcorn and sipping hot cocoa. Here are Amelia and her classmates:

Elliot wanted to have a pj day too, so he wore his Elf on Shelf pj all day long at home.

 

It had been a great couple of days full of celebration, love, laughter and fun and I will cherish these memories for a long time to come. 

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY, ELLIOT!

Dear Elliot, 

You are my sunshine. My little lover. My sensitive and caring little boy. Today, you turn TWO years old. Although it is hard to believe that we've had you in our life for two years now, I also cannot imagine our life without you. I have been thinking of what to write to you for a few days now, but each time I do, I've been interrupted by you: wanting to play, crying that you fell down, needing a snack, or just wanting a hug :)

I remember the day I met you like it was yesterday. I was so unbelievably exited to meet you, yet so afraid that my heart wouldn't know how to love another child, And the, I saw you and instantly, I knew it was possible. I had fallen in love {again}.

Right now, you are a beautiful mix of a big boy, who is daring and adventurous, and a little boy, who loves nothing more than hugs and kisses and cuddle time.  You explore your surroundings without any fear and no rock or slide is too high to climb upon. You are very independent and you want to try everything your big sister is doing. Learning new things is so much fun for you. Every day I hear new words coming out of your mouth (current favorite: "Sure") often with an inflection and more and more of your sentences are clear and precise. There is no way of stopping you and you are determined to keep up with your sister when it comes to talking and being the center of attention. 

On the other hand, you are my sensitive child, who loves to be loved on and I savor those moments as I know they won't last forever. Your "I luuv you" makes my mommy heart melt. Every morning around 5am (and often once or twice before that during the night), you stand in front of my bed, ready to be picked up so that you can sleep in my arms, your face pressed against mine. This reminds me of the days, when you were a tiny newborn and I nursed you at night, holding you tightly in my arms and kissing your forehead. Every morning I treasure this hour we spend together as I know it will come to an end sooner rather than later.  As you grow older though I pray that you always find your way to me when you feel lost or in need of a hug. 

It is nothing short of pure joy to watch you grow. I am so proud of the little person that you are, You love to roughhouse with your Daddy but right now you are still a mama's boy. You are my little buddy, my sidekick. I know that this will change as you get older but for now, I am loving how much you love and want to be with me. I count my blessings every day that you are mine. 

Elliot, you bring so much joy and delight to our life because of who you are. May you always stay true to yourself and be that happy, loving boy. 

Happy birthday, sweet little boy! We love you so very much...always have and always will. 

It's the most ...

This is the most wonderful time of the year but it can also be one of the busiest time. For sure, it felt a bit like it this week as I had my plate pretty full. The peg doll orders (36 so far) kept me really busy for the past 2 weeks, but I'm happy to report that I completed them all now and they are off to their new owners. Additionally, I was busy working on some last Christmas gifts as well as writing our annual Christmas letter (twice, one in German and one in English), baking cookies and helping out at Amelia's school. Add in my little boy's sleep regression this past week, and you know I'm worn out by today. 

Despite all the hectic and stress this week, there were lots of moments I did enjoy. For example: my little boy waking up on Tuesday morning and discovering the decorated Christmas tree in our living room and the train underneath it. Since then, this has been his favorite "toy" to play with. A boy and his trains....

 

On Tuesday morning, I helped out in Amelia's classroom. The girls were decorating their gingerbread houses and it is nice to have an extra set of hands to help with the clean-up and spills. I loved seeing them all giggly and being creative, each of them having a different decorating style.  

Elliot came too and he was just like a preschooler, sitting there and listening to the story (while I cleaned up). 

Amelia brought her gingerbread house home yesterday, and look who moved in last night. This silly elf loves candies and I think, he looks very happy here:

On Wednesday, the kids helped me bake some German Christmas cookies for the cookie exchange at my MOPS meeting on Thursday. Amelia did a great job with cutting out the cookies and after baking them, Elliot and her decorated them with sprinkles and red/ green sugar.

After some cookie tasting and a quick dinner, we all went to see A Rockin' Royal Christmas pageant at our church that night. Originally, Amelia was part of the cast but after a couple of weeks of practices she felt intimidated by the older kids and decided she does not want to participate this year. Maybe next year she will give it another try when she is a year older.  Nonetheless, the Christmas musical was fantastic and all the kids did a fabulous job. 

The next day, we had our holiday themed MOPS meeting, where we did a cookie exchange and snacked on some delicious food ( I brought some deviled eggs with bacon) all while having a couple of hours to chat with other mommies. I brought home a whole box of all kind of different cookies and we have been sampling ever since. We also did a diaper drive for the local community and over the past few weeks, we collected a total of 5,024 diapers. These diapers will be distributed to 3 local outreach centers in our town, who will give them to needy families (Did you know that you can't use food stamps to buy diapers?). It was amazing to see that a little idea (originated thru our book club) and some goodwill and generosity can turn in to such a blessing for people in need.

So after a busy week, we took it easy this afternoon and enjoyed spending it outside in some unseasonal warm (69F) temperatures. I'm still growing some vegetables (lettuce, kohlrabi, onions and greens), but my fall crop has been very slim due to the hot weather and no rain in early fall. 

Remember the nativity set we had in our front yard last year? Well, they all kind of broke and now Joseph and baby Jesus are playing buddies for the kids till they get recycled. We will have to find a new set, that's for sure. 

Next up, my baby boy is turning 2 on Sunday. 

Kicking of Christmas Season

It has been quiet here on the blog for the past week but not because I didn't had anything to say (I always do!) but rather because I was busy fulfilling some peg doll orders. I enjoy making these little wooden peg dolls and each new character is a challenge (pictures to come soon). 

And then we kicked off Christmas season with a visit to a Christmas festival in Davidson on Friday night. I felt similar to a German Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) with temperatures in the low 40s and stalls offering cookies, cotton candy, hot cocoa, and other food and some crafts. Furthermore, there were horse carriage rides, hay rides, and lots of Christmas decorations.

Mrs Claus read a story to all the kids and we heard a children's choir sing at the church.

 






We also visited Santa in his house but this time Elliot was not too fond about the jolly old guy.

Amelia, on the other hand, was a happy camper and even talked to Santa for a few minutes.

We finished the night off with a hayride thru town and by watching part of the Christmas play "The Grinch". The performance was really good but the kids were too tired to last thru the entire play. Nonetheless, it was a great evening filled with Christmas spirit and fun. 

On Saturday, we took care of some chores and prepared some food for the afternoon to watch the big game Alabama vs. Gators with our neighbor Mike, a big Alabama fan. We enjoyed BBQ ribs and potato salad and of course we wore our team's colors (Elliot wears his Gators shirt). Maybe next year, the Gators have a chance against the mighty Tides.

The next day was December 6th, which means that it was St. Nicholas Day (Nikolaustag). We celebrate in Germany this day by putting our cleaned boots in front of the door the night before and hope that overnight St. Nick comes by and fills them with some small goodies and chocolates. Luckily, St. Nick is a good man and even found Amelia and Elliot's boots all the way in North Carolina (maybe Eli, our elf, guided him this way). 

The kids were happy to find a chocolate Santa in their boots as well as a flashlight and a Christmas book. Eating chocolate all day long was for sure a highlight for them because not only at home they indulged some but they also ate lots of cookies and yummy treats at church after the service and a candy cane when we chose our Christmas tree at Lowe's.

 
As usual, we prefer to have a real Christmas tree and choosing one, is no simple task. Even though we weren't able to make it to a tree farm this year, we did find a good one at Lowe's. Mommy was pretty satisfied with the choice.

To celebrate, Amelia and I made our first batch of holiday cookies yesterday: Peppermint candy canes. 

And Daddy put up our outside lights. I think, he did a pretty good job.

Now, we just needed to decorate our tree and then we were finally done with all the Christmas decorations. So tonight, my little girl and I tackled the tree and I'm very happy with how it looks. I went for solid white lights (lots of them), gold mesh ribbons, red and some straw ornaments. We put up the train too and I'm sure Elliot will be delighted when he sees it tomorrow. 

This weekend, we definitely kicked off the holidays by finishing up our decorations and participating in one of the many holiday events this area has to offer. This week we will continue with the fun by watching the Christmas play at our church on Wednesday evening and then going to downtown on Friday night for some Christmas Holiday Spectacle. If you have not noticed but I love the Christmas season and I'm as excited as the kids. This year, it even feels more Christmas-sy as it is nice and cold outside  (or warm and cozy inside by our fireplace) and so it reminds me a lot about my childhood and celebrating the holidays in Germany. 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

With the first of Advent this past Sunday, Christmas season has officially begun. And I'm all excited and giddy about it (maybe even more so than the kids). The decorating is in full swing (I'm still not finished yet as I was busy working on some peg doll orders over the weekend) and every day, our house looks more and more christmas-sy.  Here is a glimpse of what we decorated so far:

Instead of a wreath for Advent, I decided to only put a single candle on a tray with some fragrant pine cones so that the kids would not play with it. So far, it works.  Elliot and Amelia helped in decoration the little Christmas tree above the entrance. They were very proud of their work:

Last night, we took the kids to Bass Pro Shop to meet Santa. As usual, Bass Pro Shop did a great job with their decorations:

The kids were able to color a picture for Santa or play with some race cars. There was also a train that Elliot loved watching. He will be excited once we put our tree up and add the train underneath it.

 Waiting in line for Santa:

 

Amelia was very excited to see Santa, mostly about the candy canes though. Both of them enjoyed seeing the big jolly fellow and Elliot even ran up to him to hug him.

A last picture, or two, in front of the Christmas tree and then we headed back home. It was an eventful night and the kids were ready for some good sleep.

Today, on the first day of December, our elf, Eli, has arrived back from the North Pole and he even brought some yummy breakfast and some fun cups with him. This little scout elf will be hanging around for the next 24 days and every night when the kids go to bed, he flies back to the North Pole (with magic of course) to report back to Santa if Amelia and Elliot have been good that day. When he comes back the next day, he usually can be found in a new spot, often doing silly things. The kids are not allowed to touch him or otherwise he looses his magic. 

What a great start to this holiday season. We hope you all will enjoy this season of hope, love, joy, laughter and giving.