Christmas 2017

Here's a recap of our Christmas this year (better late than never, right?).

I have to say: Christmas with a 5 year old is a LOT of fun. Iyla was over-the-top excited about every.single.thing this year, and it was so awesome to experience the magic of the season through her eyes.

 Gingerbread house!

We kicked everything off December 1st with the arrival of our Elf on the Shelf. We'd never done this American "tradition" before, but I have to say it was a big hit!

Basically the Elf arrives as a scout from the North Pole and watches it's family's children throughout December to make sure they are on their best behavior.

Hello golden BLACKMAIL tool! Ha.

We used that to our full advantage, often telling Iyla at bedtime that Elfie (her name for him) was watching to see if she went to bed quietly. Each night Elfie would 'fly' to the North Pole to report to Santa, then be back in a new position and location the next morning for Iyla to discover. It was a lot of fun (and a good challenge to BC's and my aging minds to REMEMBER to move that dang thing every night)!

I also got Iyla a chocolate Advent calendar to count down the days to Christmas, and that was a big hit as well! This kid LOVES her chocolate.

There was a lot of talk in the house about IF Santa was REAL. We'd ask Iyla what SHE thought, and usually she'd say she believed. I'd typically say I thought it was a magical story, and would love to think it was real. ; )

We were gifted on December 7th with SNOW in Austin, which is a rarity- and hasn't been seen here in 4 years! Iyla was on Cloud 9, and the following morning the girls and I ventured out to explore. Their favorite part hands down was EATING the snow (luckily it was mostly fresh!). Iyla lamented that there wasn't enough snow for a snowman or snow angels, so we promised that some day we'd take her to a REAL winter.

We took our annual trip to the Driskill Hotel to meet Santa, and Iyla was SO EXCITED! It took about an hour to get our turn with the big guy, and Eloise was losing steam quickly. When it was finally time, there was NO WAY she was going to sit on his lap without me there- so I ended up getting in the official photos with the girls. Iyla requested a stuffed tiger family, and Eloise just stared at him.

Photos before we left for the event:

And of course we had to take some shots with the gorgeous Driskill tree!

A couple of days before we were to head to Houston for Christmas #1 with my family, Iyla fell sick with a fever, sore throat, and cough. She was down for the count for 36 hours, but happily on the day we were to depart was fever-free: so we were off! (and Eloise still would NOT nap in the car!!)

 Sweet sick buddy watching videos. Even sick this kid has style with her sparkly star pants and jewels!

Iyla LOVES going to her Mimi and Grampy's house, where there are always new toys to play with and 4 cats to torture love on.

Here are our traditional photos in front of Mimi and Grampy's mantle:

Eloise awoke from a very late nap, and I quickly threw her into the mix when she was still partly sleep paralyzed:

 Three generations:

The next morning Eloise awoke with a fever, which would continue for 3 days and end up with a case of Croup. Merry Christmas?

Lots of extra snuggles for this one

On the night before Christmas, Iyla dictated a note to Santa and we put out our cookies, carrots, and milk:

The next morning, this is what the girls awoke to:

 Then it was then time for presents!

Later that day we hosted our family for an extended Christmas celebration. And I COOKED! It was a Christmas miracle. ; )

 

Happy (belated) Holidays, dear readers!

Thanksgiving 2017

I have some catching up to do post Holidays!

For Thanksgiving this year we again journeyed to Houston, to celebrate at BC's sister's house. We were fortunate to have his mom and dad there, along with another sister (Anna) and family.

Going into the trip, I was nervous about the 3+ hour car ride. Iyla has always been a great car traveler... but Eloise? HOLY HELL NO. I debated on trying to leave at nap time or just after, knowing historically she doesn't really nap in the car. We ended up leaving just AFTER her nap, which we quickly learned was a HUGE mistake. We basically had a well rested kid who was wide awake and ready to MOVE, who instead was strapped into a car seat. 

It was rough.

We had to stop 1.5 hours in just to let Eloise run around, as she had gone into full on hysterical crying. 

 Stretching out those little legs

We did make it to our hotel, which I realized was located 30 minutes FARTHER than my sister-in-law's house.

MAMA FAIL.

Thankfully our hotel itself was great- a 2 bedroom suite where we could give Eloise her own room/space for naps. Iyla always prefers to sleep in our room when we travel, whereas Eloise always sleeps better shut far away from any action. Could these two girls be any different?

On Wednesday we spent time relaxing with family while prep was done toward Thursday's feast. Iyla- per her usual when we travel- was in an extra fiesty, sassy, clingy mood. Nothing some snuggles and a trip to the park with her cousin Maggie couldn't cure!

Then on Thanksgiving proper, Iyla was in a GREAT mood, while Eloise was in this state:

Soooo.... I tried getting the smiling, happy holiday photo with just big sister:

Then used a Mama trick and handed Eloise a beloved toy. YES! No smiles, but no crying either. I'll take it.

Here are a few more shots from Thanksgiving day:

 On the ride home, we switched it up and left AT Eloise's nap time. That little bugger NEVER SLEPT, but at least she was mostly content and complacent in her fatigue!

Thank you to BC's sister Anna for taking (and sharing!) the majority of these gorgeous photos. So grateful to be surrounded on both sides by such loving families!