Weekends are for snuggling

Weekends are for snuggling.

Rachel likes to lie on the couch with her pink Princess pillow that Grandmama sent her and her blankets and her pink baby. But today she had to make room for Daddy to lie down too.

I eventually carried Rachel upstairs to her room so she could nap in her bed.

Next thing you know, I find these two snuggling and asleep on the couch.

Poor Daddy probably doesn't even know about the sticker on his head but he doesn't seem to mind.

Sweet Siblings

Nicholas and Rachel are so sweet and loving towards each other. I love catching impromptu moments like this.

Nicholas is big enough to be able to pick up Rachel and carry her around. They both love it!

Rachel loves doing school with us. Sometimes she does her own school but sometimes she just likes to sit with Nicholas. Here they are sharing a seat as Nicholas talks to Rachel about the Grammar work he is doing.

Such sweetness!

Countdown Calendar to Christmas

We used the countdown calendar to Christmas that I made last year. Each morning the kids take turns opening a drawer to get a small treat. It could be a small piece of candy, stickers, or a little toy. We started it on December 1st and Rachel was excited to be the first one to open a drawer.

I have to never had all of the drawers filled up at the time that we start it. I may have a week's worth of drawers but then plan on getting other treats later to keep some variety to the surprises. But it is hard finding things that aren't candy but are small enough that I can fit 2 of them in these little drawers. Some days I have to just leave a note in the drawer and give them a clue as to where to go to find their treat.

This morning I hid their prizes in our nativity scene and left a note for Nicholas to think of where Jesus was born.

Next year, I hope to be more prepared and have all the drawers filled at the beginning of December. We'll see if that really happens!

Cub Scout Ornaments

We had our weekly Cub Scout meeting tonight. We talked about safety but while we talked the boys made Christmas ornaments.

Our den leader had lots of foam wreaths and cool stickers out for everyone to use.

Even Rachel made a few ornaments during the meeting.

1st Dance Recital

Rachel had her first dance recital today! I was She was so excited!

We went backstage which was really just an adjoining gym room where all the girls were lining up by class waiting for their number to come up.

I can remember my mom being back stage with me so many times at my dance recitals. It was a neat feeling to think of her while I was back there with Rachel.

Of course, my little girl is the epitome of grace and beauty often found in ballet dancers as they wait patiently to go on stage.

Here she is pulling up the tape on the carpet that is supposed to be marking where her class sits while they wait and she is taping it to her shoe.

Finally, the girls are going on stage next. I really didn't know what to expect when it was their turn to go up. All of the girls are really little and I was worried that the audience and the new stage would be a little too much for them, at least for Rachel. So as we were backstage, I held Rachel and let her peek out at the audience so she would know what to expect when she got out there. She quickly found Daddy and lit up!

...and then she stuck out her tongue at him.

When it was time for her class to go on stage, Rachel was first in line. She walked right up all by herself and then stopped and laughed. I just love this picture that Stuart captured!

The girls are used to having their moms in class with them and without some help they wouldn't be able to make it through their very short dance on their own. Fortunately their teacher, Ms. Jenn, was there to help them. Here she is giving some quick reminders about what to do.

There was a little drama with who would hold whose hand. Rachel loves the little red head girl but couldn't get the girl to hold her hand. The teacher tried to fix the problem but Rachel insisted on holding the little girl's hand. Ms. Jenn has a lot of patience!

(If you are reading this through an email subscription, you'll need to click on the title of the post to go to the actual blog post in order to see this video.)


Rachel was so excited and proud of her performance! So are we :)