Christmas Pageant

Sitting on our couch, recounting all the wonderful times from Christmas Eve and Day (and trying to cheer ourselves up from our little "present" from the Cleveland Water Company - more on that later), we both listed the Christmas Pageant as one of our favorite traditions of the holiday season.  For our family, there's no better way to kick off Christmas then with this fun, festive and meaningful celebration.  It also helps that we were the parents of one super cute angel!

Comparing wings and halos with one of the other angels.  

Cora sat this pageant out, but that was okay by her because she got to spend more time enjoying the live animals while waiting for the performance to start.

Herbie the Camel - a regular at the pageant.  Really a traffic stopper to see him out front of the church!

 Cora really liked Herbie.

The Director takes up his post a few minutes before showtime.

 A packed house.

Mary and Joseph make their way down the aisle, with donkey.

 Getting the angels ready for their grand entrance.

The whole cast.  

Merry Christmas!!!

Happy Holidays Sisters

Rainbow Hawk

For one of her Kindermusik classes, Addy had to make a bird costume.  She wanted to a "rainbow hawk." I gave her some fabric streamers, and a bag of feathers. and here's what she came up with (with some help from me attaching the feathers to one of Graham's old uniform shirts).

And as a bonus, when she flapped her arms. the giant shirt sleeves made a great "whooshing" noise.

Addy's 4th Birthday

She's 4!!!

We celebrated her actual birthday with a family dinner of pizza and broccoli (her choice) and birthday cake, of course.  For most of the day, Addy was adamant that she was not in face turning four on that day, despite everyone's attempt to explain to her that it was December 1st, and that four years ago that day, she was born.  She was quite sure that the moment you turn four is at your birthday party, when all your friends sing "Happy Birthday."  It was no use arguing.  (She did however, when snuggling in for bed that night, tell me she was glad to be four.  Little clown.)

So Addy wanted a "Doodlebops" birthday.  You mean you've never heard of the Doodlebops???  Are you living under a rock?

Don't worry.  You're not.  Addy has a thing for picking obscure themes for her birthday parties.  Last year, it was Balto, so I feel we did our community service by educating guests about the heroic story of Balto the sled dog who saved the town of Nome, Alaska, from a diphtheria outbreak.  This year, there was no community service in embracing the Doodlebops.  It's a Canadian kids show, that does occasionally broadcast here on Saturday morning.  They sing, they dance, and are generally obnoxious.  Addy saw the preview once and desperately wanted to watch them.  Wouldn't you know, the Shaker Heights Library has a DVD collection of them.  Thank you, Library, thank you.  But because we love her to pieces, we did our best to give her a Doodlebop Birthday Party Extravaganza.

Here's the piñata and birthday cake I made for her birthday party with her friends.  As I have lovingly referred to it, I believe an accurate description for this cake would be what it would look like if a pack of highlighter threw up.  But she loved them.

Addy had a wonderful time at her birthday party with all her friends.  She invited her whole preschool class, along with other playgroup and neighborhood friends.  Her preschool friends and her were particularly excited because the party was at the gym at their school.  It was big fun.

Hulu hoops and tricycles!

It was so much fun to see Addy interact with all her new friends and classmates.  I felt like the birthday party was a little sneak peak into what Addy is like at school.  Here she is getting a lift from one of her classmates.

And what's the best way to get 15 four year olds to sit down???  Food!  

All in all, it was a great birthday!  Happy Birthday Addy!