Hanukkah 2011- The 1st Night

I was amazingly on my A-Game with planning this year, so Abby and I made & decorated Hanukkah cookies yesterday. It is so fun to watch her grow, even to the ripe 'ol age of 4, and have her do new things that she was too little to do the year before!! She LOVES to help in the kitchen, and I am slowly letting her have some of my space from time to time for different projects.

 Final plate of cookies!!! She decorated them all by herself! And even insisted that we set 2 aside for Great Grandma & Grandpa Reiss when they come visit next month!! So they are in an airtight container for the next few weeks!! Hope they taste good late January!!!

Can you smell our masterpieces???!!!!

It wouldn't be Hanukkah dinner without some Latkes and Matzo ball soup!!

 Abby was a BIG help! She handed me all the potatoes to peel, and told me the onions make her sneeze!!! I tried to correct her that they make you cry, but she insisted on the sneezing!! :)

 Maddy joined in on the fun once she heard the food processor going from the other room!

She was quick to hop up on the chair next to her big sister, and one by one they each took turns putting the sliced potatoes into the shredder!

 Once Mike was home from work, we had a great dinner to enjoy!

THE REWARD!!!

 I wanted a special corner for our Hanukkah celebration this year, so I dedicated the kitchen window to be just that! I even craft-wrapped an old paper box, to be the gift box that the girls choose from each night!

 Then it was time to light the candles and say the blessing for the 1st night!

Amazingly, Abby repeated EVERY word of the blessing word for word as I spoke and said it quite well!

 GIFTS!! This 1st Hanukkah night was brought to us by.....Aunt Amy!!!

Madelyn received a new bookshelf for her room, and a new book to go in it too! She is definitely the little reader now. And will sift through endless books, for you to read of course!!

And miss Abby got a new Leapster Explorer game system!! As you can see she jumped right into it!

Thank you Aunt Amy!!!!!

Graham Cracker House

This past Sunday was my swap day to watch my friend's girls while they went holiday shopping!

So to keep them occupied I had them make gingerbread (graham cracker) houses, and pizzas for lunch! The girls had a blast, and did such a good job.

 I built the houses first thing that morning with a great frosting recipe that was like super glue!

 Then the girls went to work decorating.....Maddy, as I assumed, did more eating than decorating!

 End result......4 cute houses!! The glue held up great, not a single crack or broken shingle!!

(I actually tried to break a piece off for Abby to eat the next day, and I couldn't even do it with my bare hands!)

 Abby's house

 Maddy's house (note the sliding "licked" snow on the roof!!) I had to stop her before she did more eating.

 Then the girls went on to make their own pizzas for lunch! 

Again, they had fun and ate too! Imagine that!!

HOT Chocolate.....mmmmm

Abby's newest fascination is HOT CHOCOLATE!! We had it at an event a few weeks ago, and she is fascinated by it....for whatever reason. Hot drinks in general, now she is begging for Apple Cider (she saw my new Keurig k-cups on the counter and her eyes got big!!)

Tis the season to stay warm I guess....but when she requests it twice a day, I might need to consider buying the sugar-free version.

 Fun colored marshmallows!

 Proud hot chocolate drinker

Getting dressed....differently

 I was quite impressed, Abby got herself dressed this morning (which she normally does) but today she accessorized all by herself with her hat, hello kitty necklace and puffer vest! Getting trendy!!

Maddy on the other hand, not so skilled in picking out the right outfits!! Mickey mouse hat, diaper and rain boots, okay they all have pink in them, but weren't meant to be together! At least she tried.

Holiday Program

Abby's school had there Holiday Program yesterday! This was Abby's first year being able to take part, since the 3 year olds are the youngest involved. It was so cute, Mike and I went and Maddy stayed at a friends house so we could actually enjoy it!! And we did!! And she did a great job singing all the songs they've practiced for the past two months.

 Abby is right in the middle (above)

 This group photo is the younger 3's and older 3's classes combined into one big group! Abby is at the far right, middle row. (she is in the older 3's, you can tell the ones on the left look a bit younger!)

 Well, it wouldn't be a holiday performance without the obligatory picking of the nose shot

 Caught her mid antler-ears.....and the girl in front of her picking her nose too!!!! 

Phew....its not just my kid that does it :).

Teacher Gifts......CRAFTS!

Well, its holiday time, and Abby has two teachers who are wonderful!

Plus I just like doing something extra for them each year. So this year I've been particularly crafty, trying new projects, and this is one of my favorite ones!! Cheap, and minimally labor intensive with a fun, unique, and colorful result that you can hang year-round!
So her teachers are getting these yarn wreaths that I made! Materials were about $6 each, plus a hot glue gun! Very fun. Here's the link to the site I follow for lots of fun ideas : www.sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com

 Blue wreath with gold swag & rosettes

 Purple wreath with rosettes & pearls!

Sisters

Maddy is all about copying her big sister. So she lays on the floor just like her now.

Silly LOUD Girls

Warning.....lower your computer volume before watching this!!

But its a cute sampling of what the girls love to do together! And you get a glimpse of Maddy's new toddler bed! We converted her crib Sunday night (took the front off) and even though I had my hesitations of her fighting bed/nap time, she surprised us 100%!! She took to it like a champ and slept great these last 3 nights! And napped like an angel too! It tugs at my heart to see her taking on new challenges/changes with ease!! Guess she was ready for it way before we were!!

Creative 4 Year Old

Abby called to me that she made a window to peek out of on the shower door.....too cute

Almost.......potty time

Well its almost that TIME.....Maddy needs to get acquainted with the little potty

I am trying to give her some "down" time try it out......here she is with her phone in hand, multi-tasking!

I'm sure we won't be potty trained for a few months, but its a start

Flight Suit Stocking

I had this flight suit stocking custom made online! LOVE it! It is made from an actual flight suit, and I got to choose the colors/materials for the accents! Great keepsake!! They make them out of ANY service branch uniform.....they also make awesome purses/totes from the uniforms too!!! flybagzstore.net

Sister Jammies

I meant to post this the other day with the other jammie pic! Too cute to pass up

Squadron Parties 2011

This past weekend Mike's squadron had their adult and kid holiday parties!

Friday night the adult party was hosted at a hotel in Norfolk for dinner, and Saturday afternoon at a hangar on base for the kids! Needless to say, I don't know where the weekend went, but we had a great time.

 Our table of 10 for the night.....ALL of us are prior California squadron friends. So our husbands were all together in the same squadron at Mugu, and now have all moved East finally!

What a face! She snarled at me as I snapped her photo!! Gotta love a 4 year old!

Maddy Mommy

Maddy and I were home one day this week while Abby was at school, and she LOVES to play at home by herself. I found her in Abby's room, tucking a tiger, a baby doll, and a teddy bear into Abby's bed. 

 It wasn't til the very end that she saw/heard me taking photos from the hallway!!

Sunset....

 Caught a great sunset after Thanksgiving!!