lest you think i was missing in action...

nope, not missing! just enjoying the season...

i had such high hopes of rhyming out this post to the tune of the 12 days of christmas. regrettably, my clever thoughts have ceased. currently, i am just happily pooped from all this celebrating.



we've had a very busy, action packed month. i think it is fair to say, we've been engaged in this joyous holiday season.



at the beginning of the month we participated in our first hanukkah celebration. my friend and babysitter, laura, invited our family to celebrate with her family. we lit the candles, enjoyed good food and played a little game of dreidel. i loved this start to our very celebratory month. it was so beautiful to see this young couple starting to create their own "family" traditions. we were blessed by them and delighted to be invited to share in the miracle of the oil with them.

also early in the month, scott and i traveled to sonoma to visit my dear friend stephanie. she and her husband were vacationing here for a few days and included us in their time away from home. we lunched, tasted wine, enjoyed some fabulous scenery and savored our time together.

and then there was some celebrating to kick off opening day of candy cane lane. gathering with friends, taking in the light displays presented by each home owner on this quaint street, enjoying tasty treats and watching the kiddos get caught up in the excitement of the season was great fun.

e, d and i took in a viewing of the nutcracker at the bankhead theater. watching d observe her first live stage performance was entertaining. it was especially fun to see her recognize the music from her own ballet class (where they've been working on their own little performance). her eyes lit up and she yelled for all of the theater to hear, "momma, that's MY song that I dance to!" e, an old pro at stage performances, but new to the ballet was also in awe. she loved how she could follow along in spite of the lack of words.

and then we took in a super fun holiday party with face painters, balloon artists, performing christmas trees, nutcracker characters and a little seat on santa's lap.

a few days later, i was delightfully entertained by d's rendition of the nutcracker. you can only imagine how much this little lady and a certain momma enjoyed this day. initially, i was a little miffed when the teacher suggested that siblings not attend (pushing me into a babysitter scramble) but after 45 minutes of undivided attention directed at my middle daughter, i became unmiffed. she soaked up the attention, while i enjoyed giving it. note to self, this little muffin needs more time with her momma without any distraction. i forget that sometimes. this was a beautiful reminder.

and then there was a cookie exchange with some of my most favorite people in this pleasant town of pleasanton.

and the celebrations ended with a delightful tea at mops (mothers of preschoolers). it has been a good month so far, and thankfully, the festivities aren't over yet.