Pre-Holiday Festivities

We've had a lot of fun leading up to the holidays. William got to go shopping at the "Holiday Shoppe" at school and was able to pick out surprise gifts for family members. He had fun playing elf when he got home and was proud of his purchases. The boys and I also decorated Snoopy's Doghouse Gingerbread Houses. They turned out pretty cute. I hosted my 5th Annual Cookie Exchange brunch. It was fun to spend time with my girlfriends and get a nice assortment of cookies! Finally, we've been enjoying unseasonably warm weather the past few days. There has been a lot of driveway hockey!

Wrapping his purchases

Happy Little Elf

Gingerbread Dog Houses

Serious Decorator

Pretty Cute - and safely out of reach!

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies!

Snowman Breakfast

Zamboni - cleaning the "ice" between periods

Building a House - thanks for the idea, Curious George!

Holiday Program at Moorsbridge

On Wednesday afternoon, we went to William's school to see his holiday program. It was very cute - the Kindergartners did a great job.  William is in the green and white striped PJs.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds...

Ho, Ho, Ho!

We heard rumors that Santa was visiting Kalamazoo this afternoon. After everyone went home, we hopped in the car and drove downtown to see if we could find him. William was pretty excited - he's been working on his list. He went right up to Santa and went over everything and posed for a few pictures. Alex was a little nervous and wanted me to sit with him.

Happy (early) Hanukkah!

On Friday night, William had a special treat. Phil picked him up from school and they drove to Detroit with our friends Ben and Charlie to see the Red Wings game. After the game, they all spent the night at Grann's before heading back to Kalamazoo for our Hanukkah celebration. 

 In addition to Grann, Aunt Maran, Uncle Josh, Allie, and Emma came over as well. The cousins had so much fun playing together - they get along really well! They spent a lot of time in the bounce house and decorated Hanukkah cookies. Before dinner, the kids opened all their gifts and then spent the rest of the evening playing with them. Dinner was fun. We realized it was our first "formal" sit down dinner with all four kids. This morning, the kids played some more before everyone had to head home. It was great to see everyone and get to spend some quality time.

Don't those cookies look delicious!

Emma checking out her new throne

Let's eat!

Go Elf Yourself

And back by popular demand:

Chicago Fun

This was the weekend of our annual holiday trip to Chicago. Grann came into town on Thursday evening and we got on the road first thing Friday morning. Phil dropped Grann and I off at the hotel with our luggage and then he and the boys went to park the car and take the train back to the hotel. Alex was so excited to get to ride the train. After we were settled, we grabbed lunch at Eataly which was delicious! Then we walked over to Water Tower so the boys could ride the escalators and could play in the Lego store. William left the Lego store with a snowplow kit and Alex found a Lego Juniors fire station that he loves. Then we swung by the hotel to drop some stuff off and went down to the Macy's on State Street. We put our names in for dinner at the Walnut Room and looked at the decorated windows (which Alex really liked). Then we walked over to "the bean" and William and I did a little ice skating. It was a little more chaotic than the ice he's used to and the skates were a little shorter which gave us a little less ankle stability. William was not as sure on his feet as he usually is but still had a good time. Then we walked back to Macy's to have dinner by the big Christmas tree. 

On Saturday, we walked down to Millennium Station and took the Metro to the Museum of Science and Industry. The boys love the kids' water area and spent close to an hour there. Then we explored the "Science of Weather" and watched the model trains (they love their trains!). When we got back to the city we had a late lunch and rested for a bit. Then we got to take another train ride to Lincoln Park so we could see Zoo Lights. The boys got to take a little train ride and enjoyed seeing all the lights. 

On Sunday, we took a quick walk down to the lake before heading for home! The boys had a great time and we are all a little worn out!

Hot Cocoa Time!

So excited to watch the trains on the elevated tracks

Fairy Princesses at Dinner

Zoo Lights