December…more plaid jammie time, more morning snuggles.
We decided to skip the formal Santa photo op this year, as Juliette’s getting a bit old for it and Isaac is a bit timid for it, but it was fun to run into Saint Nick on an evening walk near the West Seattle Junction and I did convince Juliette to cozy up to her hat twin for a quick pic. We were in the neighborhood to grab a couple of gifts and it was so festive that night, with roaming Santa and carolers in front of Bakery Nouveau and the Better as Brass crew tooting out All I Want for Christmas Is You. Just a typical December Thursday…I love the holiday season.
Juliette’s Winter break began on December 15th and we celebrated with the opening of a single Christmas gift. I knew she would want something fancy to wear over the coming couple of weeks and this new dress from Grandpa and Grandpa went straight from the gift bag onto her body! Girl loves a good outfit.
We also celebrated the onset of break with another Christmas tree slumber party. I never sleep quite as well as I hope on these nights, yet it’s never a disappointment.
And the mornings after! I love a good Saturday morning blanket nest.
December 16th! Recital day! Juliette started in-person piano lessons with a new teacher a couple of months ago and we’ve been anticipating her first real recital ever since. It’s a great motivator to practice, plus girl loves the spotlight (whether she’ll admit it or not). After many at-home rehearsals and a multitude of nervous butterflies, the big evening arrived and Juliette strode up to that stage with such grace and bravery. She played O Christmas Tree and Square Dance without a hitch and I couldn’t have been prouder. She’s a star.
We relished the rest of that weekend at home to be quiet and cozy, as we knew we’d be Portland-bound early the next Saturday.
We keep a couple of Santa hats in a basket by the tree and I get a little giddy every time the kids pull them out. Isaac’s Santa impression includes a booming HO, HO, HO!, shouted while he swings his arms and scratches his armpits like a monkey. It works for him.
Juliette and I baked cookies…
And then she got very crafty with this mobile Mistletoe holder, which she dangled over Shane’s and my heads with a plea to “Kiss! Kiss!” Then Shane kissed me and she promptly told him to stop. Parents can be so gross.
I worked most of that week before Christmas, but signed off a little early when possible to hang with Juliette, as she did a lot of self-entertaining during the day. We picked up Isaac early on a foggy afternoon for a coffee shop date.
Visiting neighbor Dave’s driveway menagerie of inflatable characters became a regular part of our day. Isaac would look out the window on the regular to see if the dinosaurs were “awake” (inflated). If yes, he was desperate to go give them pat-pats.
What a mini wonderland…
Juliette and I requested a return trip to Bellevue’s Snowflake Lane parade, as it had been a few years, and Shane obliged and drove us all over there on a free evening.
It was crowded, but Isaac had a seat with great sight lines.
(Shane, meanwhile, couldn’t see anything! Hehe…)
The parade was as cheesy and glittery as ever and Isaac ate it all up, getting particularly giddy over the dancing polar bear.
Plus, the people dressed as Nutcrackers hand out lollipops?! Score.
It was…a lot. I’m not sure this scene is totally our jam anymore, but we went, we saw, we survived.
ASTRA LUMINA, however! This is a traveling light exhibit that recently landed in West Seattle and I snatched up tickets for Juliette and me on a Thursday night. We got to saunter through the different installations at our own pace, hot cider in hand, and it was all pretty magical.
It looks like Juliette could start levitating at any moment…
This giant disco-looking ball was my favorite and we stood near it for several minutes, watching it shimmer and change color.
Top night.
I took off the Friday before Christmas so that Juliette and I could make our final holiday preparations together. We picked up our last couple of gifts, baked pumpkin bread while watching the Winona Ryder version of Little Women, and joined Isaac in his classroom for craft time and treats.
We let the kids open a few gifts from their Minnesota family that evening to lighten the load we’d carry down to Portland. Isaac didn’t entirely understand the gift-opening concept last year, but this year…he’s on it.
Thanks, Aunt Tiff and Uncle Jason!
(And thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!)
That smile…and so much more fun to come, Buddy. So much more.
