A few weeks left till Christmas...

After weeks of practicing, Macie's big Christmas Performance was finally here!  She was so excited that she couldn't wait to get to school.  Once she arrived, she sat anxiously on the stairs until her class was called to the stage.

Once she stood in front of the crowd, she got a little shy.  Mom was worried that she would clam up...

Once the music began, she turned on the charm, and was a BIG hit!  Check out all these still shots- she REALLY gets involved with the songs...

Here are all the videos from the evening.  See if you can hear Macie's voice in the crowd (everyone was calling the performance "Macie Frankwick and the Chaparral Christian Choir")...

When the songs were finished, Macie posed while the crowd cheered!

Before ending the night, all the alumni students were invited to the stage to help sing the final song.  Macie was SO excited that I got to join in the fun!

It was fun being up on stage with Macie and my Apple Room friends!  Afterwards, Macie and I posed together with big smiles!





Later that week, both Macie and I had our holiday parties at school.  Thanks to Uncle Will, Mom was able to come to school with me and help my class celebrate!





I love having her in the classroom with me!



Our party was lots of fun; we had 6 different stations, each with a fun holiday craft.

My favorite station was decorating a gingerbread man,

because after I was done decorating, I got to eat it!!!

At the end of the day, we all posed together as a class.  I was sad to leave school knowing that I wouldn't see my friends for two whole weeks.

 Macie had her class party the following day, and couldn't wait to celebrate with her friends in the Sunshine Room.

 Macie absolutely ADORES her friends, and her AMAZING teachers!

She had so much fun at school, that when Mom picked her up she was disheveled, dirty, and tired; all signs of a fun day at preschool.  Here she is posing with the gingerbread house she made that day. 

 

We spent the first Saturday of break relaxing and enjoying some much needed down time.  By Sunday we were energized and ready for some family fun.  After church our family packed up our car with snow gear and headed North towards the snow.  We met the Ketcham family at a hotel in Flagstaff, and the fun began.  Dean, Graham, Macie, and I grabbed some sleds and found a hill behind the hotel.  We played until it was too dark to see, and still whined when the parents demanded that we go inside to get dinner. 

Early the following morning our families both packed up and drove to the mountain to sled.  Mom dressed Macie, Presley, and I in warm, waterproof snow gear so that we were equipped to spend a full day on the hill.

We had a blast taking laps down the hill- even Presley had some fun on the sleds...

Presley tired quicker than the rest of us, so she snuggled up with Mom while Dad joined the rest of us for some sledding.

 Mom got tired holding Presley in her arms, and found a creative substitute for a crib...

Presley was able to get a decent 30 minute nap- just enough to wake with a smile!

She turned out to be a champ; all day she had a smile on her face.

When we needed a break from sledding, Dean and I would build snow forts and make snow balls.  Mom LOVED watching me play in the snow- she thinks I'm a natural and can't wait to get me on the slopes next season!!!

Our crew had an awesome time sledding together.  

After a break for lunch, Mom decided it was time Presley went on the big slopes.  Dad was nervous as he watched Mom carry her up the hill...

He could hardly watch as they started down the slope,

but smiled when he saw how much fun they were having together!

 By early afternoon snow the warm weather started to take its toll, and the snow began to disappear.  Our families both decided we were exhausted and ready to head back home.  Before packing up, Dad took a picture with Macie and Presley, super excited that he got to spend a fun day on the hill with us.

 The drive home went quickly, and before we knew it, we were all back in our cozy beds.  The trip had been a success, but we were glad to be back home.  Macie and I have TWO WHOLE WEEKS of break ahead of us, and can't wait for all the fun we are going to have.

The Christmas Season is Here!

The day after Thanksgiving our family took a trip to the nursery to pick out a Christmas tree.

Macie and I were more interested in getting a candy cane than a tree this year...

Mom understood how we felt.  It's not that fun walking through a parking lot tree farm...

We chose a tree from "the pile", and all 3 of us agreed that this was the one.

The following weekend we spent all of our time putting up Christmas lights and decor.  Dad and Mom managed to string over 15 strands of lights around the perimeter of our yard before they called it quits.  We won't be having a "Clark Griswold" Christmas this year, but we have BIG plans for the future!

We attended our first Christmas party the following week and got to see Santa in his winter wonderland.

 Presley was fascinated with Santa's fluffy beard.

After pictures, Santa gave us some holiday bags filled with all sorts of good stuff!

Upstairs we listened to live entertainment while snacking on some yummy treats!

Macie and I LOVED the marshmallows.

A DJ started playing music towards the end of the night, and everyone joined Dad on the dance floor for some fun!

 

 I think Dad had more fun than Presley...

Mom rescued Presley when she grew tired of dancing, and the two of them had some airtime fun together.

On Sunday we went to Breakfast with Santa at Lifetime and took some more pictures!

Presley loved sitting on Santa's lap and kept trying to bounce up and down.

Before we got messy, Mom grabbed us for a picture!

Once pictures were done, Mom gave us the green light to run around and play.  We went outside, where there was a snow machine, and spent tons of time playing in the snow.

Our friend Soren joined us for some snowball fight fun!

I just LOVED the snow!

When our little fingers were finally frozen, we went on a horse and carriage ride.

Back inside the club we jumped in the bounce house and made crafts.

 December was off to an amazing start!

The following week it was business as usual.  While Riley was at school Presley and I would lounge in our jammies while Mom did her daily chores.

In the afternoons, when Riley was home from school, we would play in the yard while Mom watered the plants.  We have come up with all sorts of fun games that include Presley...

The next weekend I went to a birthday party for my friend Sophie at Build A Bear- it was a ton of fun!

I made sure to bring home a treat to share with my sister!

We have had SO many parties to attend lately- we had five in a single weekend?!?!?! Poor Mom can barely keep up. It's a good thing that Presley is SO easy going.  She tags along and is always smiling!

With all of our activities, our nighttime routine is rather rushed.  While Mom is getting us ready for bed, Presley jumps in her jumper and keeps us entertained.  After Macie is in bed, I read her a story while Mom does my hair for the night.

 Presley is SO much fun to feed.  She eats like a ravenous shark, although she still has NO teeth.  At first Mom was careful to cut things up into small pieces, but Presley doesn't need help anymore.  She shoves full blueberries and raspberries into her mouth and clamps down.

She no longer eats baby food, and is served whatever we have on our plates.  She enjoys broccoli, and just recently discovered that peas were fun to eat as well.

She loves to sit in her high chair and sample different foods while Mom cooks out meals.

Presley turned 8 months old this month, and is still the "best baby ever!"  She always has a smile on her face, and is content simply being a part of the action.  She is getting SO big, and wears 12-18mo clothing.  Mom can't believe that she is the size I was at a year and a half.  She is getting close to crawling, but is happy rolling around the floor.  We can't believe at how quickly she can get from one side of the house to the other.

During the school week, Macie and I have continued our daily photo shoots.  Here are some of our favorites from the month:

Macie has been working on some playground skills, and just recently perfected the art of the monkey bars- check her out:

The next few weeks are going to be filled with some Holiday FUN- from parties to performances, so check back soon to hear about our holiday fun...