A Holiday Weekend

Friday we picked Lily up from school and headed to Lodi to celebrate the holidays with besties.

The kids went outside looking for sticks and came in asking for headbands and such.  A few moments later they performed.  The big kids sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer while the littlest two giggled, danced, and chased each other around the room.

Awww.

I brought Christmas stories to read.  The best part was that the kids took turns reading instead of me!

Can you feel the love tonight?

My sweet holiday gifts.

I did not prompt "say cheese"

These smiles are the real thing, baby.

The kids posed themselves and set the camera on timer.

(Meat Man) Mike brought the tastiest prime rib. (full disclosure = this is an unpaid advertisment for Lodi Sausage and Company) 

I brought the sides (and by request sent the recipes, good job, me!).  Cathie had appetizers and drinks.

A perfect pot luck.

I also made a hot chocolate bar for the kids.  I hate to brag but it was so cute and the kids loved it. 

I loved my warm and boozy Tom and Jerry drink Cathie made, (sitting in the big blue mug).

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

The following day we had planned to attend a Herwig Christmas around the corner.  We decided to cancel when we got news of flu in the house.  Especially because we didn't want to spread anything to the other events we had happening the same weekend. 

Happily, the flu is gone and the party went on without us.

We had an unexpected morning of relaxing at Cathie's before heading to our next party. 

The kids watched a movie and I finished my book.

Then we were off to Claire's 2nd birthday party!

As you may recall she is Darin's goddaughter and they share the same birthday.

She is a total doll of a girl.

Charlotte adores her, I think mostly because she gets to be the big girl with Claire.

 When that party ended we had a little Christmas of our own with the Mitby's.

Sunday we headed to a Tim and Erica's baby Rory's baptism.

Tim actually introduced Darin and I years ago (thanks Tim!)

And Lily was the flowergirl in their wedding.

Charlotte thought maybe this was the baby that we were going to take home with us.

I thought the same.

So tiny and pretty and soft and cuddly.

Can we have her?  Please?

Rory has awesome cousins we played with.

I love her family so much.  Charlotte even performed in front of a group of 10 Professional Grandparents.

No one believed me when I said she was the shy, quiet one.

I had champagne on a Sunday afternoon.

It was so lovely, we would have moved in and stayed for a few months.

But then we remembered we had 4 more days of school and work before break.