strange title, completely unrelated but both part of a very busy, crazy, Christmas-y kind of weekend.
Friday morning was a music class featuring lots of holiday music. Especially fun was waving scarves in rhythm to represent to falling snow. Butterfly squealed and ran around dancing and prancing happily, while Ladybug snuggled in my arms, watching wide eyed, grinning from behind her scarf which she had chosen to wear as a veil.
Friday afternoon we went to a Christmas fair. One building housed a gingerbread competition. The sidewalk leading to the building was lined with 3 foot gingerbread man cut outs. Butterfly ran to each to say hi! and give them a kiss. Inside, we saw incredible displays. Butterfly walked around, excited but well behaved (with frequent reminders of "hands behind your back" while Grandma and I took turns carrying the Ladybug that repeatedly signed "eat, eat!". We visited the cookie room where Ladybug climbed up and down the chairs while Butterfly frosted a cookie. She proudly carried it back to the display room and wandered around asking "where put him?" Favorite displays included the house from Disney Pixar's "Up!", a beautiful castle and a very detailed barn setting, complete with a tiny nativity and hand painted animals.
Friday evening, I drove north to spend some time with my parents. We went to a "live nativity" held at a family's barn. Local teenagers were appropriately costumed to play the parts of each character, surrounding a manger filled with hay and a toy doll. But the girls were much more enthralled with the animals. Sheep and donkeys (so soft!) stood, each in their own stalls within the barn and then outside, we met the celebrity of the event: Moses, the camel. Upon first sighting him, I said "Look at that monster!", marveling at his height. Butterfly heard me and immediately clung to me, "no! dont the monster!" and refused to go near him. She cringed in fear if I tried to get close, so instead we just hung back and observed him from a distance. But Ladybug, carried by Grammy, was fascinated. With no fear, she reached out and petted his neck and cooed at him. Moses reached his massive head down and chomped down on her fur-lined hood to taste it. Ladybug squealed and giggled, Butterfly shrieked and almost cried and Moses retreated, sauntering back to his abundant pile of hay. Next came the horses, goats and and hay ride, all of which the girls enjoyed (especially the tiny goats nipping and licking their hands). After the adventure, we met up with my brother and his family for hot, honey butter laden scones and peppermint hot chocolate (sooo tasty!).
We spent the night at my mom's house, with plans to do some baking and shopping for a lazy and fun afternoon with grammy and papa. (hubband had to work this weekend so he missed out on all the fun). But on saturday morning, we ended up being joined by not just one, but both of my brothers' and their wonderful families. cousins played and played, dragging out all of their favorite grammy house toys and had a great time. My brother (known to my girls as "booga booga") lined all the children up to do a "forced entry tactile take down" (he's a correctional facilities officer). They squeezed together, hands on the shoulders of the person in front of you and in a perfect line, rammed into him and then scattered to strategically pin him to the floor. Despite their ages (2 to 8) and excessively giggling, they were quite effective.
In the afternoon, we made "magic dust cookies". the kids helped me make the dough (pouring in pre-measured ingredients) and then with them sitting in a half circle around me on the counter (Butterfly on one end, Ladybug in a high chair on the other and with four cousins in between), they each held a tupperware container of "magic dust". I plopped a ball of dough in each, and sealed the lids as they all held their hands high in the air. And then with much over exaggeration and flare, I would dramatically give the signal and they would shake their magic dust until I called stop. We did this over and over until all the trays were full and the snickerdoodles--er, magic dust cookies were ready to bake.
As evening approached, I left the girls playing happily with their cousins and headed south where I met my smokin hot husband for a date. Together we attended our aunt's Christmas concert. She is an incredibly talented and gifted musician. Mostly a folk music sound, she played her original Christmas songs and sentimental pieces, intermixed with stories and histories of each one. She played guitar (despite recent injury!), accompanied by a band of complimentary instruments and her beautiful voice was rich, clear, sweet and genuine, bringing so much strength and emotion to each piece. It was a wonderful evening with beautiful music and a chance to see friends and family that we love so much.
After the concert we went out to dinner with one of hubband's long time friends (one of his groomsmen in fact) and his girlfriend and had a great time before picking up our girls and crashing at the aunties house for the night. That was the plan at least. Both girls, who had been sleeping peacefully, perked up when we tried to carry them into the auntie's house. With renewed energy, they refused to sleep but compromised on snuggling and watching the Glen Miller Story with us.
After a very late night, they slept in and we barely made it to our Sunday morning adventure, which was the blessing of my cousin's beautiful new baby girl. We slipped in just as the meeting began and were grateful to be able to share that experience. Afterwards, we joined them at their home, where Butterfly promptly disappeared into the playroom, Ladybug wandered, and we mingled and talked with cousins and family I hadn't seen in months (and had some fantastic chicken enchilada soup).
A long drive and some long naps later, we are home, happy and having had another wonderful weekend.
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