Frame-a-Day Week 52 (!) + One: 12/24-12/31

Well, here we are...the last "Frame-a-Day" installment for 2011.  Honestly, I feel like the older I get, the faster the years go...it could also be related to the kids getting older as well.

But, I did it!  I don't think my friends who haven't done this type of project really fully grasp the feeling of accomplishment with this.

Without any further ado, here are the last 7 plus New Year's Eve:

December 24--"Emmanuel"--Trust and Earnest learned the song "Emmanuel" at Sunday school, which is likely a variation of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel". We did not get to attend Mass where the kids were going to lead everyone in singing the chorus, so I told them that they could sing it at the family Christmas party, which they did.

December 25--Merry Christmas--For the third consecutive year, we hosted Christmas Day for both sets of grandparents. We had a great dinner and a day with present opening spread over pretty much all of it. Trust made all of us gifts. I received a pinch pot with my name (Mommy) on it and a homemade locket; while Earnest made a book at school about his family which made me teary. Those were probably among some of the the best gifts, at least in my eyes.

December 26--White Men Can Jump--Gran and Gramps stayed at the [hotel] and we enjoyed a dip in the pool this morning before they headed back home.

December 27--Build-a-Bear-(and-Penguin)--Trust had received a gift card to Build-a-Bear for her birthday from Nana and Grampy and I asked them to get one for each boy for Christmas so they could all go together to make new friends. We went today and we now have Woody the Penguin, Sprinkle the Confetti Bear and Cuddly the Camouflage Bear in our house.

*December 28--Botanical Garden, Revisited--I took Trust, Earnest and Nana to the botanical garden exhibit as she and Chretien did on December sixteenth.  There were even a few crafts to do--a bird feeder and a collage calendar for 2012--a perfect way to spend the morning in Trust's mind.

*December 29--Let It Snow, Man--Exactly six months to the day ago, Trust and I went to a local library and created a giant hot air balloon.  Today was another "big" craft at the library; the seasonally appropriate, but not yet accurate, snowman creation.

December 30--Three Turn Trouble--A local school had free public skating this week and we went over this morning for Trust to get a bit of practice time in.  She is currently in the gamma ISI figure skating level and is struggling a bit on the "three turns" that are required to pass this level.  I caught her mid-turn here and despite her troubles, I think she looks pretty 'professional' here in her set up.

 December 31--New Year's Eve "Fundue" Party--We had our own little New Year's Eve "Fundue" (as Earnest called it) party at home tonight.  We had cheese fondue with homemade bread, apples, mushrooms, carrots, potatoes and teriyaki chicken for dinner and then chocolate fondue with Rice Krispie treats, strawberries, bananas and mini marshmallows for dessert.