Operation: Sneaky Christmas

En Route:

Holiday Attire.

Different situations call for different accessories. I guess. ;-)

Oh, Chrissus Tree.

Wren had his very own tree in his room this year. It provided a nice light to fall asleep by each night.

Po-yar Ex-prex.

Oh, yes. We did, indeed. We took Wren on the Polar Express and he LOVED it. Well, except for when Santa entered his personal space bubble. After receiving such a nice bell, he did reconsider and decide to shake Santa's hand as a gesture of gratitude. What a fun night! :-)

Feliz Navidad.

Happy Birthday, Happy Love.

Happy's officially been with us for one full year. What an amazing companion she is! We are so grateful for her love, dedication, protection, and friendship. :-)

Tree Lighting.

Jesse played again this year for the annual tree lighting down on the waterfront. It was a great night. The weather cooperated, the music rocked, Santa arrived by fire engine, and there were more than 1,000 people in attendance. Way to kick off December! :-)

The Little Things.

One of the best things about living where we do is the accessibility to endless walking trails. There is nothing the kids love more than bundling up and heading out for a couple of hours of exploration.

City Tree Decorating.

Jess was working on decorating the tree down by the waterfront and we knew it, so we stopped by to say hello. Little did we know, Wren would get to help decorate the tree, too! Plus, Uncles Andy and Brandon were up in the "cool tractor bucket." Fun stuff.

What the Flock?

Our tree this year is a sweet 5ft nobel fir. It's our first flocked tree. It smells like a dream in our living room. We have yet to decorate it, but to be honest it is lovely on it's own.

Theater.

One of my favorite childhood memories is going to the theater to see Aunt Barbara in her various performances. It was so cool. All the music, singing, costumes, etc.

We decided to take Wren to see Dr. Doolittle. Our friend, Cherie, was cast as Chee-Chee, so we had the perfect excuse to try.

Wren lasted about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Not too shabby for a three year old. At that point he grew a little restless and wanted to go up and touch the sets. Plus, he doesn't whisper very well yet, so we had issues with his little questions carrying through the very small venue. :-)

Gingerbread House.

Wren did pretty well with this fun project. We stopped, though, once he figured out that the materials were edible. He didn't eat any of the candy, but he licked the icing out of curiosity. Ha. That was when I chimed in with, "Looks pretty good. I'd say we're about done here." ;-)

Finding a Tree.

We are loyal patrons of Patterson's Market in Gig Harbor. They are so bloody nice there. It has been locally owned and operated for... well, for forever. In any case, we went there to find the perfect Savage tree. Wren, however, was more concerned with finding the perfect Honeycrisp apple. ;-)

Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was a fun day for us. We had pancakes for breakfast. Then we caught a matinee. Wren LOVED the new Muppet movie. Afterward, we stopped by to visit some friends for a bit. Then it was home for a delicious meal. I found a smoked turkey at the store. I served it with smashed potatoes, GF gravy, cranberry relish, and spinach salad. 30 min prep ~ can't beat that. Plus, Jess made one of his famous pumpkin pies. So, we had that to enjoy afterward. :-)

Play Woodybuzz.

Wren asked his Daddy to play "Woodybuzz" with him. He got all ready in his Woody costume, and then he requested that Jess put the Buzz costume on. It was a bit small, but we found a way to improvise. Once they were dressed, Wren requested that they reenact the scene from the end of Toy Story in which Woody and Buzz fly up into the sky via rocket, free themselves from said rocket, and then glide down into Andy's car. Cute.

Bookmobile.

Wren and I have something new to do. Every other Wednesday afternoon the Kitsap Regional Library Bookmobile (aka - "Violet") comes to our neighborhood bearing books, CDs, movies, audio books, cookies, and tea. Initially Wren was a little apprehensive about boarding the ominous purple vehicle full of people, but he warmed up quickly. We are allowed to check out 100 items, although Chris the Librarian (pictured below) said that she would "override that for us" - ha! Wren and I settled on 8 books. Then we went home to enjoy them. We can't wait to see our new friends again. :-)

Halloween.

Poor Wren has been feeling under the weather. He's had quite a cough ~ which has affected his sleep. That being said, we couldn't just let this day go by. So, we compromised and took him downtown for just an hour. He was a good sport and ended up having a bit of fun. :-)

Uncle Wendell and Auntie Jackie

We LOVE IT when Uncle Wendell and Auntie Jackie come to visit. They are always in good spirits and ready to have a good time. <3

Carving Pumpkins.

Wren and Asher

Asher belongs to one of my best girlfriends. He came over to play the other day. I just had to post these funny photos. ;-)