The very day we returned from our trip to CT for Thanksgiving we headed out to get our tree. Every year the goal is to get the tree up and decorated quickly so that we can enjoy it for the entire season. The girls' tree-decorating skills are continuing to evolve, and no longer does Reese just hang all the ornaments in one location. She understands the concept of spacing a bit better these days, and Callie can be trusted with almost any ornament...almost. The true indicator that these skills have evolved is that Sarah had to do very little rearranging of those ornaments after the girls went to bed.
Another sign of growth this year came during our annual trip to the Ingle-Mayfield house so that we could see Santa and hang out with friends. Last year was when Callie surprised us by wanting some alone time with the jolly old guy. This year both Callie and Reese were willing to sit on his lap and let him know what they were hoping to see in their stockings and under the tree. It was a fun night overall.
The tree was up, we had talked to Santa, and now it was time for candy. Fortunately for us, the Johnsons were also ready to hang out and decorate a gingerbread house or two. We divided up into two teams, and by chance it ended up being the siblings who got to work together. Vivie Ann and Mason did a wonderful job and the landscaping around their house surely made their father proud.
Callie and Reese also worked quite well together. Reese of course had to have on her Elsa dress she got for her birthday and she managed to do some decorating in the moments when she was not trying to eat all of the candy. Callie took the task much more seriously and did her best to tolerate Reese's creative input that did not always conform to the plan Callie had visualized for the house.
For the second year in a row for Reese and the third year for Callie and Sarah, the next item on the Christmas preparation agenda was the Nutcracker at the Lexington Opera House. The girls got all dolled up and were looking forward to seeing all the great dancing. They now both fully know the story and have favorite parts. One of those favorite parts of course is the snacks that Sarah brings in her purse. It has become a fun tradition.
After the show the girls checked out Triangle Park which is right near the Opera House. This picture certainly highlights the girls' personalities. Reese is demonstrating what has become a bit of a go to photo move and her zest for life. Callie is a little bit more reserved and is not willing to be goofy for goofy's sake at the drop of a hat like her sister. She needs to be coaxed a bit more, but don't worry, once she gets going she can be just as crazy.
One added activity that Sarah took part in was dipping chocolate with Kelly Abraham so that both families would have large amounts of pretzels, pringles, oreos, and ritz crackers dipped in chocolate that could be used as gifts or family treats. The entire afternoon was fun and Kelly definitely has a system down to make sure everything gets done efficiently. Sarah left the house with more than enough chocolate dipped goodies to go around.
Next up was the Christmas pageant at our church, and truth be told, this year was a little bit of a train wreck. We have always loved the low-key aspect of it, but at the same time the Christmas story was always clearly told and the songs fit the story. This year we are not sure how some of the selected songs made the cut, and if Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were there they must have been hiding behind the choir of cherubs. Hopefully next year the whole production will be the result of a bit more practice and planning. However, Callie made a cute, toothless angel and Reese made an adorable zebra hanging out at the manger.
Because the Abrahams were spending Christmas week with relatives in Cleveland we scheduled our Christmas celebration with them early on. This year the get together reached new heights and we introduced the Abraham family to tape ball. It was a big hit and here we see the girls showing off some of the fine gifts they won in the game. The competition was fierce but everyone seemed to win at the end. Perhaps next year we can avoid the crying or the show of disappointment when the anticipation of a great gift is shattered by the realization that you just got a jar of pickles.
For the past several years Lexington has put a skating rink in the middle of Triangle Park and rented out skates to all who wanted to come down and join the fun. John, Callie, and Reese took advantage of a cold but sunny afternoon and hit the ice with the Johnsons. The girls have never skated before and John hadn't skated in more than 30 years, so it was bound to be an adventure all around.
Reese loved it and after she got used to it a little bit wanted to try and do it on her own. Of course she fell quite a bit, but she got right back up and kept on trucking. Independence and persistence eventually pays off, and she has both of those traits to spare. In the hour that we were there she only got off the ice for a couple of minutes and kept coming back on to test herself. It was great to see.
Callie developed an equal amount of confidence during the course of our time there. She started off slower and spent a lot of time hanging on the railing as she went around. But by the end of the hour she was going full tilt across the ice at relatively fast speeds and using the boards at the other end of the rink to stop. She probably would have stayed for another hour if it was possible. Next year we will have to do this again and get the whole family out there.
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