Our church always does a good job of kicking off the season of Advent with a craft fair and pancake breakfast for kids and their parents. This year the main focus was ginger bread houses and pancakes with all of the fixings. And by all of the fixings we mean whipped cream and chocolate chips. There may have been some strawberries and bananas as well, but we all know what went first. This Sunday is one the girls look forward to every year.
Another event that marks the holiday season for us is the Nutcracker. It has become an important girls tradition in the Bowes household. This year was extra fun because we got tickets to the Nutcracker that included Katherine Bracken, the daughter of one of Sarah's colleagues. She is a beautiful ballerina who has previously appeared on this blog in the Ballet Under the Stars post from this past summer.
Although this tradition is only in its second year, we think it is a keeper. The Abrahams were heading out of town over Christmas but we had them over for pizza and tape ball before they headed out. As usual the game was competitive and the younger ones in particular got pretty heated up, forgetting in those moments that the gifts they were fighting for could be anything from a jar of pickles to a pack of gum.
In the end, of course, everyone won because we had a great time together. And once all the ripped newspaper had settled to the floor the Abrahams could smile and pose for the camera. We have probably said it a bunch of times, but we are very fortunate to have them in our lives.
We were pretty proud of our family's competitive spirit as well. Callie certainly took more initiative this year to rip through the tape ball for numbers and glory. Reese is still tentative but we know it is only a matter of time with that one.
For the first time since we have lived in Lexington we through a little Christmas caroling into the mix. The Prestons invited over a bunch of folks and we had the kids practice some of their favorite songs before we hit the streets. And then we simply sent the kids to each door to belt out a carol or two to an often unsuspecting and a bit frightened homeowner. All in all the kids had a blast and the homeowners didn't call the police.
Reese is very aware of Christmas and all that it entails. She could not get enough of the tree, the stockings, and the presents that slowly began to appear as the days went by. This picture came to be when John just happened upon her one morning sitting and admiring the tree in silence. Sweetness personified.
Since we have made a point to be in Lexington for Christmas we always attend the Christmas Eve service at our church. It is beautiful and we particularly love the way it ends with Silent Night as everyone in the church is holding a lit candle in the darkness. This year the weather spiced things up because it was so hot that we had to have doors opened to get some air in. And then we took advantage of the wonderful temperatures to walk down and take a selfie in front of the bourbon barrel Christmas tree near the farmer's market pavilion downtown.
Christmas morning never gets old, and we love snapping a picture of the girls before we let them downstairs. They have been good and don't wake up very early. This year they didn't wake up until around 7:30. And although they are excited they are very much under control and enjoy the whole morning without being crazy.
There were a variety of special gifts this year, but Santa did well by giving the girls a joint gift. It is a soccer goal that they can practice with in the backyard and they were both pretty happy about it. I guess this is the "surprise me" gift that Callie asked for when she sat on Santa's lap earlier in the month. And don't worry, Reese got Shopkins and a Beanie Boo, just like she asked for. Once again, Santa's gifts were a hit.
A new and great twist to this year's Christmas festivities was a visit from Sarah's Arkansas cousins. Gary, Debbie, and their son Cody joined us for Christmas brunch, along with Sharon and Chris. The Matteri's were in Kentucky visiting their other son Jackson and made time to fit us in. It was a wonderful visit and we hope we get to see them again soon. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
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