trimming the tree + december so far

The night after we returned from Ohio, Stella complained of a stomachache at bedtime, so Brett and I braced for an evening of stomach flu, round 2. Sure enough, an hour later, she yelled for me, and that was that. My mom graciously took Grace the next day so I could take care of Stella who continued to get sick a couple more times that morning even after a few episodes throughout the night. The following day she was feeling much better, although so tired. I am hoping our family is done for good this season for stomach bugs!

We didn't get a tree until the following weekend, so I set up this stand-in tree for the meantime. This little tree is now in Stella's room. Every night we read the nativity story which is spread out over 25 ornaments. Stella loves finding the next number to read, and hanging the ornament every night.

The girls still love wearing their Halloween superhero masks that they received in the preschool treat bag. In fact, the other day Grace insisted on wearing hers in the local food co-op. Ha!

Brett and Stella picked out a huge (fat) Frasier fir, and we love it! Grace loves touching the ornaments and hiding behind it.

Brett always likes getting candy canes for the tree since he did that as a kid. Unfortunately, as the parent who is home with them the most, I have to hear near-constant requests from the girls to eat them, so when the package was finally done, I definitely had no more desire to replenish the supply. Sorry, kiddos.

These two sure love cuddling...no wonder they pass sickness to each other so often. ;)

Grace woke up from a short nap with a fever. The next day she sprouted a tooth in back, so maybe the two events were correlated.  She currently has a cough and major congestion which has affected her sleep the last two nights. Some day we'll sleep, right? RIGHT?

Taking it easy while watching Mary Poppins.

Have I mentioned I love our tree?!

Grace's daily ensemble. She calls her necklaces her "colors". For some reason this reminds me of the women who refer to their soap operas as their "stories".

Grace put on every necklace and bracelet one day last week. This was definitely not the first time she has done this.

Stella proudly picked out this outfit the other day. "Mom, did you know you can wear a shirt over another shirt?" Later that day she asked my mom if she had ever done the same.

A couple months ago, we purchased tickets to see Handel's Messiah at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. Long-time friends of ours, Zach and Lindsay, joined us for dinner at The Oceanaire before catching an (interesting) Uber ride over to the concert. We were a few rows away from the stage on the main floor, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The beautiful words so resonate with my faith, and there were a few moments I got tears in my eyes thinking over the truth of Christ, the Messiah, and what he means to me.

The girls spent the night at my parents' since we knew we would be getting home very late. My dad snapped this picture of them while he took them for a walk.

Monday we met up with my mom and my sister for our second annual Christmas season outing to Galleria. This beautiful mall always decorates so beautifully for the Christmas season. The main attraction this year may have been the escalator in Barnes and Noble, which my mom was kind enough to take them on several times.

They held hands most of the time.

We also ran into one of their beloved BSF teachers, Mrs. MaryAnne who was power walking with her husband.

I think I have completed most of my shopping, except for a couple more things I may pick up for Brett. I was able to accomplish most of my shopping online this year, for which I am so thankful! You can't beat the convenience. Of course, it depends what it is, but if I can score free shipping and a discount, you better believe I am taking that route rather than heading into the throng of shoppers.

I am hoping for at least a LITTLE snow in time for Christmas. I was feeling in the Christmas mood after the Messiah concert, but then with all the rain lately, I feel pretty blah again. We've enjoyed temperatures in the 40s for what seems like a long time now, but tomorrow it may dip into the upper 20s/lower 30s.

The dresses they wore for the Christmas program

Last night the girls had their Christmas preschool program. Grace started crying right away, along with the other two-year-olds, and she hasn't been feeling well, so I held her. Stella, on the other hand, wasn't nervous at all, and sung her heart out. It was so fun to see her enjoying singing and loving music. I didn't take a single picture, so I'm hoping I can find out if others took some shots. Brett videoed the songs, which I'm grateful for, but he wasn't able to take a clear picture of Stella.

photo credit to Sarah Nagel

In addition to two weddings and several Christmas gatherings, we have a lot to look forward to for the rest of the holiday season. Wishing you a merry Christmas from our family to yours!