The Last of the Gifts

Jenny and Jill gave Kate a trampoline thing. It makes noise and it is large. I don't know where it will go, but it has to go somewhere, I guess! :-) Kate had a great time jumping before breakfast.

Kate helped Meema open her gifts and "oooh'ed" and ahhh'ed" over the sweater she was given.

New Tangled paint book. We have already lost one lid and I caught her, this morning, painting her hand pink. BTW, they are not washable markers.

When we arrived at Mom and Grandaddy's house for Christmas dinner, there was a mean game of Parcheesi being played. Kate went to watch and learn from the masters. Oh, and she disrupted it a little.

Merry Christmas 2010! We enjoyed every minute. Too much to document it, I guess.

Christmas Day

So much for documenting this Christmas. As I go through pictures, I realize I did not do as well as I had intended. In fact, I did not do well at all and should be beaten. Maybe the video camera will hold more? Maybe someone else has good pictures? Maybe next year I will be better? Oh well, can't bash myself forever about this, huh? Santa laid out the gifts so that Princess Kate could see all of her Princess stuff, her only request for Christmas this year. Drake, Ezra, and Abby were also gifted new treats and Drake got tennis balls that have a squeaker inside them. I got my wish: snow for Christmas!

The tiara was an automatic when opening the gifts. Thank goodness it was Snow White, too; she is the favorite around here.

Santa also brought Kate some new puzzles. Daddy helped put the Dora one together.

Christmas Eve at the Masons

Aunt Bonnie gave Kate a Pillow Pet!!! Who knew she would a) know what this was b) yell out "It's a pillow; it's a pet" when she pulled it out of the gift bag and c) sleep with the pillow pet since this gift was given? This gift was a HIT!!!

Another hit of the night, as always, was being with Mason Tanner! Kate can whistle and I am not talking about a typical three-year-old whistle. She can whistle in and out. And for a long time.

She loves that Mason hangs on her every word. She doesn't know that he doesn't understand and I really don't think she cares. She just loves to be with him.

She also had to tell him about her lip. She was running to catch up with Matt and me while walking my mom's dog, and she took a header in the street. A little blood on the inside and out and a Lisa Rinna-style lip and she looks like a different kid. Poor gal! She cried then but has since forgotten, which is great!

those crafty kids

Holiday projects #2 and #3 were gingerbread houses. Fran and Tommy took the big one to decorate and Kate and I did the gingerbread ornament. Greatest deal is they were already put together. All we had to do was make royal icing and decorate. Fran and Tommy went to Hobby Lobby and secured the candy decorations and we sat down at the breakfast table and went to work. Tommy was the contractor for his house, allowing Fran to work on the assembly and follow directions. The shingles were made of Christmas Andes mints. Kate watched in the beginning and ate oranges. Something about the previous project gave her the desire to eat fruit...

Frannie taking direction from both sides.

Kate and I made the ornament gingerbread house. Very cute idea and she had the attention span for this one -- not sure how it would have worked for the big one!

Tommy's finished house. Sparkle icing decorated the shingles, marshmallow trees at the front door and Nibs as the house's foundation. Very creative!

holidays

Tommy came home with Fran for Christmas, and we were so glad to have an "artist" create. His first idea was cloves in oranges for the house to have a natural holiday scent. He gathered the troops (ok, just Matt and Kate) and they set to work on sticking the cloves in the oranges. Tommy, ever the professional, saw a design with each orange. Kate? Not-so-much.

Matt followed directions.

Kate gathered all of the cloves and doled them out to worthy participants.

She helped push in the cloves. This was just the first activity for the day!

I'm the Gingerbread Man

The almost last of my baking for the season was a new recipe for gingerbread men. Matt saw me piping the icing on and asked if he could do some. Never one to kick him out of the kitchen, I gladly said YES! He enjoyed himself while piping the men. Some cracked me up, that is for sure!

He even made one for his nephew, Mason. And one with Kate's initials. Sweet guy!

Even ballerinas stop for a cookie

Kate and Matt took a break from being a ballerina (Kate, not Matt) and helped me out by decorating the cookies I had made this week. The concentration each had for the design was amazing.

Kate's head got a little heavy while decorating -- she is not quite ready for her own TV show!

And yes, I interrupted her and she did not want that!

playdate

Mason Tanner was baptized last Sunday. After, we went to the grandparent's house for lunch. Kate used it as the perfect opportunity to stalk Mason. He better get used to it! Kate is nuts about him and we are all a little crazy about him, too!

after-bath dance party

It is becoming routine -- bath, jammies, tutu, dance party. Kate requests it each night. Sometimes we dance to pop music; other times it is Christmas carols. She absolutely loves to dance and I am so glad she was accepted into a dance class next semster (mid-year).

Matching Christmas jammies for us -- mom and Fran (and Luna) have them, too. Will post those pictures after we are all together in them.

Wet hair, not greasy. This is my sillllllly girl!

Practicing our arabesque. I don't have the wand (but I do have a tutu).

Birthday party #3

Sunday, Kate, Mom, and I went to the Christmas Pops concert. It was a great concert and though Kate was ready to go home before it ended, she behaved rather well for a new three-year-old. Even others said this; I am not being biased!

Mom made a cake for Kate and she was so excited to dig right in. Who can blame her -- homemade buttercream frosting is the best!!

Another surprise gift: a picnic game. We had to move our chairs immediately and play.

Birthday Gifts

Saturday was supposed to be the big family birthday party, but Kate woke up with the stomach virus. So, we canceled and spent the day in bed. She rallied in the afternoon and Mimi and Papaw brought her gifts over.

Always does this with a magnifying glass. Always.

The new princess castle/tent.

Aunt Martha got us an iPad, which we gifted Kate for her birthday. She has done well sharing with us, I will say! :-)

All birthday pictures taken in her jammies, unfortunately. And the puke bucket next to her! :-)