Hannah and Her Look-Alike Doll!

Birthday Girl!

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby Mason! This girl always inspires me with her creativity, amazing stories, motivation, growing independence, and true delight in all that she chooses to tackle in life! One more year until she is a teenager...

Christmas Day!

These kids must have been real good this year because Santa left American girls, American girl costumes, a pirate ship, and loads of other goodies! What a fun day!

Christmas Eve!

Gathering dirt for our luminarias!

Opening Christmas Eve jammies!

Mason read the Christmas Eve story this year!

Throwing the reindeer food onto our lawn!

Letters and cookies for Santa!

Cookies for Santa!

And yes, that is my son in the pink Cinderella leotard... Most days, he is a rough and tough pirate or a scary skeleton, but sometimes he likes to show his softer side and wear some of his sister's old dress-up clothes. He enjoys dressing up as "Mary the mother of Jesus" sometimes and today, a ballerina.

Ice Skating!

We tried ice skating for the first time! Both girls tried it but Dylan only wanted to watch this time! At first, it was all about holding onto the side for dear life!

Then, Hannah and Julia used something to hold onto and ventured out into the open skating area. We joked that this is what they will look like in the nursing home sharing a walker and giggling.

Mason got brave, let go of the wall, and began skating in the open area, too. Unfortunately, she was too big for the walkers...

And finally, all of them on their own in the middle of the rink

Making Candy Houses!

Best Buddies!

Preschool Party

12th Birthday Sleepover!

Mason turns 12 on the 27th of December and for the first time, she had a sleepover! It was a very easy party for me. I cooked chili and baked macaroni and cheese. We set up a salad bar and had ice cream cake. The girls did their American Girl doll's hair to match their own and we went out to dance under the dancing Christmas house lights. I can't say how late they stayed up because I did not make it past 10:00, but suffice it to say that some groggy faces met me in the morning!