Recent Happenings....Christmas Cheer & My Dancing Girl.
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 3:52PM This December has been a busy one....who am I kidding?.....every December is a busy one :) And it feels like we've been go go go for a little too long now. Don't get me wrong....I love to be busy, I love having places to go, people to see, activities to embrace & fun to be had.....but we're now 2 days from Christmas & I'm looking forward to slowing down & truly enjoying some family time!
For the past 4 years, I've made the lead up to Christmas as magical & as meaningful as possible for my child! I love this time of year & I love living it through a child's mind too!! But, to be honest, this December has been a bit of a blur....probably from the sleep deprivation of having a newborn as well finding the balance....{or flow of a juggling act} of being a Mother of 2. But with that said.....we've still managed to fill our days with shopping {too much shopping}, some Christmas art n craft, Christmas catch-ups & playdates, dancing rehearsals, dinners out with family, more dancing rehearsals, Santa photos, concerts & the usual Christmas Chaos....{umm...I mean Cheer!} It's been fun! It's been tiring! It's been good!
And as Sunday morning rolls around & I see my kid's faces as they discover Santa's trail of gifts & a whole day ahead of joy....I know it'll all be worth it....and then it will be time to simply relax, enjoy, breathe, absorb & love! And love big....is what I plan to do this season!
We put our Christmas tree up at the end of November :) My Mum & Dad were heading off to South Africa for 6 weeks so we had them around for a night of Christmas music, yummy food & the construction of our tree :) It was nice!
Daddy & Ella decorating the tree!
Grampy & Ella putting the STAR up :)
Ella wrote her annual Letter To Santa :) And we posted it off with our 2011 Christmas Cards!
We caught up with our dear friends for a day of sun, fun, presents & play! Kim, Kirsty & I spent most of the playdate in awe at our 'big kids'....and wondered where the heck time has gone?! They're going to be 4 soon! FOUR....that's crazy!!!!!
Ella had her Christmas 'break-up / disco' at Kindy! She wore her sparkly new Christmas dress that Nanny & Pa brought back from America & she totally rocked out at the disco with her best buddy Hayden & Nanny too :)
She loves this boy :) When Ella started daycare at 12months old, the teachers told me about another little baby boy who was smitten with Ella...and would crawl around chasing her & kissing her! 3 years on...they're still in LOVE!!! Sweet!!!!!
Nanny came to the Disco to dance with Ella & cuddle with Ryder! LOVE!
And....we saw Santa there too:
And....our first Santa photo with Brother & Sister :)
My girl had her first ever dance concert last weekend! Oh.My.Goodness!! One of the highlights of my year, that's for sure! I was a little hesitant with how she would go.....at home she's loud & funny & confident.....but in a public setting, she has a shy streak. But let me tell you....THE GIRL DANCED!! She rocked it out bigtime!! Chris, Ryder & I got to watch one of the shows & everytime my girl stepped out on stage....I bawled my eyes out! I was a blubbering mess!! I was filled with so much pride, so much love, so much happiness! She was beautiful!
From graceful ballerina to Hip Hop chick in 2 minutes flat :) The girl has style :)
Ryder is 7 weeks old now! He's such a delight! Typical 2nd child....gets dragged from shop to shop, dance lessons, playdates & day trips out. But he takes it all in his stride. He starting to smile lots. He's sleeping well, feeding lots & bringing us more joy than I could ever imagine!
His blue eyes melt my heart & I feel so complete to have him in my world!
In a bit of a nutshell....that has been snippets of our crazy yet beautiful December! Phew...what a month!
It's Friday evening......we're about to head out for Chris's work dinner party & Jayden has arrived!
It's CHRISTMAS!! And I love it!!
Goodnight x
Reader Comments (4)
Merry Christmas, Claire! I can finally leave a comment (my iPad doesn't like me to on your blog for some reason!). I meant to email you SEVEN weeks ago... Congratulations! Does it sound too silly saying that so late? Ryder is absolutely beautiful and I'm so hey that you are all managing so well. It's going to be a very merry Christmas indeed! Love the Santa pants!! x
Merry Christmas Claire to you and your family. Ella looks so cute in her dance costumes! Enjoy this time with all of your loved ones.
Katena x
Merry Christmas Claire! Such gorgeous pics of your babes, they are so beautiful :) Hope you all have a wonderful time celebrating Ryder's first Christmas xx
I love reading your blogs and seeing all your photos, you always make me smile ! Have a lovely Christmas as a Mum of two ! X