Instead of blogging about our December chronologically, I am going to do it somewhat thematically instead. As a family, we seemed to have a lot of similar activities throughout the month. Like look at lots of lights!
I am a sucker for Christmas lights; they bring a sense of optimism, cheerfulness, and peace into any neighborhood. So it should come as no surprise that if there is a large light display anywhere in town, I'll make an effort to seek it out. We committed one evening to driving around our home neighborhood and seeing all the displays there (some of which were very lovely, although I'm sorry to say I didn't photograph any of them). But we also visited two of our favorite locations for Christmas lights: the Reid Park Zoo and Winterhaven, a neighborhood in Tucson that's known for its elaborate displays.
Zoo Lights
I don't know how much longer our family will remain members of the Reid Park Zoo, but it's been a wonderful place for our young kids to visit. One of its perks is the yearly Christmas lights display. In past years, we have always gotten to see the lights for free, due to our membership. However, this year, we actually had to pay admission! Wah! (discounted admission, but still...) We were initially disappointed by this, but we actually enjoyed ourselves more than in years past. The crowds were a lot smaller, and we felt less claustrophobic and hurried as we strolled around looking at the lights.
It was still pretty cold, though! Luckily, the girls warmed up as we walked.
We listened to an accordion ensemble play some Christmas carols. Weird, yet cool.
Fake snow! The part of Arizona Christmases that makes our kids happy, and makes me sad because I miss the real thing.
Aurora jamming on the xylophone outside the elephant exhibit
Celeste showing off her musical skills
We'll head to the Zoo light for one more year for sure. Then, in 2015 when our membership has lapsed...who can say? But it has given us many happy memories.
Winterhaven
Just a couple of days before Christmas, we decided to get in the holiday spirit a little more by strolling through Winterhaven for its annual Festival of Lights. By now, we were out of school, and only a half-day of work remained for Nathan before his vacation began. We were feeling mellow and relaxed, and ready to see some beautiful sights. And, as usual, Winterhaven did not disappoint.
Some of the homes in Winterhaven change their decorations every year. Other keep the same motif for years on end. Either way, many of the displays are obvious labors of love and have great ingenuity. They are great for kids and adults alike. Here are a few of our favorites:
We had fun posing as the characters from my favorite Christmas movie (yes, Nathan was the mother and I was off to the side; apparently, I was a background extra in the film)
THIS was in their front window. A MAJOR AWARD.
Looks like somebody got triple dog-dared.
This was a silhouetted shot of a desert skyline posted atop someone's house...I thought it was very pretty. The picture doesn't do it justice.
Christmas TARDIS!
Someone got a vintage fire truck on their front yard; the fireman off to the left is rescuing Santa from out of their tree!
Santa & Mrs. Claus working on their golf swings in the off-season
There were more than one Minion-themed yards this Christmas (from the Despicable Me movies)
I always love this house; when it decorates the door, it looks like a gingerbread house.
This house had cows in the yard, so of course it was Lorelai's favorite.
This house was inspired by Elf, my other favorite Christmas movie
We managed to walk all the way through the neighborhood (we pushed the stroller, so the kids could take periodic breathers)...that may have been a first for the whole family to do it together in one trip! Afterwards, we ducked into a Wendy's and had a quick snack to warm ourselves up and rest. Then, we headed home, tired but full of Christmas spirit.
Our own house lights aren't too exciting (white icicle lights strung along the lower story of our home, plus a lighted reindeer & Christmas tree in the yard), but it always makes me happy to plug in the lights every evening. They are great to come home to! I'm not sure my house will ever look as glamorous as some of the homes in Winterhaven, but I will probably always have some kind of lights up every holiday season. It helps me enjoy the holidays even more than I already do (and that's saying something, if you know me!).
Hooray, I'm blogging again! The kids are back in school and it's time to get serious about catching up. I took my Christmas vacation very seriously this year, which meant I didn't do anything that I didn't absolutely have to do. Unfortunately, at the rate I'm going, that means I'll be posting about Christmas until Valentine's Day or so.
One thing I simply must share is the birthday of my beautiful little Celeste, who turned six years old in December. I have been so proud of her all year as she has reached one milestone after another; riding a bike; reading; math; kindergarten; bearing her testimony in church all by herself; and more! She is always impressing me with her great memory, her thoughtfulness, her sensitivity, and her unfailing good cheer. Many days, she is still a crazy little girl; but more and more, she surprises me with her maturity and and wisdom.
But who needs maturity when you're having a birthday party? That's a time to be a crazy little girl again! Since Celeste turned six, family tradition dictates that she have a birthday party to celebrate the occasion. When I asked her what she wanted the theme to be, she responded, "Horses!"
I thought that was a bit vague and intimidating; I wasn't sure at first what aspect of horses she wanted on display (Aurora, after all, had had a My Little Pony-themed party at the beginning of the year). Also, I knew that real horses and pony rides were nowhere in the budget for this party! However, I was able to improvise a few things, and I think Celeste and her friends were satisfied with the results.
Some of the party favors were vaguely "horsey": hunting horns, blue ribbons, and cute little mini show trophies! Then there were the animal-themed puzzle games inside each bag as well. Beyond that were the usual knick-knacks (pencils, candy, etc.), but luckily the kids didn't seem to mind that they weren't equestrian in nature.
I tried like crazy to find a "pin the tail on the horsey" game, but had to settle for a more standard "donkey" version. Oh well...donkeys are cousins of horses, aren't they?
We fed all the kids lunch: they ate Frito "haystacks" (piles of Fritos topped with chili, shredded cheese & lettuce, and other assorted toppings), as well as carrots and apples...treats beloved by horses everywhere!
Some of the outdoor games we played included horseshoes, lasso twirling, and hobby horse obstacle courses.
As it turns out, most of the kids didn't care too much about the "horse" theme one way or another...they were just happy to play together and have fun! This was especially true when the pinata was brought out (it was kindly donated to our party by a friend whose daughter attended):
The terrifying aftermath
Here's Celeste's cake:
Green icing for grass, pink "flowers" for the horses to eat, and chocolate flavored-cake for the "dirt." Okay, it won't win any decorating awards, but it was still yummy!
After that, it was time for presents:
ALL the girls got excited by this present...giant coloring pages!
No sooner had her friends gone home and the dust settled, that our family bundled ourselves up and headed out to get our Christmas tree! It was December 7, after all, and it was time to get the remainder of our holiday decorations up!
After getting the tree put together, Celeste and her daddy headed out for their daddy-daughter birthday dinner. Celeste's choice this year was Brushfire BBQ, a local joint that Nathan had been to before and loved. Okay, Nathan may have had some say in where they ate, but Celeste is just as big of a barbecue fanatic as her father. They ate a lot of greasy delicious food, taking the lives of many napkins in the process.
We had to wait a few more days for Celeste's actual birthday to arrive, so we could give her the family presents:
As per our tradition, her presents are the first ones placed under our Christmas tree each year!
Once she'd tried on her new dress, she looked like a beautiful doll. Seeing her happy smile always brightens my day, and her smile sure shone brightly on her birthday! Happy Birthday, you sweet gal. I am more in love with you than you can yet imagine, and prouder of you than you know.
