Christmas fun

Whew. Our family is slowing emerging from the hubub of Christmas and, after getting our pictures back, can now reflect with some wistfulness on the wonders of the past month.

First Wonders: ICICLES
Spencer decided to protect our orange tree (during the only hard freeze so far) by letting the hose drip on it overnight. The result provided hours of fun for Ellie and amazement at the science of water and ice (which Spencer enjoyed explaining).





Second Wonder: SCHOOL PROGRAM COSTUMES
I wish I knew how to sew, but I don't...yet. I keep saying I will learn. Unfortunately for Ellie, these skills did not come soon enough. She was a "sheep with curly horn" and needed an appropriate costume. After researching on the web, I came upon an idea that was a)cheap b) easy and c)seemed that it would work well. Well, two out of three ain't bad. It consisted of poly fill pillow batting stuck to double-sided tape on white clothes. Suffice it to say that from the moment we got out of the car to the end of the program, more than 80% of the "wool" had fallen off, leaving a trail everywhere from the parking lot up to the church, through the sanctuary, up onto the stage (where other children were picking it up and trying to stick it back on her), back down the stage, and ALL over the pew where she sat with her class (who proceded to throw it at each other throughout the rest of the program). I vascilated between laughing so hard I cried and slinking down in the pew, hoping no one would know I was the slacker mom who couldn't get a decent costume on her child. Here's a picture for posterity (this is right when she arrived with her class, so most of it is still on.). Oh...and notice the high-class professional costumes she's surrounded by!

Third Wonder: PLASTIC ICE SKATING
Tallahassee debuted a new ice-skating rink this year in the downtown plaza. Unfotunately it is FAUX ice...uh....plastic, actually. Ellie has never been ice-skating and was super excited about the adventure. However, when she got there and discovered what it was, she started calling it plastic-skating. She had a great time with her cousins Dylan and Sarah, and caught on pretty quickly. I even laced up, to help Ellie out, but was disappointed. I love skating....on ice. Fun for kids, though. Oh yes, Ellie also sported a splint for the holidays. She had a tiny buckle fracture and had to wear a splint for 2 weeks. Luckily, it didn't slow her down a bit.