kerplunk, kerplunk, kerplunk.....

i am a sucker for a good tradition. a memory maker. a rite of passage.  all those little things, for me, are like tossing another rock into that big old 'life is special' bucket... don't you have one of those? in my mind i do..
and all these little pebbles that i kerplunk are one bit closer to when that bucket just up and overflows. and when it happens there is that perfect moment where you get to bask in the overflow. time stops. everything that is meaningless seems meaningless.  your cup runneths over... right there in your hands. and it's the good stuff baby... like christmas. bringing home the poinsettia...sticking greenery in my beloved antique banana box...manger scenes on the chalkboard..my handheld vintage mixer ... making christmas cookies... the first snow and the nutcracker. the good stuff....

it is possible this is the final year of the wrist pudge for arianna. goodbye sweet pudge. i love you. :)

the first snow was a bit of a tease this year. we kept waiting and waiting... the news would say it was coming by morning-- and then nothing. ari was getting almost despondent about the whole situation. i would tell her it might snow and she would say 'that's what they always say...' so that is why when these tiny little puffs blew in we were excited enough to declare this the first snow. the rule is it has to stay white on the ground in order for it to count. our usual tradition is to go 'snow stomping' in the first snow. when there are approximately 7 flakes on the ground this can feel somewhat anti-climactic...  

some of us did attempt some snow catching with our tongue...

others thought the most efficient way would be to just open your mouth and let the flakes come to you... ;)

last year we were in chicago for christmas and my sister and i took arianna to her first nutcracker performance. she was absolutely enthralled...this year the grammy and i took ari and grayson. i didn't tell them where we were going until we were almost there.. they just knew it was somewhere very special and they had to get dressed up. :)

grayon loves musicals and i forgot that the nutcracker doesn't have words so i was nervous for a minute on how he would do... but he loved it! i whispered in his ear explanations and details for a lot of it... he thought the brother was very naughty and should be punished for breaking clara's nutcracker. hmmm... well if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black. ;) he sat very still and quiet for about 2/3 of it and then got a little squirmy but really did very well. and ari-- well ari was in heaven. :)

grammy got the kids keepsake nutcracker and clara ornaments... which have become staples in the home version of the production which gets played out in my living room every single day.

they loved them...they were playing with them during intermission...

when out of the corner of my eye i see grayson getting ready to pitch his over the banister onto the unsuspecting people below! seriously!?!? if grayson and those around us survive him to adulthood we will all be doing quite well.

nice face bubba... nice face. ;) i made ari and luci matching capes for the occasion... and every other occasion when you want a 19th century inspired cape... which is more often than one might think. ;)

vintage velvet cap with ear flaps. dramatic pause... ear flaps. oh. my. word. toooooo cute. and yes i have too much fun with this. i said to nate-- now all he needs is some knickers. and he said he half expected me to make him some. --!!!-- he said until he is old enough for his friends to make fun of him that he doesn't care what kind of interesting/weird/amazingly awesome clothes i want to put him in. yesssss.
so teenage grayson don't roll your eyes at these pictures...we have SOME boundaries. :)

thank you grammy for a wonderful time!!!

kerplunk... kerplunk... kerplunk..... :)