Nathan's 4th Birthday Party

This is the first year that we did at birthday party with friends for Nathan.  Some of the other kids in his class have had them this year, and everyone has such a great time!  Most of the kids have been going to the same daycare together since infancy, so they know and love each other, and the parents all know and like each other as well.  One of the parties we went to earlier in the year was at a gymnastics place, and Nathan absolutely loved it.  That and the fact that I wanted to avoid having to clean and prep my house for a horde of 3 and 4 year-olds made hosting a gymnastics party for Nathan a no-brainer.  Everyone had a blast, and took a really great nap afterward, which is a big win in my book! :)

Stretching out before the fun begins.

Watching the teachers demonstrate the obstacle course.

Natalie watching the big kids intently through the observation window.

Headstand!

Natalie decided she needed to check out what this whole gymnastics thing is all about.

Nathan and Ellie

Ready for cupcakes!!

I know everyone on Pinterest is going to go crazy pinning my super artsy cupcake setup!

Finger Painting!

Last weekend we got out the finger paints for the first time in ages.  The kids had a blast!!  So cute.  I love doing art projects with these two; I wish we had time to do them together more often, although they each do art every day at school.  And yes, Natalie did go directly into the tub after this session.  Thank goodness for washable paint!

Zoo Mob Thanksgiving 2012

Due to scheduling conflicts, we did not have Zoo Mob Thanksgiving during Thanksgiving weekend this year; instead it was a few weeks later.  That meant that our group was relatively small, but it meant a more mellow, relaxed day, which is always a good thing!

Natalie takes awhile to warm up to someone she has just met, or has only met briefly.  However, Uncle Toby is the exception to that rule--she loves him!  She spent quite a bit of time demanding that Toby help her put on Nathan's Crocs and jacket.  That girl loves to play dress-up! :)

Toby, Andy, and Kurt

Ann Marie and Joey

My friends!!  I love them.

Uncle Dingo's sweater is cozy!!

Dinner time!!  You can't see Natalie, but she was in her high chair, and chowed down on the smoked meats and sweet potatoes.

Decking the Halls

Oh my goodness, Christmas with kids in the house is SO much fun!!  Nathan has really been loving all of the Christmas activities this year, and Natalie's been getting in on the fun too.  Our Christmas elf, Elvis, comes every year on December 1st.  Nathan was SO excited for his arrival that he had a hard time getting to sleep the night before, and woke up at 5am to find him.  I'm a little afraid of how early he's going to leap out of bed on Christmas morning! :)  He's had a ton of fun looking for Elvis every morning, and Natalie loves him too.  Once Nathan helps her spot Elvis, Natalie spends the rest of the day going over to point and him and show us where he is.  So cute!  Some kids' elves do lots of mischievous and sometimes naughty things--I am glad that Elvis is a little calmer and just finds silly places to perch, because I have enough cleaning up to do with two kids!

Elvis' first spot.

The kids were both excited about decorating the Christmas tree.

This was how Natalie tried to participate--by climbing on top of the ornament box every time we closed the lid!

So we decided that we should put her in more of a supervisory role. :)

Nathan got in on the action right away, and I am pleased to report that this year he did not break any ornaments in the process--he did a great job!

Can you guess who put these ornaments on the tree???  Apparently that was an excellent spot. 

"Mom, it's beautiful!"

Nathan really got into the idea of writing letters to Santa this year.  He wrote his, and then wanted to do one for Natalie because "she can't write yet" and then had so much momentum that he decided to write one for Todd and I as well.  He put them in our stockings and then asked Elvis to deliver them to Santa for us, a request that he was happy to oblige.  Oh, and yes, our stockings are hanging in the window--I didn't want Natalie to pull them off the mantle and get beaned in the head by the heavy metal stocking holders.

Nathan's letter to Santa:  He's really good and writing his letters, but just in case you can't follow the order of them, here is the translation:  Dear Santa Police Truck Please Nathan (with an illustration to clarify!).

Here's the address: To Santa North Pole

Natalie's letter, addressed side

Natalie's letter:  Dear Santa Dolly Natalie (and another illustration)