Wearing me down...I let them open a couple of presents early. However, it really benefits me on Christmas Break to give them something new to occupy their time. ;)
New barbie stuff!
We let dad open his gifts early too
Syd found Millie's old glasses and wore them an entire day...so cute!
This is Millie's silly face.
Girl Scouts Christmas ornament meeting was a hit!
Ms. Amanda was so sweet to drop off supplies to make pop tart gingerbread houses. We facetimed with the boys and all did it together. Much easier than the regular gingerbread house kits! Such a fun activity and delicious to eat!
sneaking bites
Body break! Millie noticed my basketball girls running and she decided to do 25 laps around our driveway!
Just for comparison purposes, we put together the regular kind of gingerbread houses too. They worked better this year because I forced them to have more patience with letting the walls dry.
Christmas book club was outside this year! Emily made a winter wonderland in her backyard...it was awesome! Much needed girlfriend time
campfire face
The beanbag chair has become her favorite place to be
Hold still Baggy...
smooch
JKK and I had a last minute idea to go to the beach for Christmas! We booked a trip to Miami leaving on Christmas Eve. We thought the girls would love the idea! It turns out, they were not excited to be leaving on Christmas. They had a lot of anxiety about leaving Lily and when Santa was coming and what they were missing out on, etc. We did not expect this reaction. At least JKK and I were excited to be getting out of town! Thankfully, Nana agreed to take Lily for the week so she wouldn't have to spend Christmas alone at our house. Nana also stepped in as momma's helper and put out the milk and cookies. She was also Santa's helper *wink wink*. This picture is sort of unrelated to the story, but we did stop for holiday ice cream on our way to Nana's to drop Lily off.
Early Christmas with Nana was lovely. The girls LOVE their time with her. So special. And Nana does a great job of making them feel so loved. Baby dolls seem to be the thing of the moment at Nana's, so she got them some new babies and accessories. They love to play house!
Notes for Santa to set out along with the milk and cookies!
Nana even thought of JKK...awwww
And we're off! We had a super early 6am flight and the girls were troopers getting up for it. This pic cracks me up because it looks like millie just came out of this mother's room (shown behind her). ;)
layover in Dallas
And then we are on our way to Miami! First class all the way (to give ourselves space from other people). The girls are going to expect this kind of room and treatment on all future flights. We are in trouble.
The final leg - in an uber on our way to hotel. The early morning catching up to us!
But we made it! Christmas Eve afternoon spent near the ocean. Nothing better for the soul.
Momma's happy. So everyone must be happy. Frozen coconut mojitos...keep em coming
Syd's first inkling that the birds were brave here.
It escalated...
Ha! This became her stance anytime those pesky seagulls were nearby. She chased them the whole trip and had us laughing so hard.
Millie could care less as long as she is eating or drinking something ;)
Ready for Christmas! They donned their special pajamas and we went down to the lobby for spiked eggnog, hot chocolate, cookies. Santa and an elf were there to read the night before Christmas!
Santa didn't come to Miami, but we did bring a few presents to tide them over. I made a lovely photo book of Jasper and Lily's time together so that they can remember Jasper anytime they want. It kind of made me sad making it. We miss him so much.
Christmas Day on the beach was actually pretty chilly. It was the coldest day of our trip so we didn't spend too much time outdoors.
lots of seashell hunting
Syd did find this super cool crab claw!
And chased more damn birds.
Ready for Christmas Brunch!
We had these huge windows in our room with a gorgeous view.
Cute little tushies ready to go to the hot tub
snacks in the hot tub...is there anything better?
Syd brought a pack of Oreos and kept grossing us out by showing us
Milestone alert: JKK's first pedi/mani experience
The next day we embarked on a long journey to the pier for lunch. The girls whined about the long walk but I like to think they were proud of themselves for earning that lunch! That's probably just me tho. But seriously, what's to whine about?! We are on a beach!
Lots of stopping to get in. The water was freezing, I don't know how they did it.
what a babe
Showing off those fancy nails!
Is that sky/water/beach not glorious?? It really was gorgeous there at Sunny Isles Beach.
The girls split their time between ocean and pool. It's sooooo great that they are old enough to go back and forth alone. JKK and I just posted up somewhere and they would do as they pleased.
Each day got warmer!
Due to COVID, we ate in our room a lot. We took the stairs a lot. We generally tried to stay as far away from people as possible. It worked...until the girls made friends at the pool. And that's hard to say no to.
The Trump International Beach Resort was pretty fancy and there were lots of extras. They sent gingerbread men to the room to decorate. yum!
Our last day...storms in the distance were beautiful
My favorite view <3 This trip was the best Christmas present, in my opinion...family time at the beach! I'm ready to do it every year.
Look a the shadow of the buildings, pretty neat, right?
Saying goodbye to the sea!
And goodbye to Miami!
Back in our little pods on the plane...movies and snacks and sprite. Spoiled.
Wait, what's this? Millie is reviewing the safety brochure! Hahahaha
Foxy in first class...who knew?!
We were gone six days and finally got to see what Santa brought! A vet clinic and medical supplies to treat their animals and babies! The stockings are always a favorite. Syd got some heeleys (shoes with wheels on the bottom) and Millie got some new fancy Nike airs that she wanted. Santa didn't go overboard...as if a beach trip wasn't enough!
Flashback...can't quit looking at this baby face
New Year's Eve at home, just the four of us! There is a quote from a 2011 movie called New Year's Eve that I really like: "Sometimes it feels like there are so many things in the world we can't control: earthquakes, floods, reality shows. But it's important to remember the things we can: like forgiveness, second chances, fresh starts. Because the one thing that turns the world from a lonely place to a beautiful place...is love. Love in any of its forms. Love gives us hope...hope for the new year. That's New Year's Eve to me...hope and a great party." I feel like this is especially good to remember on a NYE at home during a pandemic with the ones I love and am thankful for. <3
We let the girls talk to their friends for as long as they wanted. We gave them plenty of sparkling juice. JKK and I worked a puzzle and ate charcuterie and drank wine. It was a good night!
She isn't much help with the puzzle, but she likes to feel a part of things.
I even got to zoom with mom and Brandon! My people!
The girls ALMOST made it midnight. Syd started getting snippy, so we rang in the New York City new year and sent them to bed. Hope 2021 allows us more social time and less masks! But we have no real complaints about 2020, it was actually pretty good to us. We sold our home and moved to a location that makes us really happy. We had lots of pool time, lots of camping time, lots of ice skating, lots of walks, and lots of movie nights with Nana. JKK turned 50, Millie discovered her love of basketball, and Syd got to have a bouncy house for her bday. KK read a lot of books and still got to see Aunt Midge multiple times in 2020. We are building our dream home, thanks to JKK's successful career climb. And most importantly, we are all healthy and happy and love each other. As cliche as it may be, we are super blessed...may we never forget it.
I love finding random pics on my phone
I finally caved and let them open my barbies I've saved all these years. My OSU cheerleader, Leo zodiac sign barbie, and of course, the famous Erica Kane (from All My Children soap opera). They have no idea who she is, just that she's very fancy. ;)
Basketball games still going on! A lot of them have been cancelled this year, but when they do happen, it's nice to have a bit of normalcy!
Last days of Winter Break coming to a close....
It was a good break, but super long...which doesn't bode well for Syd. She gets TOO used to being home with me. Millie on the other hand is so ready to go back to school and see her friends!
No comments:
Post a Comment