December Daily: Dec 1, 2, 3

I'm attempting a December Daily album again this year, but it's really a matter of documenting now and actually putting the album together in stages.  So, here it goes.

Dec 1 is actually kind of a bummer; the girls were asleep when we left the house in the morning (which really never happens), and were asleep when I got home because of class.   It was just ... weird.  No photo for that day, because I didn't want the first photo in my album to be of a boring class.  Instead, I got some hot chocolate at Starbucks on my way to class, and I'm planning to to use the cup or sleeve.

Dec 2 was another work day, but we went out for "mac and cheese a roni" for dinner at Panera after work.  The girls wore winter coats, their pink summer sun hats, and their new teal panda bear rain boots.  After dinner, we went over to Barnes and Noble to try to catch story time and play with the trains.  But apparently, since the last time we went to Barnes and Noble, they've turned it in to a Nook and kid's toy store.  Story time had already started, and the girls weren't interested.  And, to top it off, the train table was gone.  We tried to look around a bit, but the girls wanted to take things out of packages, etc, so we decided to leave.  We headed for the car, but the girls threw a fit at the door...  They were terrified of the horse drawn carriage that was taking people for rides around the parking lot.  Emma insisted on being carried, and wanted to go straight to the car.  I managed to drag Becca and Julie up to see the giant Christmas tree and we spied Santa sitting in front of it.  We didn't get too close, but they didn't freak out.  We went back home and looked at Christmas lights.  Oh, how they love Christmas lights!

Becca's cheese mustache.  If you look carefully, you can see the pink sun hat peeking out of Greg's pocket.

Dec 3 was Saturday.  We ate an early dinner and went downtown for the big annual Christmas parade.  Despite getting there late, we managed to get a decent spot.  The girls insisted on staying on the sidewalk (we've taught them well!) although people were spilled out into the street.  I kept worrying someone was going to come and stand right in front of us.  The girls were a little hesitant at first, but they LOVED the parade.  When we got there, they kept saying, "I want candy!"  I tried to explain that this parade didn't have candy (it's much bigger than our town one), but to my surprise, Target had a "float" this year, and they handed out candy canes.  Which they insisted on unwrapping on the spot.  Emma and Julie gobbled theirs up, but Becca was so distracted by the parade that she just periodically licked the end of it, until she got so distracted she dropped it on the ground.  But the girls were dancing to the music, jumping up and down - - particularly Emma.  I'm afraid they're going to expect a parade every weekend.  On the way back to the car, Becca told me, "I had fun at the parade!"

Finishing cookies from a rushed dinner before the parade started.

Emma's "cheese" face.  I've got to come up with something else for them to say.  But she was all excited, and put her arms out around her sisters all on her own.

Becca loving the parade 

Becca is more interested in the parade than the candy cane. 

Emma crunching.

When we got home, we made hot chocolate.  The first time they had hot chocolate was almost a year ago, when we got all that snow in January.  And they wanted no part of it.  But on Saturday, they were all over it.  Emma kept telling me that hot chocolate is her favorite, and it's the best in the world.

E

Is Julie back there somewhere?

Ah, she is!

R, all in

I love this picture of Emma.  Finally, not a "cheese" smile.  And love the chocolate all the way down her chin.