Thursday, November 29, 2012

Dear Santa...

The magic of Christmas would be nothing without a proper letter to Santa. 

There is something so charming about a letter to Santa that's only asking for two things.
We added the appropriate postage...


And sent it on it's way to the North Pole.


I have a really good feeling that my sweet girl is going to get everything she asked for.  And then some.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Decking our Halls

I am of the opinion that childhood should be magical whenever possible.  There should never be a doubt that Santa Claus is real, there is gold at the end of every rainbow, and pixie dust can be found, if only you look hard enough.  And there is no time of year that holds more magic than Christmas.

We began our yuletide preparation with - what else? - the tree.  Well, trees, actually.  I scored an adorable 2 ft. tree at Target for Ava's room, and let her have her pick of tiny decorations. 


Lila hung out and supervised.


Here's the uber-fabulous finished product:

Jealous?  You should be.
A few days later it was time to tackle the big tree.  Step 1: hit the tree farm.

"Hey Lady, get that branch off!" 
Yes, she said that.  Repeatedly.
Step 2: Bring that tree home and make it beautiful.


 
For the Lundstrom household, the magic of Christmas has officially begun.  

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Front Yard Follies

It all starts when she points to the sidewalk and tells you to take a seat.  She issues a hearty, "Ladies and Gentlemen!", and then begins what I think is The Greatest Show on Earth.  It's a one-woman show with singing, dancing, audience participation, props - and I wouldn't miss a minute of it.  Here are a few visual highlights from last week's performance.




Sunday, November 11, 2012

Halloweek

Nope, that title is no typo.  Since I was a kid, Halloween has gone from a single night of costume wearing and candy procurement, into a celebration the length of which is beginning to rival Hanukah.  We kicked off the festivities in downtown Littleton the Saturday before the Big Day, Ava making use of her favorite mode of transportation (her dad) to gather treats from the local merchants.

Yes, she was dressed as a princess.  If you're surprised by this choice, then you clearly have not been paying attention.
And the girl was good.  She zeroed in on whoever was holding the bucket of goodies, flashed a megawatt smile, and offered up her most polite "thank you" to each and every one.  She was a hit. 

Lila got in on the dress-up action too, but since she was covered in a blanket for the entire outing, all the good pictures were taken on the couch.


Sunday found us - same costumes, washed of the previous day's lollipop stains just in time - at Boo at the Zoo, Tuesday was Ava's Halloween party at school, and Wednesday was, of course, the day we had all been waiting for. 


"Oh yeah, I'm wearing this dress.  Now give me all your candy."
Lila got her game face  - and her mouse ears - on to help me hand out candy while Andy and Ava patrolled the neighborhood.


We'll be swimming in Halloween candy until Christmas, and the sugar high may last until Easter, but I'm loving that Halloween is a whole week now; think I can get away with doing this for our birthdays?