Weekend Wrap-Up: A Holly Jolly Weekend

It's been a busy weekend at The Niemeyer Nest. Fun yet busy!

Saturday: On Saturday morning, Evie performed in a Christmas program at her school. Carl and I were so proud of her and I may have even shed a few tears of joy. There is nothing sweeter than the voices of children joyfully singing about Christmas. Evie has been singing Christmas songs since October and it showed in the performance. Can't wait to receive our copy of the program. All the children wore shirts that they decorated specifically for their debut. Evie looked so big up on stage singing with her friends. We came home for a quick lunch before heading to see The Nutcracker. Carl stayed home with Henry so it was just me and my girl. Evie was enthralled with the dancers or "ballerina girls" as she referred to them. I was a bit concerned about how Evie would sit still for the entire performance. Of course, she surprised me and intermission helped too. Several of the little girls took to the aisles during intermission including Evie. It was adorable. Evie was even moved by the dancers on stage and decided to performa quick twirl of her own in the aisle during the program. Thankfully, she kept it at one twirl and immediately went back to our aisle seat. It was a beautiful performance and a special afternoon with my big girl. Evie has already requested to go back next year. It would be a wonderful holiday tradition for us both. Evie was ready for a snack and we were both in a festive spirit meaning that a peppermint milkshake was the perfect ending to our afternoon. Carl and Henry were excited to see us and hear about The Nutcracker. Henry slept most of the time we were gone. It was nice and quiet which is pretty rare around here. Henry and Evie were excited to eat the chocolate from their Advent calendar. Evie was not especially enthused about opening the books that are already wrapped for every night this month. Hope she has a change of heart but she thinks it is "adiculous" because she has already read the books "last month." Although, she has not read them since last year! Carl grilled chicken for dinner and we stayed up too late.

Sunday: Evie had a bad dream so I ended up in bed with her around 4. She's actually a pretty good sleeping companion and does not snore or hog the covers. We barely made it to church on time. It's a struggle for us to get ready and out the door by 8:15. Evie sat with us in big church and did an outstanding job. We were so proud of our Evie! After church, we all gathered to create beautiful Advent wreathes. My expectations were surpassed and I was amazed with the huge selection of greenery for our wreaths. Evie loved creating "Aretha" which is her word for wreath. Henry mostly enjoyed munching on Christmas cookies and sitting on the window sill with another little boy. We dashed home and made the kids some lunch. Then, I headed out for lunch and shopping with a friend. It was so fun to get out for a bit and enjoy the gorgeous day with a friend. Maura and I had a fantastic time. It was our first time getting together without the kids since before Abby was born in 2008. Needless to say, we were long overdue! I raced back home and we all headed out to choose our Christmas tree. Carl loves Home Depot trees so we headed there along with the rest of Williamson County. Everyone was friendly, festive and filled with holiday cheer. One lady told Carl that there is nothing sweeter than seeing a family select their tree. What a delightful lady to share that with our family! Carl and Evie worked on lighting the tree while I tried to keep Henry out of the way. He is infatuated with all things Christmas and is the first to find Elfa each morning, point out Christmas lights or Santa Claus. It was bit crazy trying to get everything accomplished so I lit the advent wreath with the kids and then we participated in our reading from three different rooms in the house. I am pretty sure that it is not the intended method so we will be sure to work on that for next week. Our house is a disaster, the parents are beyond exhausted but our children are brimming with anticipation of Christmas. That makes it all worthwhile!