wide eyes + full of wonder

 what i've learned since having children, is that the holidays are more fun then they have been for years. you return to the feelings you had when you were a kid where fantasy and reality are almost blurred. everything has an excitement and the usual routines and guidelines are a little fuzzy. lots of treats, lots of surprises and everyone is full of good cheer. i absolutely love the faces of my baby girls with everything we do in the month of december. picking out a tree, trimming it, making holiday cookies (and licking the beaters!). this year the nutcracker experience was a new day of excitement and of course there are the family gatherings and the present opening. every single thing we did, meant days leading up to it full of anticipation, lots of questions and just all around joy. below are the photos that sum up our holiday fun!

happy new year friends and family. we feel so blessed to be enjoying another year. 

evia and i and two of our favorite buddies went to see the nutcracker for the first time. it was so fun to begin the holiday tradition. we loved every minute of it.

watching evia's sweet face as she watched a live production was my favorite part of the day. it felt very full circle to think of being in the nutcracker way back when (a jazz version! ;) and to be sitting there with my daughter 20+ years later

this year the tree was adorned with vintage glass ornaments inherited from grandma lu and appropriately out of reach from these little monkeys

lots of fun days baking in the kitchen. "take a picture of us mama"

december 20th's catch between gamz and d - 20 snapper

 

persimmon spice cake in honor of gamz's bday - night of fish fry

this little bug looks like this and sings with me when i take her out of the bath, melts me everytime

holiday cookie baking with my cuties, for santa's midnight treat

opening up their jammies on xmas eve at nana and grandpa's

burning the midnight oil, as we finish up the remodeled dollhouse

evia requested 8 carrots for each reindeer

xmas morning, up at the crack

mila's new play tunnel from santa

xmas morning breakfast: homemade cinnamon baked-donuughts and fritatta

modeling her new handmade-robe from mama and loving it (yay!)

santa was good to mama too! new sewing machine!

mila playing with the dollhouse

spur of the moment camping trip

 

up with the sun

 

a fun-filled 24 hours

a special outing with papa - hiking together

love ALL meals around the holiday's including italian sweet bread

evening ocean outing

butterfly preserve (they come to a special spot in santa barbara to rest up during the winter, thousands of monarchs) evia chose her butterfly wings as an appropriate outfit for our walk into the preserve

we took evia on a special date just the three of us. her first movie theater experience. what she looked forward to most, the popcorn - holding it pretty tight! and i think wound up being her favorite part of the date too!

our lunch date at paradise. we asked her what she wanted to eat and she chose a cheeseburger, so a close restaurant to the movie theater that makes a GREAT burger.