2 Turtle Doves

Which has been amended to "2 Turtles" - meaning more chocolate!

Although Zaida had her own opinion(surprise, surprise!). I asked her which chocolate she wanted, but she decided she wanted ice cream. And not only did she want ice cream, but she wanted "banilla rice cream".

I love that she is still wearing her nightgown over her jeans & under her winter coat. :)

Zaida was so funny this night. She didn't want to leave right away, so we walked around for a bit. And since Zaida's coat is so big whenever she went to get a lick in she would get some ice cream on the collar of her coat. She would giggle and say "not again!" or "banilla coat". Then it became a game and she would say "banilla _____ " or "rice cream _____ " and would fill in the blank with car, light, dad, tree or whatever she saw.

Grinch

Since Halloween Zaida has been a little obsessed with all things "smooky" (spooky). I really wasn't going to show her this movie, because I was afraid it would make her nervous/scared. But, she seriously thinks the Grinch is funny & cute. And he doesn't scare her at all.

I just asked Zaida if she liked the Grinch. And she said yes, but then amended and said she likes "Buzz Lightguard". (she just watched Toy Story 3).

Japanese Celebration

Again forgot my camera ... but we had sushi, miso soup & for dessert Zaida and I made a white cake. Quinn said in Japan they would make a white cake & eat it --- and that was the extent of their Christmas celebration. I told Quinn that I made a cake with white frosting, and that it was kind-of boring. He responded with, "Yep! That's pretty much it - boring."

So, apparently I hit the mark!

Mele Kalikimaka

We had our friends come over for our Hawaiian meal. I made teriyaki chicken, while my friend made sticky rice & green beans. And for dessert I made something new - roasted pineapple. It was DELISH! I saw Curtis from Take Home Chef make it ages ago, but never had a reason to make it. I would highly recommend it!

Festival of Trees

So, this year we got some pictures of Zaida with Santa. She was not so sure if she liked him or not. I don't think she smiled - or said one thing to him.

My friend's kids however were huge fans! Look at those big smiles. Tanner asked Santa for a "stinky garbage truck". I don't know why this makes me giggle so much.

I have to say that this year I didn't find nearly as many inspiring trees as I did quilts. The quilts were awesome. Although my tree is beautiful I wouldn't say it is UBER fabulous - but, I think I liked mine more than most (if not all) of the trees this year. Weird!

After the festival Zaida conked out! Maybe it was all the walking. Or maybe it was the sugar crash (after the sweet rolls, chocolates, etc.) Either way I had to take a photo. Look at her doing her little chinese lady squat. And I just want to kiss that cute little belly!

Froeliche Weinachten

Day 1 of our advent was "Froeliche Weinachten". Since the advent is German in nature I do this the first day each year so that I can introduce the calendar. We also have an ornament that is a pickle that represents a German tradition. The story goes ... this ornament is the final ornament to be placed on the tree. On Christmas Day the child/person who is able to find the pickle hidden among the boughs will receive good fortune throughout the new year --- as well as a little special gift.

Sweet picture of Zaida ... followed by a picture of Zaida teasing her mom.

I had a whole dinner meal planned (weinerschnitzel & spaetzle), but I also had my neighborhood HOA board meeting that night. So, being a little lazy I didn't make it until the following night.

Meurer ADVENT-ure

This week our 2010 Advent Calendar has begun!

This years color theme is Red, White & Silver. It's not as creative (or as Corey called it "weird") as last years' theme, but it looks really pretty and festive.

Last year I was a little frantic to get all the blogs done immediately --- this year I think I will do them once or twice a week.

But as a taster, here are our first three days:

"Froeliche Weinachten", Festival of Trees & "Mele Kalikimaka"

PBR Vegas

After we left California we headed to my "favorite" place - Las Vegas. Fortunately for us we got the hook up and got a room at the Wynn. It was beautiful!

Here is the view from our room ...
Zaida loved the bathroom. The magnifying mirror was a favorite. She would pretend to do her make-up here. :)

Us at the PBR Finals - look at these awesome seats. :)

John came up to meet us for the second day of Vegas fun. We headed out to the mall where the kids had some fun on the rides. :)

Zaida taking some photos. She's a pretty good little photographer.

After night 2 at the finals. I am almost glad our seats weren't this close (the odor is not the most pleasant - I don't need to be that immersed in the experience).

On our way out I was able to annoy Proctor enough to get a picture with him.

Look how tiny she is in this bath! The funniest part of this picture is the multi-tasking - bath, brushing the teeth & watching a cartoon. I love this little munchkin!

We were checking out the hotel before we left and ran across this buffet. Look at all the gorgeous topiaries filled with real flowers. Fancy!

I have a bunch of other photos of the pool area, but they are pretty boring! Vegas is not my fave place, but staying in the Wynn was the way to do it! I just wish we had some sun - but seems like that was the running theme of our week.