Sister love

The girls are super lovey and sweet.  In this video Brynn is happy that her stocking is the ballerina stocking.  Watch it until the end when they get super sweet :)

Speaking of sister love, we went and saw the new Disney movie Frozen.  The girls loved it.  It was all about two sister princesses and the love and bond between them. 

Christmas fun

Fun times at Santa's Wonderland

The neighborhood crew- so sad that it's going to be missing Emma and Will next year :(

Family photo op at Santa's wonderland- Wish I had Aunt Kristin's camera!

Henry the Elf

Henry has been up to his old tricks again.  I haven't taken pictures of everything but here are a few.  He arrived with an elf nightlight. 

After a few days of sprinkles, candy canes sprouted :)

Christmas time is here!



Carrying on our usual tradition, we decorated the house the morning after Thanksgiving.  Henry the elf made his first appearance of the season and then that evening we went with some friends to Santa's Wonderland and Santa's Town.  I love love love Christmas so I always go all out with it. 

 

This year we started a new tradition.  The girls each have their very own trees in their rooms.  They get to decorate it and turn it on every night.  On Christmas morning, Santa will leave a new ornament on their tree and one special gift under their own tree.

 This year we moved the furniture to get the tree in the center of the room instead of by the back door.  I always hated that location!

Terrible News for The Hendricksons

When we made the decision to pack up and move our family out to the burbs, we did so for many reasons.  One of which was to have neighbors like us with kids and we imagined bbq's and beers in the driveway while the kids played, kids in the neighborhood Ava would go to school with and grow up with etc..  Well as soon as we moved in we found out our neighbors across the street had a 2 year old daughter just a few months older than Ava, Christy the wife was in HR and worked a flex schedule like I did and Steve and Erik instantly hit it off and shoot skeet together every week.  We very soon were spending many weekends, 4th of july, new years, labor day etc at each others houses, we even have matching Christmas decorations.  Christy and I went to the nutcracker market each year, registered our kids for school together,Christmas shopped together, had our kids in ballet and soccer together, we went trick or treating as a group every year and we joined a MOPS group together.  Emma is Ava's very best friend and Brynn loves the Hiemstras.  Ava lives for play time with Emma and every Monday Christy picks Ava up from school and brings her home until I get home.  Two days a week I take Emma to school and pick her up on Fridays.  In other words, we are each others village.

Well Friday night they broke the news to us that Erik has been transferred to Oklahoma and they are moving.  I am heartbroken for many reasons, I'm losing a good friend, we are losing wonderful neighbors who we've created traditions with and most of all Ava is losing her very best friend.  She is about to suffer her first heartache.  She won't have Emma to play with anymore, to go to school with anymore, to play with at recess or to trick or treat with, and no more birthday parties with Emma.  It's going to be so hard on Ava.  I just know she's going to be devastated.  I'm personally having a hard time coming to grips with the end of an era.  It could not have been a better situation for all of us and now it's changing.  We are so sad this weekend.  I can deal with change and usually embrace it, but this is not the kind of change I like.  Christy is going to try and stay until the end of the school year, so I have some time before I need to tell Ava.

We are going to miss our friends so much!

50's day at School

Last Wednesday was Ava's 50th day at school so the theme was 50's day.  Christy and her mom made these precious poodle skirts for the girls to wear.  Ava said people took pictures of them all day.  

Brynn's first dentist appointment