3 years: Photos

Your photo proofs from the photos you took at school came back today.  They're so cute!  You'll remember that last year they dressed you up in a tuxedo and a cowboy costume:

2009

2009

This year, they dressed you up as...

A cool guy

A firefighter

and a little skier.  How Boulderesque

3 years: Letter to Santa

Last night you wrote your letter to Santa.  Well, Mommie actually wrote it but you dictated it to me.

It went in the mail today. :)

3 years: Holiday Season

Hi sweetie pie :)

Your Daddy stayed home with us all day on Thursday and Friday without a minute of studying to celebrate Thanksgiving.

We had a fun time and you're excited for the start of the Advent.

Starting with breakfast.  I can't get clothes on you!

First game up, Swiggly Worms.  This said 3+ but it was haaaard.

You have to get worms with tails of your color but they're all popping in and out and you only have a little bit of time

Then on to Monolopy.  You helped us roll the die

Next day it was time to make our first ever Ferncon gingerbread house.  All pre-made, thankfully.

Getting all the pieces ready

House is up!  Gluing the sleigh down with icing

Your favorite part...all the candy! 

You ended up eating a lot of the mini m&ms and saying they were cracked so they couldn't go on the house...sneaky O

Piping the icing for decorating

How cute

Mommie piping icicles

Cleaning it up a bit

All done, so cute!  Or it was so cute, less than 24 hours later it was not so cute anymore.

They were turning the lights on at the 29th street mall and Santa was coming so we headed on over.

You were very excited.

Santa Claus said hi to you and tickled you (is that inappropriate?)

About to turn the lights on

There they go!

I guess it wore you out?

Christmas tree time!  We bought the tiniest little tree and tiny little ornaments and tiny little lights, cute!

Almost done

Back to board games.  Yahtzee Jr. Toy Story style, we couldn't figure this out (it was 4+)

So we played Memory, Toy Story style.

I was taking a shower the next morning while Daddy was at school and you came in and said..."Mooooooooooommmmie....umm, I broke the gingerbread house."  Ahhh!!  It was good while it lasted.

3 years: Tigger Feast

Today was the Tigger Feast at your school.  The Tiggers asked all the parents to bring a dish to share for a pre-Thanksgiving potluck.  I had put down that I was going to bring empanadas (pastelillos) a few weeks ago and then last week Juan-Michael's father put down that he was going to bring picadillo.  Ahhh!!  Pastelillos are basically picadillo with dough wrapped around it but oh well.

I had decided to make my own dough because I didn't want to drive 30 minutes to Rancho Liborio just to get Goya discs but then I remembered that it's so hard making doughs in Boulder because of the high elevation and how I haven't been able to make a good loaf of bread since we've moved here so we headed to Rancho Liborio on Sunday to get Goya discs.  Then last night I thought I should just try to make the dough anyway since I've never made it before (I'm crazy, I know) so last night we made it together.  It actually came together, I just had to put 3x the amount of water.  I tested out a batch but I thought the dough was too salty and too fluffy (the recipe called for baking powder) so I ended up using the frozen Goya discs anyway.  Ahhh!!

Anyhoo, the pastelillos were a hit.  I made 50 mini ones and they were all gone a few minutes in.  You all sang songs for us and then Marisa read a Thankgiving book.  Very cute!  Daddy couldn't come because it was his last day at the Colorado Supreme Court and his Justice was taking him out to lunch.  Lucky Daddy!  Your school is closed until Monday so I'm looking forward to hanging out with you the next few days.  Love you!

Sifting the flour.  I think our monkey cookie jar looks like you.  :)

Sift away...

...in your underwear (you still love being naked)

Kneading the dough

In your underwear

Yay, dough!  It had to rest for 30 minutes

While you were waiting you "played" with your cars

How lining these all up is fun for you, I don't know but apparently Daddy used to do this as well.

While the dough was rising I made the picadillo.  Once it had risen I rolled it out into a log and made the first mini pastelillo

I wasn't a fan...so made them with the other dough

Tigger Feast time!  On the left is the French bread that your class made yesterday...it was delicious.

I got to sit next to you and eat your pumpkin pie and pumpkin cake...yum!

Eating away

Playing with your Tigger friends

3 years: Pearl Street Lighting

Last night we headed to Pearl Street for the annual tree lighting ceremony.  There were lots of people there and you couldn't see so Daddy put you on his shoulders for a super long time.  Thanks Daddy!

That's a lot of weight on his shoulders.  The Boulder High School Theatre Club was having a bake sale so you got some yummie cookies to hold you over.

Waiting for the lights to turn on

There was someone dressed up as the Pope in the crowd, muy interesante

Lights on!  Daddy had to head back to school to study so we didn't stay for the ice skating, maybe next year :)