Beautiful New Year's Eve

Since neither Kristin nor I had to work on New Year's Eve, we decided the weather was too perfect to stay inside. Ethan and Sophie hadn't seen each other for a while, so we planned a play date at the Central Market playground. I just love the park over there. It is just so pretty. I still get a smile on my face seeing the differences between boys and girls... Sophie insisted on holding Ethan's hand while Ethan insisted on holding a stick! I have the sweetest daughter and the perfect nephew!

Christmas Morning

I don't know how, but Sophie woke up at her normal time on Christmas morning. I was hoping to sleep in after our fun-filled Christmas Eve. After gathering all the troops, we opened the doors to the living room and the room full of presents! Sophie was a bit overwhelmed when she saw what Santa brought. Since Sophie had been consistently asking Santa for an "orange present", she was looking straight at a mini-trampoline and TWO orange presents sitting right on it. Good thing Daddy was there explaining it all.

Sophie was intrigued that the cookies and milk were all gone... with the exception of a few remaining crumbs. Santa must have loved the late night treat! Yummy!

Action shots of Sophie on her new trampoline... look how how high she jumps!

After getting her fill of the trampoline, Sophie started opening up her orange presents... orange wrapping paper covered UT crocs. How much more orange can a girl get???

David, Sophie and I stop for a bit before we started round #2... the adults opening their presents. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect Christmas holiday! It was amazing for us to experience Christmas in the eyes of our child, who understood the traditions we've put into place. Next year will be more fun with the birth of our sweet baby boy! I love my family!

What a Merry Christmas Eve!

With all the Christmas build-up we've had over the past month, I was so looking forward to our Christmas Eve. It is special for David and me to have such loving families which we can spend the holidays. As Christmas was with the Kalfoglous, my mom & dad (Yiayia and Papou) invited over Fivos, Amalia, Georgios and Alexia for a Christmas Eve dinner. It was nice to have our extended family together for the holiday celebration, since I don't see them nearly enough. Sophie got all dressed up for dinner in her special Christmas dress and her "ballerina tights". You could just tell how pretty she knew she was as she kept twirling around in her dress and acting like a princess.

David and I have an annual tradition to take a Christmas picture of just our family, which I scrapbook and you can see the progression of us through the years. You can see how much our family has grown as it not only includes Sophie and Breezy, but Winnie the Pooh had to be a part of it this year!

My mom prepared a delicious, fancy dinner and Sophie even had her own seat at the adult table. Fivos was enjoying feeding her. She ate really well and was perfectly behaved. The best part of the meal for Sophie was dessert. Yiayia made chocolate mousse in chocolate dessert shells topped with fresh berries. Our daughter, who definitely thinks for herself, took all the berries off her work of art and was slurping only the mousse out of the shell and then ate the entire shell. Sophie was in chocolate heaven!

Right after dinner, Santa paid a special visit to the Kalfoglou household and gave Sophie an early Christmas gift. He told her to be a good girl that night and he would come back and bring the rest of her Christmas presents. We were very lucky to see him in the evening!

A final picture of everyone before the Kazilas family left to go home. We missed Kiveli, John and Ioli. Hopefully, next year when they are back in the States, we can all be together.

Sophie with Yiayia and Papou before our next round of Christmas Eve fun!

We decided to change into comfy clothes and then open our Christmas stockings. Sophie got to wear her brand new Christmas PJs, which have Frosty all over them (her absolute favorite this Christmas season). Sophie loved handing everyone their stockings and participating in opening everyone's gifts. Sophie fit into Papou's lap pretty snugly and you can tell was really into this gift thing!

After stocking stuffers, we couldn't believe how late it was yet Sophie was still hanging tough. Right before bed, Sophie and I put out milk and cookies for Santa. He needed fuel since he was flying his sleigh everywhere dropping off gifts to all the good boys and girls. If Christmas morning is half the fun of Christmas Eve, we are going to have a perfect day! After a quick read of Twas the Night Before Christmas, we all went to bed. Good night!

Christmas Vacation in Houston

On December 23rd, we drove to Houston for five fun-filled days of celebrating Christmas! It was wonderful to see my family for an extended period of time because all of our visits are always so short! Our first night there, Aunt Mary got alone time with her niece while my mom, dad, David and I went to see A Wonderful Life musical at Hobby Center. We had a delicious Italian dinner downtown without any interruptions. It strange, but blissful, not having to worry about a 2 1/2 year old at the table! Thanks Mom and Dad for the generous gift of a great night -- the musical was really good and we loved the company! And, thanks to Mary for letting us escape for a few hours!

What an Evening!

There are so many things to do around the holidays! As an annual tradition now, we take Sophie and her cousin, Ethan, to the mall to see Santa and take family pictures! Sophie and Ethan looked adorable dressed up in their Christmas clothes. Uncle Josh was so sweet to whisk them over to ride the train, while I waited in line. The kids had so much fun crammed into the same little engine. While they were going around and around, they couldn't get enough of ringing the bell!

After the train ride, both Ethan and Sophie couldn't wait to tell Santa what was on their list. I was thrilled that neither of the kids cried and they both talked to him without being shy! As the theme continued this year, Sophie asked for an "orange present". Let's see what Santa brings her on Christmas morning.

Gigi and Grandpa met up with Kris, Josh, David and I at the mall after Santa for a quick dinner. We moved the fun afterwards to Zilker Park, where we saw the Trail of Lights. Every year, the City of Austin puts on a mile long walking trail of theme-oriented light displays. Being that this is the first year Sophie started to understand the concept of Christmas, we had to take her to the this! We had tons of fun looking all all the exhibits from Disney to Candyland to Outerspace. Hopefully, this will soon become a Cramer family tradition!

Two and Driving

Sophie is growing up so fast! She has already had several driving lessons! She loves getting behind the wheel, pressing all the buttons, and acting like she's in charge! She was making Daddy laugh with her antics this day, so he snapped a quick picture for us to show her when she's "official" with her license at 25... I can't bear to think that she'll be driving at 16!

Cramer Family Christmas

We were looking forward to celebrating Christmas with the Cramers this year, albeit it was a couple of weeks early! Rick & Gayle had all of us over to their home for a delicious dinner and plenty of time left for opening gifts! It has been so fun to see Sophie enjoy every moment of December and all the activities (and presents!) that come with it! I happily got Sophie dressed up in her Christmas dress for this special night. She really liked her dress as she's starting to be really interested in dressing up! She's our angel!

Sophie and Ethan are two picture perfect children, who are grinning from ear to ear ready to open all the gifts under the tree. We loved giving them "tasks" to deliver the gifts to the rightful owners. All of our gifts were nice and generous!




























Gigi and Grandpa with the two grandchildren:

Growing in Gymnastics

Sophie is enrolled one of the days I don't work in a Parent/Tot gymnastics class for the entire school year. Sophie and I have had a lot of fun attending. It burns off a ton energy, gives us great together time in the morning, and we always go to Jason's Deli (aka as "Jason's Jelly" as Sophie calls it) for lunch with our friends after class. The last gymnastics class before the Christmas break, we were allowed to bring cameras and family for pictures and time to show off everything we've learned. When we started, Sophie would run around the entire gym and not stay at the appropriate station or she would decide in mid-class she wanted a snack and just leave or she would refuse Coach Kimberly's assistance. She has improved tremendously! She follows Coach Kimberly's directions and prefers her spots to mine now. I love it as it's just not as easy for me to jump around on a trampoline any more! Sophie is always asking to go to gymnastics, so I know we made a good activity choice this year.

I think one of Sophie's preferences is the beam. She's doing really well -- she's learned to do high-kicks, walk backwards, side-step and more. It's neat to have seen her progress over the past 4 months.

Another skill we practice is the bars. To make it fun for the kids, they stack foam blocks and then try to kick them all down. Sophie loves hanging from the bar and kicking the blocks, but I think she likes stacking them the best!



















By far, Sophie's favorite activity/station is the parachute. She listens intently and follows perfectly all directions on what they need to do. What a great way to end every class! Here they made a "tent" and all the kids and adults are inside it. And, Sophie and her cohorts in crime - Ryder and Cassidy. Where one goes the others follow!

Meeting Rachel Ray

Here's a post that has nothing to do with Sophie! Over a month ago, I found out that Rachel Ray, the celebrity chef, was coming to Austin to sign her newest cookbook. I immediately called Jamie, who is a big fan, and said I'll go with her, if she's interested. Jamie got us a ticket to get in Sur La Table for the book signing as well as her cookbook. The day of the event, Gayle graciously offered to wait in line for 3-4 hours prior to Rachel's arrival time, just so we could ensure that we'd be able to see her. My mother-in-law is a trooper!! Jenn was in town, so she came to the event as well. Rachel was very bubbly and beautiful. I was star-struck and didn't do much talking, but did shake her hand!

Unfortunately, the store was strict on rules -- can't take a picture with Rachel, can't use flash, etc. With all the constraints, this is the best picture I got, but still a great memory of the fun Sunday afternoon!

Fredericksburg in December

Sophie and I took a "girls day trip" with my good friend, Shannon, her mom and niece, Kendall, to do Christmas shopping and have lunch at our favorite tea room... The Peach Tree. Sophie was a perfect angel the entire day, sitting daintily during lunch, enjoying Kendall's company and behaving at all the stores. With perfect December weather, there's nothing better than a day outside visiting little shops. I think we will need to make a holiday tradition out of this!


Sophie just wasn't into the picture thing. This picture is almost comical. We can't get her to pose if she's just not "into" it!

Hugs & Stories with Santa

Sophie was lucky to see Santa again just a few days after the breakfast! We went to a children's party in our neighborhood and Santa was there visiting all the good kids. We had a good time eating treats, doing more arts & crafts, and running around in a friend's backyard.

Sophie is tell Santa all about her wishes. He's listening intently and taking good notes for Christmas Eve:



















Sophie gives Santa big hug after he says Merry Christmas and that he'll be coming to our home on Christmas Eve. What a touching picture!

Topping off the night with hot cocoa

After a busy, busy Sophie weekend with the Santa breakfast and a birthday party, we can home to "relax" with a family hot chocolate. Since Sophie has a sweet tooth, we knew this was definitely a nighttime treat for her! Sophie was cracking us up. She refused for us to help her with the breakable Christmas mug and was trying to get every last drop of the "chocolate" out of it! I think she thought we were going to take it away from her! I must say, David and I have a very happy and content little lady! We're very blessed!

Pump It Up Party

Sophie's friend, Catalina, who just turned six, had her birthday party at Pump It Up, a warehouse with inflatable jump houses. We were looking forward to taking Sophie there as she loves jumping and I've seen such a progression over the past year in how adventurous she's become. David and I couldn't believe how Sophie just went in and did everything the six year olds were doing. She was the youngest kid at the party by a few years, but that didn't stop her at all!

Look at her climbing BY HERSELF to the top of the jump house. It was really steep and the plastic slide is pretty fast. I'm amazed that she can pull her own weight up the ladder! The natural grin on her face when she got through sliding says it all.

What more can any child ask for? Playtime, pizza and cake! Sophie gobbled down 3 pieces of pizza after one hour of jumping like crazy. Thanks, Catalina, for having a fun and memorable party! We had so much fun!

Breakfast with Santa, Round 2!

This year, Jamie was on the committee to organize Breakfast with Santa at her church. So, Kristin and I took Sophie & Ethan to the event to support her. As we had already gone to Breakfast with Santa at the Jr. League A Christmas Affair, I knew that this was going to be a great morning for our little girl. The breakfast was delicious (great cooking, Jamie!) and the arts & crafts were a lot of fun. I enjoyed the event and definitely will go back! I'm so glad that Sophie hasn't been scared of Santa this year. She jumped on his lap for pictures and chatted away asking for an "orange present". She's been a good girl so far, so I'm sure Santa will bring her one!
Daisy, Jamie and Kristin with Sophie and Ethan. Sophie loves her cousin and was brimming with excitment to see him and spend time with him.

Start of Christmas

After returning from the relaxing Thanksgiving family trip, David and I were ready to start celebrating the beginning of the Christmas season! I had been eagerly anticipating the month of December this year. Sophie is finally at the age where she's comprehending most things. So, I was looking forward to introducing her to the meaning of Christmas, Santa Claus, Christmas music, advent calendars, and much, much more. The Sunday after Thanksgiving, we put up the majority of our Christmas decorations. It's our family tradition to decorate the tree while drinking egg nog... yum! Sophie LOVED the stuff. What's not to love? It's rich and sweet! She kept asking for more and finished off our glasses along with hers. Look at the smile and the nog mustache!

A Hill Country Thanksgiving

This year, Thanksgiving was with the Cramers. Several months back, we all had decided to spend some quality time together and utilize the entire holiday weekend by taking a mini-trip. We drove down to San Antonio for a long weekend and stayed at the beautiful Hill Country Hyatt. I thought this was best idea ever! Even though we live in the same town, it's a rare occasion we spend four days in a row together. It was a wonderful way for some bonding time with the entire family... from having the kids run around, to playing cards with the adults, to the guys golfing. And, as an added benefit, we didn't have to do any work with cooking and cleaning for a Thanksgiving feast! Where are we going for our next holiday trip?

The resort did an amazing job planning family activities for the entire weekend. There were a few "firsts" for Sophie. She roasted her very own s'mores in a fire pit the first night. Sophie, with her sweet tooth, was loving the melted chocolate and marshmallows!





























On Thanksgiving morning, Gayle (Gigi) and I walked around the resort and saw Santa (who Sophie told she wanted an "orange present" for Christmas), the clowns, as well as a Texas cowboy who lassoed Sophie. We then went to find Daddy on the driving range and Sophie hit her first golf ball. Daddy was a pretty good teacher! We met back up with Gigi and Sophie made her own fun in the golf pro-shop by finding a tricycle and a big teddy. We pulled her away from the tricycle and enticed her with a game of pool. As Sophie's favorite color is orange, it was apropos to find her trying to shoot the "orange" ball. After a busy, but fun morning, we got ready for a delicious Thanksgiving dinner.

The day after Thanksgiving, David, Jeff, Josh & Rick went to play a round of golf, so Kristin, Gigi and I took the kids to the playground. You can see Sophie was freezing outside, so we came in and introduced them to hot chocolate. Look at the mustaches on both Ethan and Sophie's faces. They loved it! The rest of the day, we had some quality family time playing games and cards. My kind of vacation! Of course, unfortunately all vacations must come to an end. This was wonderful, but too short of one!