'Tis the Season

We are getting into the holiday spirit around here.



We are well on our way around our gingerbread house advent calendar, and Sabine remembers to ask what day it is about 45 seconds after waking up each morning. Her memory is certainly stronger this year!



She made her first Christmas cookies with Grandmom two weekends ago,

and we went to our local parade of lights with some of our good friends this weekend.



Sabine thought the flash was too bright, so just preemptively screwed her eyes closed as soon as I reached for my camera. sigh. When did she suddenly become such a big kid?



We stayed out waaaay past bedtime, but it was worth it. The girls had a great time.

We also tried ice skating at our local rink for the first time, with our same friends. Sabine did stand on her skates by herself, and even took a few steps on her own, but mostly I held her up, or, when she had it her way, she sat in the sled while I pulled. Thank you, daddy, for risking frostbite on a bitterly cold morning to document the occasion!







 We also got our Christmas tree over the weekend. We continued our tradition of going to a friend's property in Conifer and cutting down our own tree. It was really fun, as usual.

Sabine, I think, was most impressed by the "bear tree," an aspen with visible claw marks going up it.



But we did eventually drag her away from the bear tree and found our own Christmas tree.

At first there was observation.



Then there was direction.



Then there was, "move over, I will do it myself."



And thus we let our three-year-old wield her great-grandfather's saw.



She was reluctant to give it up once she had it in her grips.



Eventually, though, she did trade it in for some well-earned hot chocolate.



It was quite a gathering, and a lot of fun to see several generations come together to enjoy the experience. (And the mulled wine.)



We got our tree home with no trouble, and Sabine got to help decorate it this year.



Sabine's favorite ornament appeared just before bedtime.



Daddy put the angel on the tree as the very last step, and we've been enjoying her ever since. We hope you are having a beautiful and bright December, too!

Thanksgiving, Etc.

We've been staying busy, as always.

Sabine has some budding musical interests these days.



As well as a budding fashion sense. Girl likes her accessories to match.



And she sat still enough for her first quasi-French braid. It lasted about 32 seconds before all the fine strands fell out.



We've been seeing friends and going to birthday parties,



and logging a lot of time at the park. Sabine's had a lot of energy to burn recently, and fortunately the weather has cooperated.



It gets dark really early, but we've seen some beautiful sunsets.



And speaking of burning energy, Sabine can now ride her trike to the park all by herself. It's almost a mile away, so it's some great exercise. (Mediocre view, eh?)



We've also been spending time at the park with friends.



Including one special one who is about to head overseas for several months, we are already excited for you to come home!



Thanksgiving went really well this year! Sabine was more into it, there was a lot more anticipation.



She did a lot of cooking in her own kitchen,



Which was even more fun when her friend S showed up to help cook,



both in in the pretend kitchen, and in the real one!



Dinner finally made it onto the table about two hours after predicted.



And we got to celebrate with the whole family, as well as some close friends.

All four kiddos (friends and cousin) did really well, especially considering all the waiting and general holiday mayhem.



The over the weekend, we went to a model train show with the grandparents.



Sabine and Grandpa did some good train bonding.



Grandpa even got to run some of HIS trains and show them off, and Sabine thought it was pretty neat to go under the yellow line. Pretty special.



Another highlight was a layout with an old witch flying around. We watched that one a long time.



We've been staying busy and having fun, as always. Sabine is growing and talking more and more. She's solidly in 3T clothing now. We did go to both the doctor and the dentist recently. She was in the 40th percentile for weight and 50th for height. She sat in the dentist chair for the first time, and did really well for her cleaning. Maybe not so coincidentally, her favorite games to play now are doctor and dentist.

Hope you are all enjoying this season too!

Done with Diapers! (And Other Goings-On)

As you may have guessed from the title, the big news around here is that Sabine appears to be completely done with diapers! She's been potty-trained for a while now, at least in the daytime, but we had her wearing a diaper to sleep at night, thinking it was helping her sleep all night long. Out of nowhere last week, she started waking up dry in the morning. One night she even woke up in the middle of the night to call me in to take her to the bathroom. It was a hassle getting her diaper off and on again, and we realized that it was kind of silly to be wearing diapers if she was going to wake up if she needed to go to the bathroom. So it's been underwear since then, no looking back! HOORAY!

In other news, we made it up to Grand Lake the other weekend with some of our good friends (and, conveniently, neighbors) where Sabine got to bundle up in her winter gear for the first time. She is...well-padded.

 

We hiked to a little waterfall



Got a few pictures



Caught a few snowflakes



 And spent the rest of the weekend being cozy, watching movies, and sampling local hot chocolate.



Back at home, we made cloud dough for the first time. It was a hit!

 

7 cups flour + 1 cup baby oil = oodles of time for mommy to make dinner while Sabine enjoys herself.





Sabine is also logging a lot of hours on her new easel/chalk board from Nana.



Sabine also got a new doll baby from Great Aunt Betsy and Uncle Butch for her birthday



And Day/Daisy (the name is still settling) has become an important member of the Sabine doll/stuffed animal clan.



On Tuesday Sabine got to help mommy with our civic duty

And then we spent an afternoon in Boulder being silly.


Otherwise, we've just been enjoying this fall with friends, both indoors



and out



I don't think this weather is going to last much longer, but it certainly has been lovely while it's here!