How wonderful it was to not travel 750 miles to spend Christmas with family! We enjoyed great memories with both families and even squeezed in a one extended family festivity. We began our season with school programs. Both Madison & Breanne did so well singing with their classes, even though they didn't have much time to practice.
They seem to be making friends as Madison was spying and waving to many new friends while we waited for Bre's program to begin.
The girls are enjoying afternoon snacks the grandpa when he gets home from work. On Grandpa's birthday, the girls surprised him with birthday Special K bars! He was excited and we topped it off singing "Happy Birthday...Grandpa Rock, Stinky Socks." (Not quite sure how those two phrases go together...I guess anything goes in second grade.)
One afternoon, we had a surprise when uncle Bryce came to visit the girls after school. He said the lego stash at the grandma Linda's wasn't up to par, but he still helped make a house, car and garage.
The girls were so excited to complete the Amazing Race, Cousins Edition at our Christmas Party. We had three teams.
The Red team was Breanne, Braelyn, Daniel and chaperoned by Derrick. This team came in last but finished in stride after eating 14 cups of Cheerios before finding the cup with a marked X. It was so fun to hear Derrick tell stories about his niece and nephew!
Breanne & Braelyn give directions to a blindfolded Daniel who finds the wrapped box that holds the math problem.
Madison was part of the Green team with Chloe, Micah, Abigail and Uncle Lucas chaperoning. They led the race for the majority of the time. Chloe was her usual self...all smiles, all the time but Madison had her game face on. Derrick reported that at McDonald's she was not wasting any time on posing for a picture.
Micah blindfolds Madison to go find the math problem, wrapped in a box in the backyard. "Oh, a math problem, that should be easy," Micah tells his team.
Sucking up jello in a straw...not so easy and Daniel pointed out that next time I should put the instructions at the bottom of the jello IN A PLASTIC BAG...point taken!
Madison made it 3/4 a way around the block before dropping the onion...forcing her team to compete in the 5th leg of the race.
The Blue Team was Carter, Rebekah, Caleb & Aliya, chaperoned by Uncle Mike. They were held up at McDonald's waiting on some fresh fries. They may have been tasty, but could have cost them the game...
Although they lagged behind most of the race, their patience perseverance would pay off!
Rebekah was the only balancing act to make it around the block without dropping the onion off the spoon so her team didn't have to participate in the 5th leg of the race. They easily won while the other teams ate more Cheerios.Aliya celebrates her team winning the Amazing Race!
The weather was fantastically cooperative and 1/2 the race was outside.
Aliya & Abigail were also excited to participate with their cousins. The cousins all play really nicely and enjoyed a sleepover with at grandma's WITHOUT their parents. (Aaahhhh...for us!) Aliya and our very own Chlo-Bear (a.k.a. Ka-o-la-Bear to Aliya) were all smiles after the sleepover.
On Christmas Eve, we celebrated with the extended Veldkamp family for a few hours. Most enjoyed a game of kickball after grazing on Christmas splendor.
We got to celebrate with our girls on Christmas Eve. After a refreshing nap (and quiet time for mom and dad) we ate Cinnamon Rolls and read the Christmas story. Decorating their own gingerbread houses was a hit!
Breanne and Madison were mostly on their own with the decorating, but Aliya got support from Daddy. With about half of the house covered Breanne says, "Can I be done now?" as she pulls off a fruitsie roll and pops it in her mouth. Apparently finished with the decorating and on to the eating!
It's a brown Christmas in Minnesota this year...
One laughable moment was Aliya taking a bite of the chocolate bar and then placing it perfectly on the gingerbread house.
When our presents were opened and Aliya vacuumed up our mess with her first Kenmore vacuum cleaner, we headed to Grandma Barb's for a couple days. (Did I mention that 20 miles was the most we drove this Christmas?)
Aliya was very excited and extremely adorable saying "Percy Harvin," when she got her first Vikings jersey. The same number as the famous Uncle Bryce...
The girls had lots of fun with new toys and accessories, and playing games as it the tradition at the DeWilde house..."Wanna play a game...Bryce?" It's been a long time since we've all been together and was great that Auntie Melissa and Uncle Ben could travel from Peoria, IL.
When Kayla arrived on Monday, they were excited to get their "Kayla pillows" complete with lots of photos, favorite Bible verses or lyrics and 129+ buttons! (Breanne and Madison seriously counted the buttons!)
1 comment:
Amazing Race was a blast, thanks for setting it up!
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