Oh, Christmas Tree!

We got our Christmas tree today - yes, we violated the Christmas Law and got it one day early, but tomorrow is a Monday, so I wanted to get it now instead of waiting until next weekend - and we have plans next weekend as well, so this was the best time. We went to IKEA like we did last year - you get a great tree for $20 and you also get a gift certificate to use in the new year, worth $20, so it's like getting a tree for free!

Holly picked out the tree and did a great job considering they were all bound up and you couldn't see how bushy they were - anyway 2 years in a row now and we have yet to be disappointed =)



















One of Santa's reindeer came by to help with the lights...

Keira's birthday

Today we went to Keira's birthday. After we saw Keira and her family (who also went down to the outrigger race) at the Gorge in Oregon this summer, Holly started to name some of her dolls "Keira". Even if they had a name, they were renamed - for example "Pink Baby Keira Lilo", and "Pooh Bear Keira". Then a little girl joined her daycare and her name is also Keira, so I think she hears it a lot and has decided she needs a baby named Keira, too!



















Auntie Sharon made the cake - it looks great! (And it was tasty, too!)



















Auntie Sharon, Uncle Norm and the birthday girl.

Franklin's Christmas Show

Today we went took Holly to another kids' show. It was Franklin's Christmas Show (Franklin is a turtle with his own cartoon TV show) - she was really excited about it, and brought her doll, Lily with her - she even had a pretend ticket for Lily! Holly had a big smile on her face when she first saw Franklin come into the theatre from one of the side doors and walk up on stage... and she danced and sang and shouted things out with the cast when they asked for participation!

Madonna!

Ok, so this isn't really about Holly... I'm just very excited that I got to go see Madonna in concert tonight! It was fun - I went with my 2 sisters, our cousin and couple of my sister's friends. We had tickets in 3 different spots, so we didn't all sit together, but it was great anyway. This is the view I had at the beginning of the show - about 1/2 way through the concert, I switched with my cousin and sat with my sister over to the side of the stage (to the right from this view) - the view was quite different, you couldn't see all of what was happening on the stage, but Madonna was closer.

The 2 M's on the side of the stage are actually made up of Swarovski crystals worth $2 million! She isn't called the "Material Girl" for nothing!

The Great Big Boo

Tonight we went to see the Great Big Boo - it's a great kids' show for Hallowe'en, which is not scary. The kids (and parents) are encouraged to dress up in their costumes for the show. I would have dressed up, but with our basement in a bit of chaos from our reno, I couldn't find the box with my costume in it... maybe next year!

Holly and Daddy before the show started. We got there early so Holly could get a booster for her seat.














When we arrived, there was music playing and we could dance in front of the stage. They had a few characters on stage and some of the dancers from the show (dressed up in costumes). Holly went up with me and danced "princess" style (holding her skirt up)!


Holly agreed to take a picture with the penguin. At first she was a bit nervous of the characters - they are pretty big!



















The entire cast of the show...














After the show, the kids got to go out into the lobby and "trick or treat" with the characters. Holly insisted on finding every single one AND taking a picture with them - she wasn't afraid of them at all!

Vinnie the Vampire - he's afraid of the dark!














Wolfgang the Werewolf - he's a rock star!
















Priscilla the Princess














Frankie the Lounge Singer














Wendella the Witch (after she stopped being mean and became a nice witch!)

Hallowe'en Train

Today we had an outing with Isabelle, Simon and their mom, Noriko. We had a great time - first at Boston Pizza for lunch and then at Bear Creek riding the Hallowe'en Train. They had a craft area for the kids to decorate paper jack-o-lanterns and a spot where they could "play" basketball and win prizes! After the train, we even got to pick out a pumpkin to take home!

The two monkeys had a lot of fun - we haven't seen them since before we went to Hawaii!















Three little monkeys riding on a train...














A few photos from the ride... we could see how the night time ride could be made a lot scarier (which it is - and only for big kids!).














At the playground after the train ride.



















Holly was riding up front, and then the two girls decide to switch so Isabelle could be up front..... it was so great to see them share!

Jaden's birthday

Today we went to Koko's to celebrate Jaden's 4th birthday. Holly had a great time and did a lot of climbing on the big structure - she ventured higher and farther than she ever has before - probably because she was following Sarah and Danielle around. They all had fun & even had Paul climbing with them. At one point, they all sat in front of him and all 4 of them went down the big slide together!

The birthday boy...



















Danielle, Sarah and Holly - 3 funny faces!

To Hawaii we go!

We're off to Hawaii to meet Daddy for the Molokai Hoe! Check out our photos at:
http://molokai-2008.blogspot.com or click on the link in the sidebar...

Ballet!

Today was Holly's first ballet class - she was really looking forward to it. There were about 10 girls and 1 boy there. One mom saw all the girls in the hall before class and said "that's a lot of pink!" I was surprised that all the kids had completely different outfits - no one was wearing the same thing!

Stretching before the dancing got started... the little girl beside Holly (Claire) is actually a friend of Holly's friends Sarah & Danielle.














Learning about "good" toes...



















The ballet train...

When the teacher said they were going to do "Princess" walking - I couldn't believe how perfect that was - Holly loves to hold her skirt and walk around like Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. At the end of class, they also curtsey, just like on Cinderella - Holly calls it "bowing" and we have to line up behind each other and bow to the "Prince" (a doll or Daddy if he's home) and she pretends she is Cinderella - so the class was perfect timed to what Holly is really into at the moment!

Night of 2008 Lights

We went to the Lantern Festival tonight in Burnaby - it was fun. Not as big as the one in Vancouver, but there was more room to move around and hence didn't feel so overcrowded. Less to see, but that was the trade-off.














There was a maze set up on site - the lights were made up of paper bags with sand at the bottom and tea lights lit inside. A great effect with little effort - have to remember that for a backyard bbq in the summer! We had fun following the path around and around - it was pretty big!














Our lanterns - my mom bought the one on the left tonight (made out of a milk carton) and we bought the one on the right last year at the Lantern Festival in Vancouver.