An update

Oh dear.
A whole wonderful, busy, joyful week has passed, without a single Blog post.
Opps.

But sometimes it happens. Not becasue I don't have stuff to say (those who know me best will attest to the fact that I always have stuff to say), but becasue sometimes it isn't stuff I want to share, and sometimes I am just too busy being present in the moment.

I also haven't picked up a 'proper' camera in over a week, and I am feeling ok with that too. Every now and then I try to let go of the need to record every single thing. The moments will still be beautiful, the creations still amazing, the children still shining, even if I don't photograph them.

Despite the time of year I am actually feeling very calm and peaceful right now. Things are mostly ready, the house is warm, candles burn everywhere, the tree is up, we have been crafting and wrapping in every spare moment, and we are all excited.
Excited about Christmas, excited about the holidays and excited about our trip to be with family.

So this week;

- Sofie played recorder in her first ever concert. It was a the local church at 6am (yes, AM) and she loved it, and did well. So well in fact that the teacher has asked her to play a special duet at the upcoming Christmas concert. Sofie is thrilled, and we are naturally very proud.

- We have done some craft. Lots and lots of craft. Candles, tree decorations, presents, biscuits, and cards.

- Both girls got a swimming badge at the end of the term, and for Emily it was her first ever. Go Emily. This was a huge accomplishment for her, and she was on a high for ages afterward. We are very proud of her.

- We went to an amazing Christmas party with friends, and the girls had an absolute ball. I may have also enjoyed myself with a glass (or two) of champagne and lots of adult chat.

- Real snow finally fell and we all had a glorious day of skiing. I managed to take not a single ski photo at all. I did get some of the girls playing in the snow (it isn't always all about skiing), and I may have made everyone stop on piste (more than one) to admire the snow ploughs flying up and down the mountain.

- Sofie had her first Zumba performance. Sofie loves Zumba, and the concert was great.

- Emily finally discovered the tights of her dreams. Emily loves to wear skirts and dresses (as long as they are blue), but doesn't like tights. The reason she doesn't like tights is becasue they aren't odd. Both legs match. They are the same, and Emily likes odd (no big surprises there - sigh). So when she wears dresses Emily likes to wear leggings, so she can still have odd socks. But she also loves tights, and this week she found these in a catalog. Photos will be posted at some point, but the new tights are a hit.

- Sofie played her duet at the Christmas concert and was a star. She did brilliantly, played well, and got a special round of applause for being the smallest kid there. We were very proud again. It seems both of our girls make us proud.

- I got an amazing Christmas present a few days early. My new car arrived, and the garage even wrapped it for us! It was fun, and we were all excited. I would like to post more about it in the future, but probably won't.


So we are still here, and all is good.
Tomorrow (Christmas Eve) we will ski with friends, and then spend Christmas day at home as a family.

I wish all of you a very Happy Christmas, and hope you know the joy of sharing it with others (especially with small children, who will probably want to start 'sharing' their joy far too early, but are able to embrace the joy of the season with their entire being).