We officially started our holiday this weekend.  The weather agreed with us.

On Saturday we saw a live, puppet performance of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other Eric Carl stories.  It’s pretty cool how they do it.  We saw the same production company do Good Night Moon and The Runaway Bunny last summer.  The kids liked it this time but were not as captivated as last time.  Perhaps because of the time of day (naptime) or them or perhaps they sensed the snowfall beginning outside.  Not sure, but it was fun anyway.  I was planning on getting a tree after the show and we left the theater to discover a winter wonderland!  Fat, heavy snowflakes falling everywhere!  We stopped at a roadside place and picked out a tree, brought it home and put it up in all it’s snow covered glory.  Then we let it dry :)  It was almost torture for the kids (ok, for me too!) to have the tree in the living room but not be able to decorate it!  Finally after dinner we had at it.  Lex LOVES decorating the tree.  We helped our neighbors do their trees last weekend and he was so excited and eager to do ours.  He’s so sweet.  Eve is still a bit young for hanging things, but she liked playing with the glittery Martha Stewart shatter-proof bulbs I so wisely bought last year :)

This morning we went outside into the bright, sunny, snowy day.  Well, Eve and I did.  Lex demonstrated his exhaustion by sitting on the kitchen floor and crying.  I eventually left him inside and he played happily by himself while Eve and I played outside with the neighbors.  Then we all came in for hot chocolate and indoor playtime.  Lex even joined in, after awhile.  Funny boy.  This afternoon was slow and nice.  A good recharge before the week starts again.

Here are a few pics…

The Very Hungry Caterpillar(s), after the show, when photography was allowed.

Look at this boy! I barely recognize him sometimes!

Lex decorating the Christmas tree

Eve playing with ornaments

Our tree (pre candy canes!)

They love this music box snow globe.

It's never too cold to swing! (until mommy says it is and takes down the swings)

While I made dinner, Alan carried the kids around in a bag :) I think he actually carried them one at a time and dragged them together. Not sure the bag would hold them both...

Two other things I wanted to mention. Eve is very much into babies lately and soft things and little things and anything she can hug and hold. All throughout the show yesterday she kept asking me if she could hug the caterpillar. When we got out the Christmas decorations she became fascinated with baby Jesus, whom she believes is a girl and calls Jesits :) Makes me think of a cross between Jesus and Cheez-Its. I’ve told them the story a bunch of times (and that Jesus is a boy) and we have two nativity scenes and Eve likes to carry one or both of the babies around with her and cuddle them, even though they are wood and porcelain and only about two inches big. Also, the snow globe in the picture above has a nativity scene in the globe and a ring of “characters” around the bottom that turns as the music plays. The kids love it and Lex likes to point out who is coming around. At dinner tonight he yelled, “Watch out Eve! Mary and Joseph are coming toward ya!”