Sweetness.

I didn't take a single picture until Thursday. And when I did, I took a whopping one at dance class. So of course I caught the teacher mid-twirl and her arms blurring out the dancers' faces. Yeah OK, we've seen lots of these cute girls before.

Nolan spent the day with Hadley & I, she towers him. She was wearing shoes, but they weren't heels.

Pretending to be asleep.

Eventually, she did fall asleep and Nolan was playing quietly in her room. Thinking he might be asleep too, I peeked around the corner. He was playing babies. It was so cute, I grabbed my phone. But when I said his name he dropped the baby like she was on fire. I think he was embarrassed?

He wanted to help with laundry because his mom doesn't let him help.

When Finley's class fills their Smiley Jar (or something like that), they celebrate their good behavior. The class votes on how to celebrate, and recently chose Crazy Hair Day. Finley was especially excited, Crazy Hair Day was his suggestion and it received 8 votes! I didn't take a picture, but his sweet art teacher sent me this. A blue-spiked kid working hard.

Rachel talked me into running the Frigid 8, it's a run I've never done before, but she said the t-shirts were cute. With a decent-looking forecast, a promise (by both of us) to not run race-pace, and a cute-tshirt, I was sold. 

After the run, I was (more than a little) pumped when I had a text that read, Kids & I are out running errands, going to a movie, be home 2-3:00. And it was 11:30 a.m. I drove out of the way for DD coffee and went home to an empty house. I got a bunch done and they returned with Hadley wearing an off-white lace shirt, snow-white capri leggings, and gray sparkly boots. The picture doesn't do it justice, trust me it was rag-a-muffin bad.

Not that I should judge, I took her to the store in her jammies with unbrushed hair. And it was 12:30 p.m.

We visited Christmas Village, a park with thousands and thousands of lighted holiday displays. Last year we drove through and decided this year we'd walk. Our timing couldn't have been more perfect. We drove into town and discovered the Christmas Parade was about to start which meant the Christmas Village was a ghostown!  

The weather was comfortable and the kids had a BLAST. Finley was even asking for his picture to be taken.

So copycat did too.

It was two echos of Mom, take my picture! Mom, take my picture too! Yes and yes.

It was our lucky night - no crowd and there was a cupcake and hot chocolate stand!

Learning to suck-up marshmallows while drinking hot chocolate. We are a talented group.

We even saw horses with Christmas lights! I think they were a leftover parade float.

It was a really fun outdoor evening and the kids passed out when we got home.

The Magic Elf Dust worked - Chippy was flying back/forth to the North Pole and each morning was a contest to find him.

Hadley has NOT touched Chippy again, I think the lesson was learned. It didn't even bug her when Chippy pretended to be her baby's baby.

One morning Chippy was very hard to find. He was in the dollhouse in Hadley's bedroom.

This bugged Finley, he wanted Chippy in HIS room (eye roll)...

...so no surprise that the next night he was.

Holiday sweetness from 2012.

He's not too old to fall asleep on his mom. Sweetness.