Monday, December 26, 2011

Merry Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas from the Barretts! This is the first Christmas we will be celebrating this season. The second one will be when Aaron gets home. Since we expect him to be home in early January, we decided that we would stretch out Christmas a little longer this year. We can't think of a better reason not to lengthen the joy of the holidays this year. We checked with Santa and he assured us that he would be glad to make a special trip to Kentucky once daddy comes home. Santa still made his usual Christmas Eve stop in Detroit where we were visiting my family. 

 Well, only one of us is actually smiling, but at least no one is screaming!

Clara getting a special present from Santa

Colton says, "Here Santa, you can have the wrapping back!"

 Christmas Eve morning brought just enough snow that Clara
 decided she needed to make the first "mini" snowman of the season.

We had a great time visiting family and friends in Michigan and Indiana. Now we wait for daddy to come home and we can celebrate Christmas all over again! How lucky are we?

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The Nutcracker

I love doing special things with the kids during Christmastime. This year Clara and I went and saw The Nutcracker. This is something I would love to become an annual tradition for my little girl and I. I'm not sure who was looking forward to it more, her or I. I think I had just as much fun, if not more, watching her face light up as she watched the dancers move across the stage. The production we went to was put on the by the local dance school. It was mostly middle and high school aged girls, with cute little parts for the younger dancers. This was her first experience at seeing live theater and ballet. She adored every moment of it and I only wish I could have captured some of the looks of amazement on her face as we sat in our seats and watched the ballet. I imagine she was wishing that one day it will be her up there in a pretty costume, pirouetting around the stage.

My big girl and I all ready for our special day

One of the nice things that drew me to this particular performance was a little event prior to the show called "Clara's Tea Party", named in honor of the young girl in the story, The Nutcracker. Well, OF COURSE we HAD to go to that! It was a nice little luncheon type thing with fancy little sandwiches, petit fours and hot chocolate. The ballerinas came out in full costume to mingle and talk to the kids and take pictures. Our Clara was completely enamoured and entirely shy as soon as the dancers came pouring out into the atrium where we were.

"Clara" and Clara, my Clara was trying to hard to say "cheese"!

With two of the ballerinas

We had such a great afternoon and made memories that will stay with us for a long time. There's something special about the first time a little girl goes to see a ballet and I'm so glad she enjoyed it. I'm so lucky to have my little Clara and I can't wait to do more things like this as she grows up.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

A Recipe for Fun

Some sugar, some flour, a few eggs, some vanilla, and few more ingredients make some delicious sugar cookies. Add some cookie cutters, rolling pins, sprinkles, icing, and a handful of cousins and you have yourselves the perfect recipe for a fun morning! We have been so fortunate to live by family here at Ft. Knox. My cousin, her husband, and their two kids were posted at Ft. Knox and have stayed around after Scott retired from the Marines. The Army friends we meet as we travel from post to post are great and are considered family. But, there's nothing like having the real thing right here nearby.

Our annual Christmas cookie baking event is one we look forward to each year. The only thing different this year was the mess! With four kids with their hands in the mix, instead of just three, let's just say our Dyson got a good workout when we were all done!

Clara getting the dough all ready.

Rolling it out.

Colton didn't mind that there was no dough to roll,
he just loved being a big kid.

Colton delicately decorating some cookies.

Clara and Nick were a little more generous and
lot less delicate with their decorating!
If you look closely you may actually be able to see
some cookies under all that sugar.

Time for some icing.

Clara was very proud of her work.

Enjoying the benefits of hard work.

The cookie crew busy at work.

The holidays are supposed to be about smiles and memories. I have so very many happy memories of Christmastime growing up in our family of 13 cousins. I'm glad our children have cousins here to make memories with. Long after we have departed Ft. Knox we will be able to look back fondly at these pictures and fondly remember these times and smile.