As the leaves fall and temperatures chill, we know very well that the start of the holiday season is just around the corner...which kicks the Kingdom into high gear. We love the holidays! They guarantee many precious moments with family and close friends, cherished memories with our children, and a lovely jolt to our adrenaline levels as we complete our Christmas shopping amid thousands of others. The last few weeks have been harried to say the least. We welcomed guests from Colombia for Thanksgiving, completed our indoor/outdoor decorating, and enjoyed several 'holiday boosting' activities including our church's Snowflake Fair and visit with Alec's Godparents the Dube's to the Enchanted Village, to name a few. We're now only in early December and while much more will unfold for us and our little ones in the weeks to come, we are ecstatic about the start of the 2010 holiday season which may culminate in a warm climate where we'll ring in the New Year. We'll see what Santa brings!! :)
As parents, we have worked diligently to teach our children that holidays are more about giving than receiving. For years, we have educated them about philanthropy and community support--getting them involved in as many projects/programs as we can. We volunteer in our community and church on diverse projects and support various local charities. This season, we opted to include Local Heroes Massachusetts, which organizes
goodie boxes for troops stationed overseas. h
ttp://mass-localheroes.org/ All the royals got involved--even our little ones who helped decide what was to be placed into our holiday boxes for the troops. Interestingly, soldiers can expect The Chipmunks DVD, lollipops and oatmeal to name a few.
Princes Alec and Ari put into one of our boxes some useful items requested by the Troops--gum, Slim Ji
ms, deodorant and hand sanitizing wipes. :)
Abby adds gum to a box...especially for the holidays. ;)
Snowflake Fair at
Trinitarian Congregational Church was a success, and per special requests, Queen Wendy again made Gingerbread ornaments to sell. Aren't they pretty???
As a special treat for our little ones, we took them to the Enchanted Village. They were mesmerized by the Santa Claus showpiece. Although the display looks a little ancient, they knew exactly who they were looking at. Sadly, he didn't ask them what they wanted for Christmas...but they kept talking to him in the hopes that he was listening.... :)
Abby, Alec and
RJ hanging with Santa Claus.....
King Tony and
Aramis take in the sights....so cute!
Still chatting with Santa.....!
King Tony cuts down our Christmas tree every year. He's amazing.....
"Where are you, Honey?" I can't see you...are you
ok? Do you need any help?" Tony's response, "I'm here! Stop taking pictures and help me already!" ;)
Although we have a freshly cut Christmas tree in our living room, the kids get their own trees in their bedrooms and in their basement playroom. This allows them to decorate (with handcrafted ornaments or whatever they desire) their trees as they desire. Here are Abby, Ari and Alec working on one of their trees... :)
Photo of Tony, the kids and cousin Jorge from Colombia, who joined us for Thanksgiving...A long way to travel to enjoy Black Friday, don't ya think? They loved it...and spent the entire Friday shopping. They left with their wallets and returned with 20 bags of goodies. Well done!
Thanksgiving was an undeniably memorable day this year. Cousins Mark and Amy hosted this year's big feast in their gorgeous home. Mark, who is also the founder and CEO of
http://www.helium.com/, is a man of many, varied talents. Here he is carving his self-prepared turkey, which was nothing short of delicious!
Adding a tremendous amount of hilarity to the day, his wife Amy attempts to coerce our Colombian relatives into kissing her whipped cream covered mouth and suggested to them it was a 'tradition in our country.' Libations were flowing and this may have been one of the most hysterical moments of the entire afternoon. :)
Jorge and Andrea at their first American Thanksgiving. They aren't sure where to begin!
My new favorite dish--savory bread pudding. Cousin Amy created this absolutely fantastic savory bread pudding with anise and cranberries that in my mind, is better than ANY stuffing I've ever eaten (or created). I'm adding it to my list of Thanksgiving recipes from this day forward--it was THAT good!
Although we've not had an ounce of snow, Colombians apparently hate the cold--as evidenced by this photo of cousin Andrea who was bundled up tight INSIDE after dinner. :)
Princess Abby begins her holiday cookie making with gingerbread ornaments. She stole the recipe from her Mom, and is already off and running without much help required.....
Go Chef Abby!
