We're wrapping up a very, very busy weekend.  Alina's school Christmas program was Friday night.  It was a really cute program.  Alina's class did a sort of skit to music that combined Peter and the Wolf with Little Red Riding Hood.  She was perfect as LRRH's mother.  It finished a bit earlier than last year, meaning that we were actually home a bit before midnight.  Saturday, after sleeping in, we had a Christmas carol sing-along oranized by several churches in the area.  I think a good time was had by all.  We broke with tradition and had frozen pizzas afterward, before sending everyone off to bed.  Today was Sunday school and church, followed by lunch at Thomas's parents'.  Then, we had to make  quick trip through the annual Christmas market here, where we enjoyed free pony rides and face painting!  To cap things off, Alina, as is her custom following anything stressful or emotionally intense, came down with a 39°C fever this evening...

Happy Thankful Day!

We tried to make Thanksgiving a bit special today, even though it was a regular work/school day.  The past few years, we've celebrated on Saturday, inviting friends over, and going all-out for a "real" Thanksgiving meal.  This year, we pared things down to the essentials: stuffing, turkey legs, and pumpking bars.  Yes, by overwhelming majority, pumpkin bars won out over pumpkin pie.  We also took time to write in our Thanksgiving book, about all the things we're thankful for.  Hope you're thankful today, too!

Aaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!!!

I'm a little Monkey

I'm a little monkey
Climbing up a ladder
Climbing to the top to
Pick a pink banana.

I'm a little monkey
Climbing down the ladder
Climbing to the ground to
Eat a pink banana.

A train! A train! A train! A train!

Alina turned 7 on Thursday.  As usual, she's been counting the days.  Here she is:

 And here is her cake.  I was rather proud of it.  Especially since it started out just as a double batch of banana bread, which she had requested and for which I had no particular plans in terms of shape.

 Blow hard, Alina!!!!

Mozart

ALINA (Singing Mozart's Alleluia while I was dishing up food)
MAMA: Alina, no Mozart at the table.  (We actually have a no singing at the table rule.)
ALINA: (A few minutes later, humming an aria from "The Marriage of Figaro")
MAMA:  Alina, I said no Mozart at the table!
ALINA:  But, Mama, he's hungry!