It's the most wonderful time

Tis the season for fun!

The girls raced downstairs and were drawn to the nativity scene, that they didn't even notice the tree! They turned around and saw it and their eyes just lit up!  It was darling.  I actually caught it on camera so I'll put it in our family videos.

I always decorate it at night and have it all purdy for them in the morning.  I dunno, it's just way more relaxing and fun for me.  Also...this year, we got all new sweet treats decor, so fun!  But the glitter bahhh, the glitter!!

Maybelle-the-perfect-one tried to touch the tree a few times but after getting in trouble, she has completely left it alone.

A post date-night text from Kelly:

Letters to santa!

Amaryllis wrote Kensingtons.  But to my surprise this month, I realized Kensington can read about 8 sight words, and she can read the first 5 BOB books and sound out all the words.  I'm just in disbelief!

Hervey the Elf is back at it.  I'm toning down all the extravagant stuff this year, so he doesn't really bring gifts.  He just mysteriously moves around the house throughout the day, and the girls get such a kick out of it! 

Here are some flowers.  From another man.  Ha!  My friend has a flower subscription from her husband, and she was out of town so I got to steal them off her front porch and enjoy them.

It finally rained!  A lot!  We are in such a drought, I feel like everyone sighed a big sigh of relief that it poured for a few days.  I'm sure we are still in the negative amounts, but still.  Happy rain dance!

It rained so much, our little park flooded:

Some little candy deliveries.

 Maybelle has been living in the limbo world between crawling, gorilla crawling, and walking.  She really hasn't gotten into any major chaos or messes yet.  Which is why, when she brought me a bag of chocolate chips from the pantry, it was funny enough for me to take a picture.  I didn't know she could open the cupboards!

Amaryllis just loved posing oh-so-perfect on Santa's knee:

Here is the chain of reaction from Maybelle:

Here is an old picture we found of Jake's dad Jim, and basketball star Wilt Chamberlain.  Jim served as the commissioner of the beach volleyball association back when Wilt played.  Look how huge he is!

Amaryllis said, about the flower blooming on the counter this month:
"It's a good thing you didn't name me Daisy or Rose or Chrysanthemum...or it would be..well..actually...ok...,like...it would just be totally confusing around here!" 

I'm an auntie!

If you'll recall my sad looking wreath (from my previous post) got a little face lift.

 We made gingerbread cookies.  This recipe is so fluffy and soft!

I think every mom on the planet loves to randomly look over and see their kids lost in a book:

Like I said, Kensington is starting to be interested in reading:

She plopped down with a basket of books on this particular morning:

They opened some model homes in our neighborhood, because they are starting to build the last phases of houses.  They are gorgeous!

This is the "dog suite" complete with a dog shower, extra washer and dryer (there is one upstairs too) and extra full size fridge:

The Bartlett's decorated their boat for the SB Parade of Lights boat parade.  Apparently it was lack luster though...we all had a good laugh at this:

We went on the Santa Barbara Jolly Trolley, which takes you around to all these gorgeous lights:

I love my fancy baby monitor app.  Here's a screen shot.
 Since Jake works at home, I sneak away and run errands while she naps, but I leave the monitor on so that I can be home by the time she wakes up.  It's so funny watching her.  When she falls asleep she's talking/singing and sitting up.  Then out of nowhere, like a narcoleptic, she stops singing mid song, completely falls over like a tree, and is out like a light.  So funny to watch.

School Work:

Report card:

And I leave you with a small reminder for this upcoming Christmas week: