Christmas celebrations!

We had a wonderful and blessed Christmas this year! It was so nice to have Nonnie and G-Pa with us to share in fun Christmas traditions. Below is a large array of photos from the last week.

Our cuties before Christmas Eve Mass. I love their dresses!

Our family before Mass. Hard to believe in about 5 weeks we will have another family member. We are getting so excited to meet our new baby! 

The girls with Nonnie and G-Pa before church. 

After Mass we went to the Summit Club for dinner and then came home and opened gifs from each other. Adriana is concentrating hard as she opens the box. 

Check out the size of the bags! The girls received so many nice gifts from my parents. These bags were full of gifts. They enjoyed the bags, too (as you can see)! 

Before heading off to bed, we set out a letter to Santa and some milk and cookies for him and threw reindeer mix in the lawn.

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Christmas morning! Santa left them A LOT of gifts! 

The convertible was probably the most unexpected gift. The girls didn't include it on their lists but Santa thought they might like it. 

Gabriella asked for a nail salon and here the girls are painting and drying their nails. Such fun!

Playing with her new Barbie. 

Adriana wearing her new Brave dress and feeding her baby in her new high chair with her new food set.  

Christmas Day was very cold but the girls still took several breaks during the day to ride in their new car in the backyard. This was their first ride. They were so excited about the car they just put on their ear muffs and went for a short spin.  

Santa brought a tub full of Perler Beads. Most of Christmas Day and the days following they were busy making creations. Nonna and G-Pa also joined in the fun. 

The gingerbread house the girls made a few days before. 

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Uncle Tommy, Aunt Danielle and Vinny came down to visit a few days later and we had another gift exchange.

Gabriella and Adriana (below) sporting their new winter hats Aunt Danielle, Unc and Vinny got them. One of Aunt Danielle's friends crotched them. So pretty! They match their winter coats!

Adriana in her new hat. 

Vinny opening his gifts. He is such a big boy and so cute!  

Vinny playing with his new remote control car he got from us for Christmas. 

Our annual morning pajama picture. Our coordinating pjs are from Nonna and G-Pa.

The three cutest kids I have ever seen! ;)

I hope each of you had a wonderful and blessed Christmas. We had a very special Christmas season as we got to spend time with family and enjoy the real meaning of Christmas. We also want to thank our family for the wonderful gifts you all gave us. We are spoiled! We love you all!

School Christmas Celebrations & Adriana's Pierced Ears!

Wow! We continued to be busy the final week before Christmas. On Thursday, we attended Adriana's Christmas program at her pre-school. It was so adorable! Her class was dressed as angels and they did a great job singing "Silent Night," "Jingle Bells," and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." 

Processing into the gym. 

Adriana is in the front row with the red hair bow. She did such a great job! So cute!

She spotted me in the audience and shot me a big grin! Love her!

Santa was there for the children to visit with after the program. He had a gift for each child. Adriana got a new book! Her class also had a party with lots of sweets and treats. 

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Adriana has been talking about getting her ears pierced in recent months. Somedays she says she doesn't want to do it but most days the idea of it was very exciting to her. Friday morning I asked her if she'd want to go and she was all smiles and up for it so Nonna and I took her to have it done! 

When Gabby got her ears pierced about 2.5 years ago we went to our doctor's office where numbing cream and a numbing machine was used while a doctor and nurse oversaw the piercing. After months of making calls and asking other moms, I couldn't find a similar set up here so we did what most do - went to the mall to Claire's. Before going to the mall, I was leery about the cleanliness but was reassured and watched carefully and all looked sanitary and sterile. 

Before the piercing. So excited! 

She did great considering they did not do any type of numbing. A few tears but quickly gone after she got to see her beautiful earrings. 

So pretty! 

Later in the afternoon, we attended the Christmas Prayer Service with Gabby at her school and attended her class party, which was a birthday party for Jesus. 

Their class celebrated with a book exchange.  

The girls with Nonna & G-Pa in Gabby's classroom after her party. 

It's been such a fun and exciting week and we look forward to Christmas! Tomorrow evening the festivities begin and the girls can't wait for Santa's visit to our house.

Dance & Cheer Class Observations

This past week families were able to sit in the classes to watch their daughters dance and cheer. On Monday, the girls had their tap/ballet/jazz classes which included Christmas parties and gift exchanges. The girls loved it so much! 

Adriana's class is first. She loves tap!

Her teacher calls this "sitting like a ballerina." Proper posture as they wait to begin the ballet portion of class. 

Holding the gift she got in the exchange - Princess lipgloss. 

Gabby tapping.

Graceful ballerina.  

Gabby enjoying her treats with her sister. Gabby received a Cinderella tooth brush with a stand and cup in the exchange. Pretty cute.

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On Wednesday, Gabriella had her cheernastics class. Nonna and G-Pa flew in from Florida a few hours before class so they were able to attend the observation. She does a great job and makes it look so easy!

Practicing her bridge. She is in the middle with the pink and orange outfit on.  

Cartwheel. She has really improved in this area. She loves to practice at home!

Toe touch or split jump is what I think her instructor calls it. 

The girls are really improving in all areas and having fun while doing so. It's always nice to be able to sit in the class and see first hand what they work on each week (although the observation windows are nice, but not the same). The class parties and gift exchanges are a highlight because it gets everyone into the Christmas spirit. Speaking of which, I will be posting more photos and narratives from their school programs and events the last few days, too. So much celebrating! It's really a wonderful time of year!

Celebrating Christmas

This past weekend we celebrated Christmas with Nana, Aunt Bridget and Aunt Megan at our home. Saturday morning after breakfast we had our gift exchange and the girls were so excited to open presents! 

Opening their new TOMS from Nana. 

I love the look on Adriana's face. She was so excited when she saw the Quick Trip cup (where we get "fun drinks") that Aunt Bridget got her. Inside was a gift card. 

Sporing their new GB Packers outfits courtesy of Aunt Bridget. 

Saturday afternoon we went downtown for ice skating even though it was a warmer day. The girls loved ice skating again this year. They have improved so much since the last time they hit the ice. 

Adriana skating by herself. What a big girl! 

I love this picture of them holding hands. 

Gabby skating by herself. Impressive!

The girls and Nana watching The Christmas Carol. 

After Mass on Sunday, we had breakfast at Gabby's school and the girls got their picture taken with Santa. (FYI...Gabby is wearing the new outfit she got from Aunt Megan.) They love seeing him up close. What a special time of year! 

We had a really fun weekend celebrating Christmas and spending time with Nana, Aunt Bridget and Aunt Megan. Thank you for the presents and for making the trip! It's hard to believe Christmas is just a week away!