A Three Generation Tradition

A few weeks ago, I noticed that tickets were on sale for the Ballet Memphis production of The Nutcracker.  I remember taking a school field trip to see it when I was a little girl and decided that Ava might enjoy it.  Since I knew Kevin wouldn't be super keen on this idea (in his defense, he would have happily gone along with his girls but he would really rather be home watching football), I thought this would be a fun girls day for me, Ava, and her Neena.  Neena happily agreed so I purchased our tickets.  Before the ballet, I thought it would be fun to spend a couple of hours at The Peabody Hotel enjoying the Christmas decorations and lounging in the lobby listening to the Christmas carols being played on the piano.  As soon as we walked in the hotel, we saw the gingerbread village.

***I knew I wouldn't be able to take my camera into The Orpheum, so I had to take all these pics on my cell phone which I don't particularly like to use but you make do with what you have.

As we were walking into the lobby area, we just happened to run right into Santa!  It was so exciting!  He was off-duty at the time but he graciously stopped and spent several minutes talking to us and posing for pictures.  He even had some extra candy canes in his pocket for us!  It was totally unexpected to see him but a very, very cool surprise.

We took some time to walk around the hotel and enjoy the decorations.  It was absolutely beautiful!

Ava visited the ducks

and made a wish in the wishing fountain.

We all got delicious desserts from The Peabody Deli & Desserts and found a quiet corner to enjoy them.

Once we finished our fancy desserts, it was time to walk over to The Orpheum. 

Ava loved the ornate decor.

We found our seats and got ready for the ballet to begin.

I had no idea what Ava would think of the ballet but she seemed to really enjoy it.  I thought with the length of it and the fact that there is no speaking she may be bored, but it really held her attention. After it was over, we went to the lobby and bought Ava her very own fancy nutcracker to decorate her room for Christmas. 

She was very excited to bring it home and show it to her Daddy.

The three of us had such a fun, special girls day.  It is definitely a tradition that we would all like to continue!

The Adventures of Ferrell

After Thanksgiving,  Ava always anxiously awaits the arrival of our elf, Ferrell.  She absolutely ADORES him.  She mentions him throughout the year and when he is here in our home, we will often catch her in the middle of (one-sided) conversations with him.  He is SO real to her and it is magical to see.  We learned a lot about Ferrell this year and here are some highlights from his visit.

We learned that our Ferrell loves syrup!  We caught him in the pantry drinking it straight from the 

bottle.

He hijacked my weekly menu planning board and we learned what elves' four major food groups are:  candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.  Ava thought that menu looked pretty good but realized that it really wasn't that healthy.

Ferrell is also really thoughtful so he packed Ava's lunch one morning before school.  Guess what was included?  That's right, syrup!  It's too bad the rest of her lunch was so yucky--cayenne pepper, jell-o powder, a candy cane, and a K-cup.  Ava quickly let him know that that was not a good lunch for little human girls and we packed something else. 

Ferrell also was thoughtful when he made a special welcome banner for our new dog, Janka.  It was really sweet of him and Janka loved it.

Ferrell may be thoughtful but that elf also has a mischievous streak!  He snuck upstairs to Kevin's office and used the copier to photocopy his little booty.  And doesn't he just look pleased with himself?!  Ava thought it was hilarious and the elf booty picture is still hanging on the front of our refrigerator.

Then he got into our dogs' treats thinking they were cookies and made himself sick.  We learned that elves vomit glitter.  Good to know, huh?

Ferrell thought it would be funny to "trap" Ava in her room.

He also apparently felt like painting one night but he couldn't find any paper.  So he painted the next best thing--Kevin's toes!  I say it all the time, but I will say it again--I just adore my husband! 

The funniest thing was later that night when Kevin and I were getting ready for bed, I told him that I would get the nail polish remover and take it off for him.  He said, "You mean there is something that will get it off?  I thought it just had to wear off!"  He was prepared to have to wear that polish for days! He is such a good sport.

After all that mischief, Ferrell just needed to enjoy a nice bath with some cozy cotton balls instead of bubbles.  Those elves are just a little bit strange!

Ferrell rode along to drop Ava off at school one day and to pick her up in the car line after school.  The other kids waiting to be picked up were really happy to see him--squealing and pointing as we drove up.  I think Ferrell really felt like a big shot that afternoon.

Hanging out the window on such a cold day must have given poor Ferrell a cold. :(

Every once in a while, Ferrell would have something for Ava.  One morning, he showed up with a very official Elf Progress Report on Ava.  Unfortunately, it said she had some work to do to make sure she ended up on the nice list.

The following week, Ava got an email from Santa with a video for her to watch.  By the end of the video, we learned that she had made her way back onto the nice list!  She had worked hard to improve on the things on which Ferrell said she needed work.

Ferrell also brought her a very fancy, special letter from Santa one morning along with a golden ticket for the Polar Express.  The letter explained how Santa had emailed Kevin and myself to ask if we would be willing to bring Ava on a special vacation to Chattanooga to meet him and celebrate the holidays.  We said yes, of course--who turns down Santa?!  I am catching up on lots of blogging and will cover that trip shortly.

We have such a blast when Ferrell is here and we are always sad when he has to head back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve.  I guess he needs that time off to plan what kind of fun he will bring to our home next year!