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somebunny is four
Today we celebrated Autumn’s 4th birthday. Our sweet, sassy bunny loving little girl came to us on a cold December evening 4 short years ago, and although time has gone by in a flash, she has blessed us with so many memories, laughs, and special moments.
I have always loved planning, decorating, and throwing kids birthday parties. There is always something special about seeing a theme come to life, and more importantly, seeing the enjoyment through the eyes of our little ones.
Autumn has been a bunny lover since she first found her bunny “lovey” in her crib at a few months old. That bunny has been by her side day in and day out every day since, and it was only natural for us to have a “somebunny” party. My first big find for the part was a custom bunny tutu set on Etsy – commissionable link here.
You also can’t overstate the importance of finding a good, reliable bakery to help bring your vision to life. We discovered our bakery over 8 years ago, and over 20 birthday parties later, they still continue to come through for us with good looking, great tasting cakes. We have had some elaborate cakes over the years, but we went more with a simple design this year with some fancy flower accoutrements aided by some paper bunny face additions. We have also tried many different combinations of cake flavor and icing/ mousse flavor, but of this classic bunny cake we went with a simple vanilla cake & icing combo.
Since Autumn doesn’t attend school yet, we kept things simple with just family this year, and as such, didn’t have the elaborate party setups we have been accustomed to, but still tried to have a classy, fun atmosphere to celebrate in an intimate setting.
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dinner & a show
The Christmas season keeps rolling on! Last evening we had the pleasure to do dinner and a show – Miracle on 34th – at Dutch Apple Dinner Theater. A typical central PA buffet style meal accompanying friendly wait staff and a nice, welcoming environment made for a good meal for us and the kids.
The real star of the evening, though, was the show. We visit Dutch Apple from time to time, and have see two other Christmas shows there over the year, but this year was special in that the girls’ best friend had the lead role, Susan, for children actors.
It was really special to watch one of the girls’ friends come out of her shell and shine on stage beside many skilled actors and hold her own. It was also good for our girls to her up on stage with the spotlight, owning her moment and the hard work that it took to get there.
Besides Susan, Kris Kringle and Doris (Susan’s mom) were standouts in front of a full house. Overall, we had a great evening with food, song, dance, and a pleasant environment. Highly recommend the facility for a low-key (or high-key) date night.
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the christmas show
We started going to the Christmas Show at the American Music Theater in Lancaster about 10 years ago. Our first show was just Tom & I, before kids, and an instant tradition was born. I still remember telling him after the show that this was something I wanted to do every year, and that I couldn’t wait to get to do this with our “future” kids.
Flash forward ten years, and this weekend we toted 4 kids, including two very active under four year-olds, to enjoy what has become one of our favorite traditions. While COVID changed our plans last year, this annual constant in our schedule has been such a fun event. For those of you who haven’t attended, people come from all over the mid-Atlantic to see the show. Broadway style song and dance, classic Christmas costumes, a usual fun spin on Santa’s visit, and even some North Pole fun with elves (and this year Penguins?) makes for enjoyment for all.
As any parent knows, shows like this can produce some anxiety filled moments for parents. In an audience filled with lots of “kidless” theater-goers, we have come to roll with the punches and come prepped with snacks, end-row seats, and emergency exit strategies. Cameron was our biggest concern this year, as a 2 hour show is a loooong time to sit still for an active toddler. He did as well as can be expected, alternating between my lap and sampling the various snacks strewn across our row. The big girls really seemed into the show this year, as I caught them mouthing along to songs they knew and clapping with authority after songs.
It’s hard to believe that Christmas is less than two weeks away. Crossing this tradition off of our list is one more sign that before long, Santa will be taking flight and beautiful presents wrapped in paper and bows will make it to our home. With all the hustle and bustle in life, especially during the holidays, it is more important than ever to take time to enjoy the little moments we collect along this journey, and days like today included many of those moments that add to our Christmas story, which we continue to write one day at a time.
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special.day
It isn’ often that I get the chance to have one-on-one time with the kiddos. Today I spent time with Natalie headed to school, and although brief, was such a special time for me. As our oldest, I still remember a time not that long ago where it was only her to spend time with. Having more children is such a blessing, and I wouldn’t change it, but it is still important to get some time, even if just a few alone with them each.
Photo includes a shoppable link above. Medium red in boys fits our 2 y/o perfect -
chocolate chip. or butter
Butter. Flour. Eggs. Salt. Sugar. 5 simple ingredients that when measured and combined properly open the doorway to so many good, wonderful treats. The types of foods that make you stop and savor, to relax (a bit) and reflect on the simple, sweet things in life.
Luckily, there is no shortage of sweet treat creation in our home, especially in December. Today was a chilly, perfect day for turning the oven on and breaking out the Kitchen-Aid Stand mixer.
How is it, that after all these years, the simple joys of baking cookies always brings you right back to baking in mom’s kitchen as a child, anxiously awaiting both the end result of the bake and also the end result of the Christmas season – presents!
We have been fans of Williams Sonoma for years, and it was a number of years back that we found these adorable little aprons from the local shop. They had exactly the right amount, and I went ahead and bought Cameron’s apron even though he, at the time, didn’t even exist yet. Planning is fun!
Today, we focused on chocolate chip and butter cookies, with butter cookies ( also known as Sand-Tarts) up for the decorating when wet were are finished our task.
All the kids enjoy the sand-tart decorating (who wouldn’t),, but as for me, I veer towards the chocolate chip.
We typically use Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips for our cookies and wow, what a difference they can make.
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December.1st
December. It has been a long year, but we have made it to the final chapter. And what a grand chapter it is shaping up to be.
We started off the 1st day of December with the theatrical production of Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer, the Musical. We typically enjoy these shows with the kids regardless of the show quality, as just time spend with our kids makes events worthwhile. We, however, were blown away by the show. The acting, singing, costumes, puppeteering, and overall adherence to the original movie was nothing short of spectacular.
The kids had fun taking turns sharing our laps and were enthralled throughout the performance. The show wrapped up with Rudolph flying through the air and the entire crowd and cast doing a Rudolph singalong.
We have lots of fun plans for the upcoming month, so keep tuning in and I will keep you updated on all the latest happenings.
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beach.coffee.mom.
Waves crashing. Kids laughing. Sand, sun, coffee, fun. This crazy life with busy schedules, activities, school, dance, trips, etc. means there isn’t much time to pause and reflect. Stealing a few moments on the inlet rocks to watch and take in the grandeur of it all was a welcome, albeit brief, respite from the daily circus.
Complementing my jeans by Stitch Fix is a simple, green knit sweater from Target. Gold rimmed Ray-Bans help mute the harsh late-day sun this time of year. Starbucks latte is a welcome companion and always a competent accessory to any cool weather outfit.
What is interesting as I reflect on this picture is how a brief instant snapped in digital form could represent someone’s entire day, gazing out into the ocean, or in my case, maybe a 60-second chance at a breather while Tom chases the kids around the beach. Even though warmer weather is in retreat, there is still much fun to be had being close to ocean, and days like today remind me to stop and smell the salty air more than once in a while.
Kids Christmas outfits are all from Target as well, with Mr. Grinch debuting his oh-so-mean green sweater, and the girls enjoying a festive frolic with coordinating holiday garb. Soon enough we will be trading ocean waves for snow flakes, and sandy beaches for snowy ski-lifts, but tomorrow will be here soon enough, and today is always enough for today.
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deck the house. the beach house.
A getaway weekend to the beach. Windy and cold, even some Grinch! The girls had some extra time off school, and we took advantage with a getaway to the beach house. We usually try for a getaway around Thanksgiving, and this year we were blessed with cold but sunny days to enjoy some Christmas spirit.
Yesterday we spent some time decorating the tree, putting out some decor, and then took a trip down to see the Winterfest lights, a nice 3/4 mile stroll through thousands of lights to really kick things off.
Today, we had a nice, low-key day with a trip to the Inlet and beach where we enjoyed some snacks and played frisbee. We wrapped up the day with a stop at the park and baking Christmas cookies (Sand Tarts / Butter Cookies) to give to the neighbors in our community. The girls always love helping with cookies, especially with decorating the sand-tarts with colorful sprinkles.
Matching jammies, as always, brought to you by Pat-Pat, my go-to for matchy match.
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easy.trees-y.
The special events just keep coming. Can you believe is is already time for chilly nights, biting wind, and Christmas lights. We braved the chilly weather yesterday and found the perfect tree. These adorable, puffer north face jackets kept us toasty warm despite the biting wind, I highly recommend them!
Tractor rides out to the farm, visits with Santa, and hot chocolate were all parts that accompanied the day. The farm we go to has been in operation for nearly 300 years, and is one we have visited off and on for at least the past 15 years. There was concern this year when the property went up for sale that the beloved tradition for many would be in danger, but it seems as if the new owners plan to carry on the legacy. Crisis. Averted.
Check in to my Instagram page @fashionmeetsjess soon to see some video compilations of the fun, from fake tree sawing to real tractor riding – it’s all in there! As we speak, snow is lightly falling back home for what should be a minor dusting, but is yet another example of Christmas taking hold this year.
until next time. jess.
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give.thanks.
My, How the holidays do come and go so quickly. One day we are watching the kids enjoying Trick or Treat, the next we are watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, prepping apple pies and turkey desserts, gathering with family and giving thanks for all that we’ve been given.
With all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it is kind of nice to still have a day dedicated to the simple act of eating and giving thanks, to whomever that might be.
Today we watched the parade on TV through the eyes of children, watching closely for floats of Spiderman or princesses. We know there will be a day in the future that those childhood wishes no longer exist, so we give thanks every day for the blessings we have been bestowed.
After dinner we got the kids ready, took some photographs, and headed to eat with family in the most “normal” setting we’ve had in almost two years, and, of course, enjoyed some turkey, mashed potatoes, pies, treats, and the like.
Give thanks, today, tomorrow and for as many days as you are blessed with, for not one single one is ever guaranteed. Our lives are busy. So busy. There is always something else to do on our honey-do list. One more chore to complete. One more task to cross off the list. But days like today help to refresh, refocus, and remind us to live in the moment, for the moment, and that no moment is ever guaranteed.
Many blessings to you and yours,
Jess
