Monthly Moments with Little Sweetie: December 19

Happy December! Since last month, we've kept busy with travel, holidays, and all the activities we haven't seen since 2019. It's been tiring, but a lot of fun too.

We started Thanksgiving Break with a quick Mother-Daughter trip to Ohio to check in on Mamaw and Papaw. It's crazy to now have more of a "traveling companion" than "traveling with a child." Little Sweetie enjoyed our quick weekend getaway, making good memories with her grandparents and meeting some of Momma's dear friends!

Up bright and early (at 4:30 AM!) to travel...

...leads to a little crash while Momma signs out the rental car!

Once we drove into Canton, we met Mamaw and Papaw at the First Ladies National Historic Site for some museum viewing and a tour of the Saxton House. It was fun and interesting and just another example of a nerd raising another nerd!

Little Sweetie was excited to get another stamp in her National Parks Passport!

A great picture with Mamaw and Papaw at dinner!

The next day we work up early for church and brunch, followed by an afternoon of meeting some family, roller skating, and more at one of Momma's old haunts!

Nine year olds are pretty grown up, but not too grown up to enjoy some classic Mister Rogers' Neighborhood while eating breakfast in the hotel lobby!

Even a dusting of snow is a miracle to this Texas girl!

Checking out the choir loft in the church where Momma and Daddy got married!

Enjoying some hot chocolate at Samantha's in Canton!

Meeting cousin A's daughter K for the first time and playing peekaboo!

Big highlight of the trip was going to the North Canton Skating Rink (where Momma learned to roller skate!) and having fun with Momma's friends R and A! Found out that the skating rink has expanded to now include a laser tag course, bumper cars, and arcade!

We also got to meet Momma's dear friend, E, by catching them at the grocery store! E's daughter, A, is a few years younger than Little Sweetie, but they became fast friends instantly, just like their mommas!

Thanks for the memories, Ohio, but it's time to head home!

Promised her Potbelly's for lunch and then enjoyed some desserts in the United Club!

A really nice trip with my favorite girl!

Once we got back from Ohio, it was time for our Thanksgiving preparation!

First up, pumpkin pie! Little Sweetie made about 85% of it by herself!

Then she made her delicious homemade cranberry sauce!

We continued our yearly tradition of waking up early to run at the annual Run Through the Woods. Although I again questioned my sanity for signing up for early wake ups again, it was a great morning and we all felt energized after the run! Thankful for our physical health!

Ready to run!

Little Sweetie got a PR for her 1 mile!

Then it was time to get ready for the feast! We put out the kids's Thanksgiving crafts and all the tasty food so we could dive in!

Beautiful and delicious!

So much to be thankful for this year!

For many, Black Friday is a day of shopping and Christmas prep. We don't do much shopping, but the Christmas preparation part is right! Let the season begin! We were thrilled to learn that Little Sweetie is very much still into the Christmas magic.

Our elf Pat returned from the North Pole!

All the Christmas stuff is out and going up!

The drive through light park is always a favorite way to kick off the Christmas season!

Reading our nightly Christmas book from Pat!

The trees are decorated and we are ready for our new tradition (does going twice in 2 years make it a tradition?): RenFest!

Little Sweetie LOVED going to the Houston Renaissance Festival last year, so we thought we'd give it a go again this year. The only weekend that was going to work was that after Thanksgiving, so we were there for the Celtic Christmas theme. She again loved everything!

Knowing her love of archery, Pat the elf surprised her with a Robin Hood costume, the perfect outfit to wear for the day! We went with the easier to bring sword than a cumbersome bow and arrows as the accessory though.

Jousting game!

Riding an elephant with Daddy!

Doing amazing with her archery skills at the long bow area!

Self-powered swings!

Pony rides!

Fierce and amazing, all in one package!

Momma and Little Sweetie!

Picking our her souvenir!

Great family day!

All the poses as we head out the gates!

So mysterious on the way home!

Since we were crossing off so many Christmas traditions, we figured we would hit another one while they were both off school. We're coming, Santa!

Dressed in their Christmas best to see the big guy himself!

Once Thanksgiving Break ended, it seemed that the rest of the world had also shifted into Christmas mode! It wasn't too much of a surprise, after two years of reduced activity due to Covid, but it was a bit of an adjustment getting use to having SO MANY THINGS to do. Thankfully, Little Sweetie enjoyed them all!

Spreading holiday cheer by singing with her school choir at a local food drive!

They even had fun activities for the kids to enjoy after their performance!

More choir singing at Frassati's first Lessons and Carols!

Gingerbread house making with our Girl Scout Troop!

Cooking and canning apple butter for teacher gifts!

Enjoying Pajama Day and a Christmas movie at school!

All ready for the school Christmas program!

Such fantastic choir and grade performances at the Christmas program!

Beautiful friends!

Ready for the Talent Show on the last day of school!

Little Sweetie did a great job with her piano performance!

And that takes us up to Winter Break! Little Sweetie had an entire list of things she wanted to do over break, so we kept up the momentum and tried to get as much in as we could before an Arctic front rolled in.

First up, getting her nails done (blue of course)!

Excited that it was cool enough to wear sweats!

Lots of fun ice skating with her Girl Scout friends!

She had a specific request to get her American Girl doll's ears pierced, so we bundled up and made the trek to the Houston-area American Girl store.

Napping on the drive!

So excited to shop!

They even have matching earrings!

A great start to break!

Height and Weight

Little Sweetie is up to 65 lbs. this month and still up to about 52.6 inches!

Personality

She's everything. She goes from wanting to look at all the snakes in the zoo to playing campout with her dolls and everything in between. We love every facet of her constant curiosity. She's adventurous and playful, except when it comes to ordering in restaurants or losing a game, but we're working on those!

Just a normal day at dinner.

Developmental Milestones

Little Sweetie is doing great at school and keeps on working to learn new things and improve her skills. She received a late birthday present of a new basketball hoop and has been working on her shot nearly daily. It's been fun to watch her hone her abilities!

Basketball star in the making!

She's also still very interested in archery and used her birthday money to buy her very own bow! As we've said before, her interests are very diverse and we are glad we can help encourage them.