Eva's Voice

In case any of you haven't heard the cutest voice in the world, here it is! :-)

"Making cookies for Santa"- gotta love it

Christmas Eve

We had a nice little Christmas Eve here in Ramsey.  We went to the 5:00 candle light service at church with Baba and Richard and then had dinner back at our house.  Eva opened lots of presents so that we can spread the cheer out over today and tomorrow.  She got everything from pink leopard print high-heels to a digital camera!  The night was capped off with watching Christmas Vacation and baking cinnamon sugar cookies for Santa.

Sitting pretty with Daddy in church

Listening during the children's sermon

Candy canes from Pastor Melissa!

Distributing out the gifts

Her haul

Cheeeese

V-Tech digital camera

New boots

Tickels from Baba

Corduroy Bear

Cookie time

All Is Calm

Just got home from the most moving musical I've seen in awhile! It was called All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 and was about the real-life cease fire between British and German soldiers on Christmas Day 1914 in the midst of WWI.  "The Western Front, Christmas, 1914. Out of the violence comes a silence, then a song. A German soldier steps into No Man’s Land singing Stille Nacht. Thus begins an extraordinary night of camaraderie, music, peace. Re-live this remarkable true story from WWI through the words and songs of the men who lived it."

It involved an all male vocal ensemble complimented by 3 actors who read lines from the diaries of real soldiers who were there in 1914.  It brought me- and Baba- to tears more than once and I'd highly recommend it if they show it again next year.

The pictures don't do it justice since no flash photography was allowed but the theater is gor-geous!

Fogo de Chao

There is a Brazilian steakhouse in downtown Minneapolis called Fogo de Chao.  It's one of the best steakhouses in town and it's all-you-can-eat so, naturally, it's everyone's favorite place to go.

My bff Maria's birthday was 5 days before mine and Noah's in next week so I went out to lunch with Maria & Jen first and then Noah and my mom joined us a little later.

Mmmmm steak....

Jen was not a fan of the lamb

Yeaaaaaa steaaaaaaak

That's a really big tree...

Breakfast With Santa

Our health club put on a breakfast with Santa schinding today.  When we went to see Santa at Macy's, Eva was too scared to really say anything to him.  Today was a different story.  She took some time to warm up to him but when I told him she wanted a baby, and he said, "what about a bottle too?" her face lit up as if to say, "Oh my God Santa knows about baby dolls!"  It was the most precious thing I've seen in awhile.  So once she was comfortable, she opened up and told Santa all about the baby doll she wants with all the accessories and, lucky for her, Grandpa Steve already bought them all.  We'll have one happy 2 year old on our hands come Christmas morning!

Why yes, those are ruby red sparkling slippers, duh.

Watching Santa from a safe distance

Goodie bag from Santa

Happy girl!

Eva Gets a Tattoo

This is what happens when Mommy leaves Eva at home with Daddy for too long... thank you, Auntie Maria, for the tattoos.  Thankyousomuch.

Talking on the phone while showing off her arm tats

Note the neck tattoo, which had to be scrubbed off the next morning so it wouldn't show in her Santa pictures

"I love Mom" tattoo, I approve