Halloween was approaching and the girls were looking forward to heading to the zoo for their annual event. Olivia was busier than usual in October with soccer games, so when we finally had time to go she was not in town. So for the first time Cece visited the Zoo Halloween, without her sister. Something tells me this is going to start happening more frequently, as Olivia gets older. Regardless, Cece had a great time walking through the Zoo dressed as Mal from Descendants.
On Halloween Olivia and her friends dressed up for school. They all wore different animals onesies. One of the moms brought them all these ginormous baby faces, which didn't make much sense with their costumes, but was funny none the less.
As the day went on the weather started to take a turn. It got super cold which then led to snow and freezing rain. Half way through the day an official announcement was made to postpone Halloween until the weekend! As awful as the weather was, we weren't sure how we felt about Halloween actually being postponed. The girls were a little bummed. Olivia was especially disappointed because it was getting moved to Saturday afternoon and she was going to be out of town for a soccer game. We promised her we would do our best to collect enough candy to make up for her not being able to go.
Rescheduled Halloween started off great! It was a little chilly, but the skies were clear. Strangely, about half way through things changed and it suddenly started sleeting! We still managed to power through and collect a ton of candy! Once we got home, Cece immediately took inventory. Her sister got home just in time to see her loot and to share in the bounty! Despite the delay, it was still a successful Halloween. The only thing that would have made it better is if Olivia would have been able to tag along with us.
So for the first time in my memory Halloween actually fell in November this year...November 1st. Not only was that my Mom's birthday, but just a few days later we were celebrating Olivia turning 13!!! Yep...we've got a teenager in the house!
During her birthday weekend, she had one wish...to go shopping! My Mom promised to take her as her birthday gift. So they hit the mall and quickly collected many shopping bags! That evening we celebrated at my Mom's with dinner and more gifts. She opened her presents and was showered with more clothes and money, but the biggest surprise came at the end. We surprised her by sending her on her school Spanish trip to Panama next Thanksgiving! She wanted to go so badly, so it was a huge surprise when we handed her the card that told her (in Spanish) that she would be going!
The birthday celebration continued a few weeks later when we had Olivia's birthday party. This year, for the first time she had a boy/girl party. The challenge was thinking of what to do with a bunch of teenage boys and girls? Olivia's idea was an Escape Room! Perfect! So that weekend 10 kids entered the Al Capone Room at Locked Up and had 60 minutes to escape. My first thought was there was no way they were going to get out, because they did nothing but talk over each other. But the room quickly got quiet so I think they got down to business. I sat in the waiting room as they worked to get out, and kept looking at my watch. With less than 30 seconds left there was a sudden burst of screaming and they came rushing out of the room! They did it!!!
These kids were riding high on the thrill of escaping the Al Capone room! Deservedly so...the escape rate was under 30%! They worked up quite an appetite working their brains, so we all headed to Pizza Hut to continue the celebration. It was pizza, presents and lots of loud talking! This group of kids are such great friends, and although they talk louder than anyone I've ever met, they are all super sweet and helped to make Olivia's 13th birthday extra special!
Our Fall weather had been unseasonably warm to this point...chilly, but perfect for playing in the leaves. As we worked to clean up our yard Cece decided it would fun to get right in the middle of it all. There were a few slow motion falls backwards, but overall...a lot of fun!
And just like that we were headed into the holidays! Suddenly it was Thanksgiving weekend and the annual Embassy Festival of Trees performance for our dance studio. The girls both had dances to perform and they danced beautifully, as always.
We always take time to see all of the trees afterwards. It's one of our holiday traditions and the official kick off to Christmas! Can't leave without a quick visit to see Santa either. Now it's time to get ready for Christmas!
Each year we have a list of things we like to see and do before Christmas. It's our mission to try and accomplish all of those things. First up...the Jefferson Pointe Christmas tree and reindeer. On this night we were without Olivia, as she was staying with a friend. We still enjoyed the dancing lights of the tree and Cece was able to get up close and personal with a couple of adorable reindeer.
The next day Cecilia attended a holiday party with her friend Phoebe at their country club. Each year they have a themed party for the kids that includes food, crafts and a movie. She was excited to be invited back again this year!
We were soon back to Jefferson Pointe, this time for Olivia to sing in front of the big tree. Her choir class performed as a group, and helped to spread some holiday cheer. It was cold, but they made it through their songs. Everyone warmed up afterwards with a group dinner at Panera.
Next up, our annual, official Santa visit. Each and every year since they were babies, the girls have gotten dressed up for a formal photo with the big guy. As each year passes there seems to be a little less excitement with this tradition, but luckily Cece still has the light in her eyes when it comes to anything having to do with Santa. I fully realize that will not last much longer, so I am soaking it up while I can! Regardless of their ages, I will cherish these Santa photos forever!
After visiting Santa we drove through the Fantasy of Lights, another of our favorite holiday traditions. First stop, hot cocoa and popcorn to make the drive through the lights even more festive! This is probably one of the girls favorite things to do each year. The light displays are pretty impressive!
I think one of the highlights of the holidays for Olivia was the winter social at her school. It was her first official school dance. Not the sort of dance that required a date, but the sort of dance that required a fancy dress and getting together with your best friends to get your hair and nails done! The girls all got ready together and someone even came to do all of their hair. What fun!
I may not have been at the dance, but I think the pictures prove just how much fun they all had. Olivia even got a photo with her "special friend" Jackson. These two kiddos have been a "thing" for about a year and a half, and although they do not like to label it, I think they have created a really strong friendship. Overall, this group of friends had a great time together dancing the night away!
With a few weeks to go until Christmas, we still had a ton of our annual traditions to check off our list. There's no shortage of fun things to do this time of year!
