holiday party at boondocks

I went to my Friday barbell class and then my Christopher was texting me about how it was his Friday to get together with his sushi group (some guys from church that all work in the same general vicinity and get together for a sushi lunch one Friday a month) so I texted him a picture of my calf raises I was doing and told him he better keep up. neither of us are big on exercise but the tables have turned for the time being.

back when Elizabeth didn't have her own helmet, I would let her wear this hat while she rode her bike.  she still calls it a helmet.  this is the best age... I really do miss when they start dropping these weird quirks.  (like how she thinks multiple items are always "three")

also, for the first time, Elizabeth was able to open the door from the garage to the kitchen.  this is going to be so useful for helping her not get trapped in the garage!

we've been doing reading lessons again with the plan to finish by Brady's birthday.  cross your fingers for us!

Brady is making great strides on drawing people.  this is a picture of Abigail, himself, and Elizabeth.

we went to a holiday party for one of honey's clients.  this is the first year they've had it at boondocks.  the environment was definitely easier with kids in tow (the past few years, it's been at moe's and they have bar height tables/chairs) because it was in it's own private room with bowling lanes and tables, but I won't lie.... the food was nothing to write home about.

the Santa, as always, was legit.  execept that he listened to Brady's request and told him he could probably make that happen and when I asked what he asked for, he was all "it's so loud in here, I can never hear."  COME ON, SANTA!  luckily Brady told me later.  ; )

elizabeth sat on his lap but refused to make eye contact.  it was subtle enough that I'm sure people were confused why I was laughing.

this was the closest she got.  later in the night, Santa was handing out teddy bears and Elizabeth went back to get one.  apparently she walked up and saw him and just busted out crying.  then she ran up juuuuust far enough, grabbed the bear, and ran away.  I was so confused when she came back and looked like she'd recently been crying and why Julie also looked like she'd been crying from laughing.  that girl.  always something.

I think this is our first year of no crying since Brady was born.  Abigail has never cried with Santa, and Brady did every year until he could pass that torch to Elizabeth.  Elizabeth was peer pressured into not crying this time and Andrew was just fine.

Elizabeth was devouring everything from cauliflower and cucumbers and celery (I don't know that I've ever just given her a stick of celery before... I don't like it... but she stole one from Brady's plate and went to town on it) to onion rings and French fries and honey's pizza to my pastas and garlic bread.  and of course orange soda and purple soda and popsicles.  watch your plate when she's around... she will almost never ask permission first.

it was a fun night.  it was also fun that I saw a girl there that I knew.  she goes to the same weight class that I go to on Wednesday mornings, and I've seen her around Parker before, at the library mostly, but this was the first time that we formally met.  so that was exciting to make a new friend!