While Mate's Away Anaheim Edition

While Mate may have enjoyed the lovely California weather that accompanied his conference, I'm pretty sure the girls and I had it better right here in Ohio:

As he boarded a plane Saturday morning, we joined our friends from Twins Club for Breakfast with Santa:

Good thing there are more Santa opportunities in our future

Sunday, we headed to Chagrin Valley Little Theater for Gingerbread Tea.  Our afternoon started with gingerbread cake and juice above the theater.  While not a traditional tea party, I think the girls enjoyed the experience.  Next, we filed into the theater for an adorable Holiday Show designed just for little ones.  The children even got a chance to join the cast on stage for a song.  One of the characters picked Eliana up and said, "I'm gonna keep this one".  Unfortunately, that didn't sound so great to Eliana and she demanded to be put back down.  Thankfully, her big sister, Mia, grabbed her hand and all was well again.

Yum

Sisters to the rescue

A trip to Chagrin Falls wouldn't be complete without a stop at the Popcorn Shop.  Mate and I were engaged across the street, which makes this pretty special:

On Monday, Mia and Ava had a field trip with some friends from the Solon Early Childhood PTA.  I think they all had a good time dancing together:

On Tuesday, we had a task that I wasn't so sure we could accomplish- purchasing some new business suits for Mate.  Jos A. Bank was having a two-day sale that we didn't want to miss.  I'm pretty sure the young man helping me was less than amused by my little family, but we made it out of there without any casualties (people or clothing).  As I trudged back to the car with three kids and four suits in hand, I was confident a little miracle had just occurred.  We celebrated with a spontaneous trip to Chuck E. Cheese.

On Wednesday, Mia and Ava had their first preschool performance.  It was definitely a bummer that Mate was missing their Holiday Program.  Thanks to technology, he got to watch from afar.  I'm sure he was laughing in California just as hard as my mom and I were (let's just say, Mia and Ava march to the beat of their own drum). 

Our girls before the performance

After getting Eliana to bed that night, Mia, Ava and I decided to have a sleepover.

By 11:30, the girls had all but pushed me off of the bed, so I spent the rest of the night on the couch while they slept soundly in my bed.

On our last night without Mate, we headed to the Farmpark for Country Lights.  I assumed this one would be a bit difficult to manage alone, but I was pleasantly surprised at the girls' level of cooperation.

Another visit with Santa

Eliana building her toy at Santa's Workshop

Ava and her "elf"

Mia hammering away

Painting

So much glitter

It's snowing . . . a magical moment for these girls.

Cookie decorating

All bundled up for our horse-drawn wagon ride

This past week sure brought with it a mixture of emotions.  For the first time, our girls are captivated by the magic of the holiday season.  There is nothing better than seeing their eyes full of wonder, but I felt bad Mate wasn't able to share in these experiences with us.  At the same time, I was glad he was getting a little break from our regular routine and was encouraged by how well we managed while he was away. We're always happier as a family of five, but there is something very special about our "girl" time.