Ho ho ho, who wouldn't know?

The next morning, Evie was happy to discover Santa knew that she was visiting family in Florida and left her some treats! She digs into her stocking.

"Me, too!" Ellie wants a piece of the action. She received her first Thomas the Tank Engine pullback train. Hopefully her sister will let her play with it once in awhile.

Evie proudly displays her lollipop ring - what could be better than lollipop jewelry?

We didn't take too many pictures that day, but had a delicious dinner of ham, turkey, and a lot of yummy sides prepared by Amy's mom Becky. Even Ellie wanted to taste a gherkin - what an adventurous palate!

Christmas Eve is here!

Hooray! The big night had finally arrived! In the German tradition, we celebrate and open gifts on Christmas Eve. While we all gathered in the living room as the roast went into the oven, Evie put on a delightful reenactment of the Nutcracker.

As Clara, she twirled around the room and saved the Nutcracker from the Mouse King by throwing her shoe (and nearly missing everyone's heads).

Daddy played the Nutcracker prince and danced with Evie, flying her through the air. He had some impressive pirouettes.

Daddy luckily was granted a reprieve and spent some bonding time with Ellie before getting to work on the mashed potatoes, his now signature dish.

Being Foelsches, we of course had to pose for many pictures before the gift unwrapping could commence. Here we are joined by Ba, Amy, Amy's grandparents from Maine, Muriel holding Dia and Willis, Ellie, Mommy and Evie in front, with Jerry, Becky, Karl, Opa and Dad in the back.

We call this one: the Foelsche-McDonalds in front of the fireplace, all in our Christmas whites.

The girls donned their gay apparel - matching dresses compliments of Ba. Dia must have thought her little cousins may have gotten a little close for comfort.

Ellie tried to reassure Dia by giving her a kiss (at least, we hope she is not trying to eat the baby) while an amused Evie looks on.

Then, we all sang "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht" (Silent Night, Holy Night) in German with the help of some lyrics found by Uncle Karl.

This was the first year we actually made it through three stanzas because everyone could see the words, and not just have to hum along to the tune!

Time to dig in! Ellie did a great job of opening gift wrap because she wanted to eat the paper, but also enjoyed munching on her new peacock and sister's DVD.

Evie got into the action. She was very good at playing Santa and handing out gifts to everyone else, and thanking everyone as well (without even being prompted). Mommy and Daddy were pleasantly surprised!

Ah, Ellie had to take a break and rest on a half-opened present.
Oh, what a night!

Isn't there a Jimmy Buffet song about Christmas in Florida?

The family packed their bags and headed down to Florida for a lovely visit with Aunt Amy, Uncle Karl, and new baby Dia. We stayed at Casa de Foelsche and besides enjoying the great company and awesome weather, also had a fun time splashing in the hot tub. The girls donned their matching pink swim suits and jumped in. Ah, one could get used to this life.

This was Ellie's first time in a pool and she took to the water, well, like a little duckling.

Ah, chillin' in the hot tub, Lakeland-style. Don't call Childhood Services - the bottle is empty!

Next on the schedule, checking out Uncle Karl's cool 3-D television (while Ellie takes a nap on Daddy).

Evie gets a kick out of wearing the cool glasses and reaching out to touch the fishies...

But of course the highlight of the trip was meeting little Dia for the first time! Here she is at 7 weeks old, giving some smiles to Opa.

Evie loved her little cousin and would call her "cutie pie".


The next day, we had a fantastic beach day in Clearwater and then helped decorate the Christmas tree. Evie contributed many of her handmade ornaments and used her clustering technique to make sure the lowest 2 feet of the tree was covered.

Aunt Amy made Evie a headband out of a red ribbon, looking a little like Springsteen: "It's all cold on the beach...You guys know what time it is? Oh, it's Christmas time. You guys all been good and practicing real hard?" (intro to Bruce version of Santa Claus is coming to town, that dad loves to recite often)

The next morning, Evie is rocking her pajamas and Nike track jacket, not to mention her pink lollipop after visiting the bank with Dad.
We told Evie to do some model poses and work the camera, so this is her hipster look. Note how she is wearing baby sunglasses!

Santa Claus is coming to OLD Town

Did I mention the other major event that took place on Saturday??? A Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Although both were very friendly, the girls were a little intimidated at first. Ellie was screeching so was very happy to have her pacifier and didn't last too long. "Sometimes she cries a lot," Evie explained to Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Evie got excited telling Santa about all the gifts she would like for Christmas, including a kitchen set and more blocks, and apparently, "a lot of race cars." Wha?

The fun weekend continued with a visit from Bebe and Popi!

It would be hard to top the White House, but then Evie and Ellie had two special visitors, Bebe and Popi! After a delicious pasta dinner at Faccia Luna, the family returned home for a little dessert and to open presents.

Looks like Evie and Ellie are having a serious discussion about the Thomas the Tank Engine book. "I like the part with the troublesome trucks," Evie tells her sister.

Evie was very excited about getting to open her gifts from Bebe and Popi early. She got some great gifts - a cash register for her market, Fiddlestix (which she used to create a fire and roast some marshmallows), and some new Thomas the Train pajamas! She was delighted! Thank you Bebe and Popi!

The next morning, we headed out for Capitol Hill to visit the US Botanic Garden and see its holiday display. We had seen it last year, but this year Evie was definitely more into it, especially when she saw her friends Thomas and Percy coming down the track!

Even Ellie seemed to enjoy the trains and the beautiful displays of houses made out of barks and leaves.

Two dads and a baby! Evie is delighted when she sees friend James going around the main Christmas tree.

Ah, that McDonald clan! They really know how to have a fun time!

Beanie and Pat in front of the Capitol. Thanks for a lovely visit...

Just in the neighborhood and decided to drop by the White House!

What an amazing Saturday morning we had! Mommy got tickets to tour the White House from the UVa alumni club so we all dressed up and went downtown to experience the holidays, presidential-style. Check out this model White House made out of gingerbread! Evie and Mommy were drooling.
Dad's first couple of pictures with the iPhone came out a little fuzzy, but here Evie wanted to pose in front of two paper and felt covered trees.

Mommy and Evie pose next to a paper mache sculpture of Bo, the official First Dog.

Evie poses in front of a wintery-themed tree in the East Room , decorated with shimmering snowflake ornaments and paper leaves. She has a very aspirational look on her face - maybe she is thinking of living here one day, or maybe she is thinking about 1835, when President Andrew Jackson created an indoor winter wonderland for children in the East Room, complete with a cottonball snowball fight.*

The Blue Room is where the official White House Christmas tree is located - the 18'6" balsam fir from Neshkoro, Wisconsin touched the top of the oval ceiling. The theme of the tree this year was "to honor the service and selflessness we see in our troops, veterans and their families."

Mommy reads out a holiday card that a military child had sent in to honor their parents serving in uniform. Medals, badges, and patches from all the military branches were displayed throughout the tree as ornaments.

Daddy, Mommy and Evie got a group picture in the State Dining Room (hey, is that Opa's picture in the background? Oh, just President Lincoln). Mommy would like to be invited to an official state dinner someday...

In the entrance hall, a group of singers serenaded us with Christmas carols. Did you know that the North Entrance door used to be open to the public? In 1837 President Andrew Jackson invited the public in to share a giant wedge of cheese he had been given. It was 4 feet round, 2 feet thick, and weighed 1400 pounds.* This President Jackson seemed like a fun guy!


Daddy and Evie pose in front of the North Entrance before leaving the White House grounds. Mommy is inspired to go back and watch one of her favorite movies, Dave, to relive the experience. What an exciting morning!

*all fun facts provided by the Junior Ranger Activity Guide for the White House, a very educational piece for kids and parents too! Mommy learned many fun facts.

Evie's first dance recital

The family headed over to Tiny Dancers in Alexandria for Evie's first dance recital today. Evie had done some practicing here and there of her routine, but Mommy's only hope was that she would not pick her nose while the video camera was rolling. She surpassed all expectations and amazed her Mommy, Ba, Opa and even Ellie was impressed. Video to come soon once we figure that out...

While Evie was inside for the first part of class, Ellie enjoyed the mild weather outside with Opa.

She has lots of smiles and giggles these days!

Before we started, Evie held her sister up, until "Ba, please take her. She's too heavy!"
Evie is all prettied up for her recital.
Doesn't she look like a real ballerina? Evie warms up.

Up on her toes.

Evie tiptoes across the floor, twirls and then does a princess curtsy. Bravo! The girls sashay across the floor. (Evie is not wearing the costume for that day - Clara's nightgown from the Nutcracker - because she wanted to show off her ballerina dress from Ba).

At the end of the recital, the girls joined hands and took a bow.
Ba gave Evie some flowers in the tradition of prima ballerinas (although not thrown at her feet). Evie gave 2 of the 3 to her teacher, and then put one in a vase and gave it to Mommy. What a generous heart!

We are all proud smiles after her recital!