More Christmas cheer

With our record high temperatures this weekend (approaching 80 degrees - wacky!), in true Homiller fashion we spent most of our time outside.

Feeding the ducks at University of Richmond.  It really never gets old for these two.  

Or all three of them, I should say.

The one downside to beautiful, warm weather in December is that I already have spring fever.

Of course a balmy, breezy evening is the absolute best time to head out to Lewis Ginter and see their incredible Christmas light display.

The best picture I could get with a very distracted little brother.

The model trains were incredible.

And it did not disappoint.

My favorite little window display - "Home is where the heart is."  Yes it is!

I thought last Christmas these two were the perfect ages to experience the magic of the season, but this year is even more fun.  George is beside himself every time (no exaggeration.  every. time.) he sees lights, inflatable Santas, the Elf on the Shelf, the advent calendar, a Christmas tree, or anything at all resembling a holiday decoration.  And Frances spends much of her quiet time creating handmade Christmas cards for everyone in the family, including Marshall.

If I can't write again until after the big night, I want to wish everyone a Merry, Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2014.  I hope Santa is good to all and that you are surrounded by the love of friends, family and the spirit of the season.  

Love, The Homillers!

Our last (few) weeks

Hello, my name is Lucy.  I have two children, one dog-child, one husband (I think his name is Will, but to be perfectly honest he's been so busy at work that I haven't seen him except in passing for weeks), and one small, cozy, and decrepit house that is falling apart at the seams.

Our temporary kitchen sink - the mudroom - also sprung a leak this week.
Thank goodness for nice neighbors who are also great plumbers.

I thought I should re-introduce myself since I have been glaringly absent from writing for much longer than I'd like.  Thank you all for being so patient!  And while I joke about the house (and our lack of kitchen … have I mentioned that before?  : )), we are still celebrating Christmas in full force here at the Homiller house and enjoying every second of it.  To catch up on our last couple of weeks:

Frances had her first dance class open house last week.  Technically, George wasn't supposed to attend, but her teacher graciously overlooked his presence so I could sneak back and watch our little ballerina.

George was fascinated.

I was so proud of her.  Not only does she have grace and natural ability (and amazing feet!  Sheesh!!), but when the teacher asked a question, she would politely raise her hand and give the answer.  I am certain I didn't start volunteering answers to teachers until at least college.  Her father's girl no doubt.

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We braved the freezing temperatures and went to the Richmond Christmas parade again this year.

We couldn't make it through to the end, but thankfully Frosty and Rudolph both made fairly early appearances.

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Frances and me at our forth annual Richmond Ballet's The Nutcracker.

The only thing missing was Nana.  2014 or bust!

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Last weekend, Will's parents invited us to have brunch with Santa at their country club.

Sausage, eggs, pancakes, and St. Nick?  I'm not sure anyone of any age could say no to that.  Santa was such a good sport, too.  I must have taken 50 pictures in an attempt to get George to look at the stinking camera (really, Son).

Finally!

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Will's Christmas gift to me this year was a personal shopper at Nordstrom.

Frances went with me to the initial fittings, where she helped me decide on these two dresses and the red one above.

George was less excited to attend the second fitting.

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Family movie night watching the latest Disney movie, Frozen.

I highly recommend it--not too scary, great music, strong female leads, and that classic Disney humor.

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Pajama day at school = happy!

George wanting to be in the picture, too = sad!

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Our Elf on the Shelf has been very creative this year so far.

This is even more impressive considering he's picking most of his hiding places during the wee hours of the morning when Will gets home from work.  #greatesthusbandever

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Troutman Sanders' had its firm Christmas party at The Jefferson Hotel this year.

And I got to try out one of my newest Nordstrom finds.  

The only thing invisible in this picture is the excruciating pain radiating from my feet.  If any of my readers out there knows a high heel brand that does not hurt, I am all ears.  As this picture suggests, I certainly can't wear flats around Will.

Happy, happy Thursday, everyone.  And I hope to write again soon!

We're still here!

And we're trying our best to celebrate the season despite a non-working kitchen.

The industrial-sized fans and dehumidifier have since left the building, so now we're just waiting on the contractor to give us some estimates for the repairs.  I have resigned myself to the fact that our kitchen will look like this until long after Santa makes his appearance.

As Will has to sometimes (daily) remind me, no kitchen is a First World problem, which I promptly remind him that I am a First World girl.  Didn't Madonna make a similar proclamation in the 80s?  I bet she had a fully functioning kitchen though.

If you'd like to see something to celebrate, just look at these two smiling faces on Santa's lap:

It is official--2013 is the first Christmas that neither child cried for Santa.  I am still in shock at how easy it was this time around.

With all that has been going on here, I still can't believe I haven't been able to write a post about our Thanksgiving weekend, which was also a celebration of my mother's 70th birthday.

Photo courtesy of the great David Hamilton (top right), the only family member that is almost as tall as Will.

Almost everyone in the family attended (except for my oldest brother, Johnny, and his family who came down with the flu and kindly kept the germs in their home.  You all were missed terribly!).

Frank hosted the party at the beautiful Cloverlea (where we had Thanksgiving last year, too).  I will never get tired of this view of the Blue Ridge mountains.

Frances and George played non-stop with their cousins.

Another Dave Hamilton picture (Frances, Maggie and George wearing Frances's furry vest a la Sonny Bono).

Maggie, Claire, and Frances

And Frank hired a surprise opera singer to serenade his beautiful bride.

Nana holding baby Claire after realizing what her surprise would be.

The singer!

It was as magical as my mother's expression suggests.  I'm not sure it gets much better than hearing "Some Enchanted Evening," "Old Man River," and other beautiful songs live on the piano.  There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

Nana opening her presents with a few helpers and surrounded by so much love.

Happy, happy birthday to my mother and to Frank (whose birthday was Thanksgiving Day!)  And a very special thank you to you all for enduring my scattered post and my glaring absence from writing.  I hope to get things back up to normal by 2014.  Of course, a nice, new, and even bigger kitchen would certainly help - can you all help me convince Will of this?

Happy Friday, everyone!

Thankful

Thanksgiving is two days away and this is the current state of the Homiller kitchen:

HELP!

We had a pipe leak under the house, which turned out to be an easy fix.  However, in repairing that leak they discovered a pipe in our kitchen has been pouring water into the kitchen wall and floor every time we use the sink and dishwasher.  Which, in this family, means a lot.  As of this morning, we have no kitchen floor, no sink, no dishwasher, five huge fans running, and one industrial strength dehumidifier doing its best to dry out the subfloor in time for Christmas.  And even through all of this mess, I am so very thankful that 1) it isn't any worse, 2) we are not hosting Thanksgiving, and 3) maybe I can get a slightly upgraded kitchen in the process?  Number 3 is a stretch, but a girl can still dream!  And just in case you have ever wondered what it's like to live inside an airplane hanger, feel free to come over to our house anytime you want.  The fan noise is unreal.

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4th place!

This is a picture of our last training session.  I don't have any from the actual competition.

Just outside the medal range, but I am still in shock that I was in the top 5.  Garland, one of our studio co-owners and yoga extraordinaire, placed 2nd.  Amazing!  And here is a shot of our entire group:

The Bikram Yoga Richmond crew - Rachel, me, Abby, Purvi, April, Nickey, Amy, Garland, Natalie, and Kelly

I am so very thankful to know all of these ladies--hardworking, dedicated, unique, and hilarious.  Every single one of them.

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We all know what George is thankful for this year:

Just when I thought my heart couldn't grow any bigger.

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And while Frances is thankful for George (most of the time anyway), she is especially thankful for the very first visit from the Tooth Fairy:

At 6-years-old, little bit is a late bloomer in the lost tooth department.  She's been diligently and patiently working on that bottom one for a while now.  What a great early Thanksgiving present!

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We've had lots of help this year raking leaves.

How can you get mad at them when they are having so much fun?  And there isn't much in this world cuter than George's exposed belly, especially since he is growing faster than we can keep him in clothes that actually fit.  We get to see that belly a lot.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  May your holiday be filled with family, friends, laughter, love, and a plateful of great food.  I know mine will now that my leotard days are behind me - at least for now.