Annual Bake Day(s)

This year's bake day took place on TWO days.  The kiddos made our annual sugar cutout cookies.  They LOVED cutting and decorating.  We took our cookies to school for the cookie exchange!

Then Papa Ray came over a couple days later to make our traditional Christmas Rock cookies that's our family has made every year.  They are so yummy!!!

This Christmas is going to be delicious!  Thanks, Papa, for baking with us!!  We appreciate you!  Just in the knick in the time too!

Santa and Pancakes

For the third year in a row...we've had breakfast with the Claus'.  OJ, sausage and not so yummy pancakes were on Santa's menu this morning. 

 

As soon as Santa appeared and visited the Hammerick's, Allie went right for a great BIG HUG!  Santa chatted a bit with us...

 

...and we did some crafts and made reindeer food for Christmas Eve.  It's tradition to leave out some oats with Christmas glitter so the reindeer can find our house!

Mrs. Claus read The Night Before Christmas just before we went up to have our photo with the Claus'...

 

 

...and look who didn't cry this year!  Ayden kept his word and smiled when he sat with Santa and Mrs. Claus.  He did let Santa know that he wanted a trailer and a big scooper.  Allie let Santa know that she would like the Lego Friends Grand Hotel and a matching outfit for her and her American Girl doll.

 

 

 

Allie ran into her friend, Abby, from Sunday school.  The big stuffed reindeer were a favorite photo spot...how could they resist?

 

 

We are so excited for Christmas...Ayden is counting down the days till he gets his trailer and big scooper!  Thanks, Santa, for another fun breakfast!

Gingerbread Houses

One of our favorite Christmas traditions!  Thanks, Aunt Jess, for always hosting and inviting us to make our yummy little houses.  This was the first year that Allie was able to do all her own decorating.  Ayden and I tag-teamed his house. 

 



 

 

 

Check out our masterpieces!  Ayden was so proud!  Each house was complete with a door, windows, a tree in the yard complete with a gum drop star up on top.  Ayden made a Fruity Pebble pathway up to his door which was held a green Life Saver wreath.  Allie put polka-dot Smarties on her roof and trimmed in her house with a marshmallow fence.  Great job, my little bakers.

Allie is 6

Our sweet, spunky and sometimes sassy (and whiney) girl is turned 6 this morning.  She is growing up before our eyes...and way too fast if you ask me. 

 

Allie is a true girly-girl.  She would wear a bow and braids in her hair and a dress every single day if we'd let her...even if it's raining or freezing outside, she'd give up comfort to look her best.  Allie has become more confident and outgoing at 6 years old.  Allie is now reading very well and math and spelling seem to come easy to her.  She learned to ride a two-wheeler this past summer and can swim like a fish passing level 5 at Aqua-Tots and now in level 6.  Cheer is still a favorite for Allie.  She has perfected her cartwheel and continues to work on her back bend and back walkover.  Allie enjoys playing with her dolls, dressing them and taking care of them.  She likes to watch YouTube videos of Lego Friends and Baby Alive.  Some of Allie's favorite foods are Nana's snacker crackers, noodles with butter and cheese, ice cream and chocolate milk.  Allie is very caring, kind and helpful to her classmates and friends.  This girl is full of love and happiness. 

 

 

 

This past weekend the Grandparents celebrate with Allie.  The restaurant of choice was Samuri Steackhouse. 

 

 

 

Allie is so blessed to have all these people that love her.  She receive an American Girl doll (super excited!) doll clothes and books from Nana.  A Lego Friends set too!  From Ms. Barb all was thrilled to get her first Baby Alive doll!  Papa Ray gave Allie money for cheer and a couple of my vintage Cabbage Patch dolls.  Todd and I gave Allie lots of my Barbie clothes and more Barbie's too!  I made Allie a Lego shirt and headband to wear at her friend birthday party coming up this weekend.  Auntie Elle and Uncle Joe gave Allie an AG gift card and sticker book.  Allie is so blessed!

 

Ayden did pretty well not getting too jealous of his big sissy...he did want to help open gifts and Allie let him help a little.  Luckily, Allie was thoughtful enough to get a little gift too...good job, T!  Ayden was beyond excited!!!

 

Bright and early this morning (at exactly 8:44 am) Allie officially turned SIX.  She was full of giggles and smiles.  She couldn't contain her excitement.  Jingle and Belle dressed for the occasion and left Allie a birthday an elf birthday gift...a girly elf nail polish kit with stickers and all.  They decorated a chair just for her (as the book says) so she could feel extra special today. 

 

 

Allie's birthday fell on a school day...and a Girl Scout meeting day too.  So Allie got to spend her birthday at school with all her friends.  Todd managed to stop by and read Allie's class, Elf on the Shelf, A Birthday Tradition.  Allie got to sit in Mrs. Wild's chair AND wear a shiny GOLD CROWN all day long!  She got to roll the birthday cube and the class said a poem for Allie. 

 

North Pole Breakfast 2016

They're BAAA-AACK!!!  Jingle and Belle brought the Hammerick's a little surprise this morning.  Those magical little elves decked our table with snowy doughnuts and hot, hot chocolate.  There was tons of Christmas cheer...presents, treats, and Christmas candy corn too!

There they are!!  Watching our every move!  Allie did stop to talk to them often this morning...telling them all sorts of things and what she wanted for Christmas, of course!  How magical...and SWEET!

The tradition continues...our Christmas books have returned!  Those little elves wrapped up all our books so we can unwrap a new book each day until Christmas...Belle even asked Allie if she would read to her! 

Belle gave Allie some a new pair of elf on the shelf jammies and slippers.  Ayden received a fun storytelling elf from Jingle. 

We found Ayden's favorite vanilla yogurt in the fridge sprinkled with magical elf dust...red and green!  Allie enjoyed her hot chocolate...and candy corn.

Thanks, Jingle and Belle for the breakfast from the North Pole!  We are so happy to see you again and we're looking forward to making lots of memories this month!

Thanksgiving Morning

Feeling thankful this morning...

 

 

A little gift for my littles....a new hat and glove set for Ayden (that he desperately needed) and a thanksgiving tutu for our girly Allie...and a new Pez for each of the too!  The Hammerick's spent Thanksgiving morning baking, eating and watching the parade.  Allie earned a Girl Scout patch for watching the parade and finding different floats and people.  She also had to design her own Girl Scout float and then tell what her favorite float in the parade was and why she is thankful for Girl Scouts..."I'm thankful for Girls Scouts because I get to earn patches and go lots of places."
 

 

We are thankful for Nana for making our Thanksgiving dinner today.  Will these two eat turkey and pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving?

UPDATE: Allie tried and likes turkey and gobbled up her pumpkin pie.  Ayden ate neither.



 

Fun-tober!

The weeks leading up to Halloween were filled with LOTS of not so spooky fun!  These pumpkins sure have enjoyed all the Halloween activities and goodies this month...Funtober was filled with tons and tons of FUN!

Allie had her spooktacular Halloween party after school on Friday (forgot to snap any photos...oops!) 

We enjoyed Boo-ing our neighbors...and in return we were Boo-ed 4 TIMES!

 

Allie had Trunk-or-Treat at cheer after practice one Sunday.  These cheer-gals were the cutest.

Ayden had his Halloween party after school .  He was a little teary-eyed when we first got there...he was certain we were leaving him to have all the fun without us.  Eventually he warmed up and had a ball driving his bulldozer through the halls collecting candy. 

 

Allie and I both had our Halloween parties last Friday.  Luckily, Todd could be there too...I was only able to enjoy her class fun for around 20 minutes...duty calls.  Allie had a great time playing games, making a super cute handprint spider painting and enjoying lots of goodies and treats with all her friends.

 

Nana was kind enough to have some Allie and Nana time this Saturday while Ayden went to soccer. Allie was getting a little jealous that Ayden gets all the Nana time.  Allie LOVES spending time with you, Nana...especially when you make a really fun haunted house with her!

This weekend we carved our pumpkin we picked to prepare for the big night!  I can't wait till these two can carve their own pumpkins!  Allie chose this guy's silly face. I think he kind of looks like Ayden!

We did a practice run of trick-or-treating yesterday at the West Bloomfield Trick-or-Treat Trail which we did for the very first time.  We saw a lot of familiar faces along the way...Dory, Nemo, Baby Bop and Pokémon to name a few.  Allie met her sweet friend, Allyson there too!  We entered Ayden in the Halloween costume contest.  We hope he wins!!!

Finally...the big night has arrived!  The weather actually cooperated this year and was somewhat pleasant.  I was afraid Ayden wouldn't want to walk all the way around our neighborhood with his costume on.  He walked and walked and didn't want to skip a house!  He was a little trooper driving himself up everyone steps for a little bit of chocolate!  After an hour, these  trick-or-treaters were done...they wanted to pass out the candy instead of collecting it.

Funtober is officially OVER!  Happy Halloween!!!.