December Daily 2016 - Days 9 & 10

Day 9 - In truth, this is my second attempt at a page for day 9.  The first attempt was much busier.  There were a lot more colors and things going on.  It wasn't quite "me" though at the moment.  There is some debate about the point of this project.  For me, it is about a few things.  First, I am documenting our stories simply, daily in this busy, bright, wonderful season.  Secondly, it is a daily nudge to embrace Christmas in all its joy and fun.  It keeps me actively thinking about preparing and having fun with my kids building memories and traditions that I might otherwise lose track of and be swallowed up by daily, normal schedules.  Third, it is an exercise in creativity.  I add myself to this project in words and photos, but the act of creating is another gift and I do want it to be pretty (to my eye) and reflect my style.  So, I re-worked this page and admittedly am still not "quite" in love with it, but it is closer to reflecting me, if that makes any sense at all. 

 Here is the two page spread.  The top photos are from the end of the candy cane hut as the hunt itself is notoriously difficult to photograph.  At the end they sit around and eat candy canes to their heart's content.  They also switch flavors as only M likes the peppermint ones.  The boys prefer blueberry, lemon, and other creative flavors.  Eventually, the candy canes end up as Christmas tree decorations.

 There is not as much journaling today, for this is a familiar story, but good to add a little note.  I love that glittery star.

The star rests atop day 10- which focuses on our neighborhood's Christmas Party at the skating rink!

We had a wonderful time.  B & M had a great time skating and kept trying and getting up despite the falls, cold, and wet.  B was brave and didn't cling to the wall almost ever.  M was a little less confident this year than in some prior outings.  E, well, E struggled pretty hard and spent a lot of time on the sidelines eating cookies, making reindeer food, writing his list for Santa, and then visiting Santa and Mrs. Claus.  This photo is blurry, but I assure you this is the best Santa photo smile we've had. One of the best parts for me is that with older kids and neighbors to watch him on the sidelines, Brent and I got to actually ice skate together, hand in hand, quickly across the ice for several laps.  It was so sweet and romantic. I miss having babies, but am sort of excited to reach a place where sometimes we can just skate hand in hand without having to worry about a little one.  In any case, M would skate by now and then with updates.  (In the background, E had spilled his hot chocolate and spent time kicking B for not getting him a snow cone---there were none, not that B had money. Lest you think that all was peaceful on the ice... chaos is still with us). 

Here is the two page spread with journaling for day 10 on the center card again. I had that overlay on the right hand in my foundation pages already and it actually worked perfectly for today. Happy accidents!

Here is the journaling card up close.  The card is from the kit, with just a bit more polka dot tape.  I am liking the blue in the kit and am adding a little in our decor here too, but I do love all things blue.

Days 11 & 12 are all finished up too so I'll add those later today.  I'm so glad to be caught back up and love where this project takes us every December!