Little nippers!

Along with getting ready for Christmas we are also starting our summer sports routine. One activity that runs from December to February is called "little nippers."  Little nippers is a youth program preparing kids for surf/life saving.  Every week you train for 2 hours doing sand and water competitions. Near the end of the year all the suburbs get their teams together and compete in a carnival. 

This year is our first year participating (it starts at 7 years old).  I am in love with the kids swim caps (different colours for different age groups) and "rashies" or rash guards (those shirts they wear over their bathers (swim suits).

Since Thomas is too young to participate he and I sit on the beach and watch the competitions.

Here the girls are playing dodge ball-

Olivia is the one with green goggles!

This is Olivia's favourite competition, basically you start lying down (ready) on set (you lift your head up) and on go you run 50 meters to grab a stick. This game is similar to musical chairs. Each race, someone is eliminated. Olivia has made it to top 3 the last two weeks in a row.  This is impressive because our suburb (Hampton) usually wins the carnival competitions :-)

Olivia down to final 3 again!

Another activity is on the nipper boards (smaller surf boards) the kids race on a buoy, go around it and paddle back. 

They learn the best way to paddle and how to use rip currents to give them an advantage when riding in and out.

Here is Mary (in a red cap) getting ready for her competitions

Tug of war is another competition...Stan is helping the kids with technique :-)

Anyway, I LOVE nippers- it is every Saturday evening for 2 hours (3-5pm). When it is finished the kids are tired and we all go out and get food (fish and chips) and then have an early night in. I love just sitting on the sand with Stan and getting to talk. I can't say it enough... This is the life!

Decorating the tree!

This year we decorated for Christmas a week after Thanksgiving. Tangent: we hosted two Thanksgiving dinners on consecutive weekends between the actual Thanksgiving day. They turned out wonderful-(sorry no pictures) and I would love to continue the tradition as the years continue. We sent out formal invitations to Stan's co-workers and my school mum friends.  I had so many friends tell me that they were flattered to be invited to an American holiday and that this would be their first one and everyone offered to bring something to help with the feast. I intentionally delegated 'unique dishes' to the ones that were the most excited about the dinner (i.e. sweet potato casserole, corn bread, etc.. things you don't eat out here). I had printed out a description of what Thanksgiving dinner is, what you eat etc...overall it was a lot of fun and  I loved it!

The week after our dinner I returned all our tables, chairs etc... and got out the Christmas stuff, the kids were so excited!

 Here we are fighting over the mistletoe ...Stan and I won- XOX

 My favourite part about decorating the tree is the excitement from the kids while the Christmas music plays and the memories that flood back as I look at old decorations. Here was an early decoration when it was just Stan, Olivia & I in 2003

 Olivia putting up some decorations

 A Christmas decoration given to Stan and I from Grandpa Harry and Grandma Sue Tengelsen when we were first married. Stan specifically mentioned how he wanted to get our children decorations each year because it was such a good idea and he really appreciated this gesture in hindsight. We  were given a decoration from my grandparents every year until we were out of school. 

 Mary kissing the toy soldier 

 An ornament we got in Sydney in 2010 with all our names on beach chairs. I started ordering decorations after my grandparents stopped, now we have one for every year!

 Mary with her purple tree that goes in her room

 Stan put on one decoration- his Precious Moments decoration from when he was a child. 

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!!