Tree Lighting Ceremony

Tonight we celebrated the holidays with the base tree lighting ceremony. Chris lead the MWR team, the kids sang, and I got to enjoy the show! 

Living in southern Italy has thinned out this Iowa girl's blood and I was doing my best to stay warm. I had a great time chatting with friends - especially Jess and Jimmy. :)

 MC Chris kicking of the program

 Chris, Commander Barbee, Captain Gray, and Vice Admiral Pandolfe listening to the NES choir.

Who are these cute singers in the front row??

Camden and Emma had a great time singing with their friends from School Age Care!

Santa made an appearance after the lights were turned on.

The MWR crew put on another incredible event and I have to give a special shout out to the  "Hot Chocolate Couple", our friends James and Ginnie! ;)

Thanksgiving

Our second Italian Thanksgiving is in the memory books!  We enjoyed a relaxed day at home with each other.  The kids were up bright and early to help make our feast.  

Emma made mini cornbread muffins all by herself!

 Camden rolling out the crust for the pumpkin pie.

 A little help from mom.

 Working on the pumpkin filling together.

 Camden decided since it was a national holiday, handsome clothes were required.

 Emma put on her party clothes, too.

Chris starting pulling out all the Christmas decorations.  After spending a chunk of change on a pathetic looking real tree last year, we got an artificial one after the holidays.  This is the kids' first experience with an artificial tree and they enjoyed the "magic" of it being assembled in the living room. 

 Emma and I watched the tree construction.

 Taking turns playing Santa.

 The infamous elf hat.

 While the bird was cooking, we played a round of UNO.

 Camden was the potato masher and Emma was the gravy stirrer.

 Supervising Dad as he carves.

 Our delicious Thanksgiving feast!

 Enjoying pumpkin pie and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

 We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening watching all the Friends Thanksgiving episodes.

Thanksgiving Festivities at NES

Even though this was a short week of school, it was jam packed with Thanksgiving festivities. I forgot to grab the camera 2 days in a row, so please forgive my fuzzy iPhone photos.

  Camden's kindergarten class hosted a Thanksgiving feast on Tuesday. Before lunch, the kids sang some songs for us.

Camden proudly showing of his apple turkey and turkey hat.

 Proud parents!

 Today Emma performed in the second grade musical, Stone Soup. Emma said her line, "Soup from a stone?!?! Fancy that!" after each verse of the song.

 Our little performer after the show.

Madrid

I enjoyed this long Veteran's Day Weekend on a ladies' trip to beautiful Madrid, Spain!

We flew from Naples on Saturday night and had 2 full days to explore the city.  

First stop Sunday morning: Starbucks for coffee! 

(Yes, Italian cafe' is delicious, but after 11 months without one of your favorite drinks, it's so nice to have one!)

 Plaza Mayor

El Rastro, Madrid's famous Sunday Market

 Cathy and I found 3 Euro shoes!  

 Cathy, Lisa, and I walking through Retiro Park

 Is a ladies' weekend to Madrid complete without Sangria?!?!

 We strolled through the Prado art museum and then we saw this beautiful building on our way to the Metro.

 Monday morning we toured Las Ventas, where the famous bullfighting competitions take place.

 Royal Palace of Madrid

 Almudena Cathedral

 We enjoyed lots of delicious Spanish cuisine! One of our favorite spots was San Miguel Market where we feasted on olives, tapas, paella, empanadas, and sangria.