A Very Special Day with Bell and Rudolph

On Sunday morning, we got Avery and Hannah ready and headed to church.  It had gotten so cold that Chuck had to scrape the frost off the car windows...something he has not had to do in a very long time.

We had originally thought we were going to be babysitting the Van Wyngarden granddaughters after church on Sunday but Tafanie had surprised us with tickets for Chuck and I to take Bell to see the puppet show, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, at Atlanta's Center for Puppetry Arts.  We were so excited!

Before going to the show, we asked Bell where she would like to go for lunch and she picked one of our favorites:  Subway.

We arrived at the Center early and were able to get very good seats.

The puppet show was very good.  The puppets looked just like the characters on the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer TV show that airs every year at Christmas.

I think Chuck and I enjoyed the puppet show as much or more than Bell!  :)

After the show, we went upstairs to the puppet workshop where we made Hermie puppets...

...and then we walked around the puppet museum where they had many of Jim Henson's Muppets displayed.

Bell also experienced working the strings on some marionette puppets.

I think one of her favorite parts was picking out puppets at the gift shop for herself, her sisters, and her cousins.  :)

Our final treat of the afternoon was a stop for ice cream in Decatur.  I think this may have been Pa and Bell's favorite part of our afternoon together!  :)

When we got back to Crystal and Grant's, we all enjoyed a delicious dinner of their New Brunswick Stew.  And then the real fun began when Bell, Emmaline, Ruby, Avery and Hannah began opening their Christmas presents from each other.

These girls are pros at opening presents now!

Aunt Crystal helping Emmaline with
her Sheriff Callie dress.

Aunt Tafanie helping Avery with her baby carrier.

After all the unwrapping, we enjoyed some brownies and ice cream for dessert.

That was Ruby's favorite part of the evening!

Crystal and Grant had bought a new mattress over the weekend and it was delivered late Sunday evening right before everyone was leaving to go home.  Pa and his little granddaughters just had to try it out.  Watch:

Click here if you are unable to open the video.  

The above video is just a sample of the wonderful wiggly-giggly Christmas days we enjoyed with all our granddaughters.  :)