The Dresses

Yesterday we went to Sal and Don's house for our annual Christmas get together.  Background for those of you that don't know us...Sal and Don are family friends that spend Christmas Eve with us.  They love us and our girls.  Sal is committed to helping our kids remember Mark's mother, and they are both master's at creating traditions!  Every year we get together around this time at their house, and they present the girls with dresses for them to wear on Christmas Eve.  Both of the girls look so forward to it.  Gotta give Sal some serious credit for being able to pick out a dress for a 12 year old girl that she absolutely loves!  Not an easy task!  This year was no exception, the dresses are perfect and can't wait to see them all done up on Christmas.  The dresses are big deal for the girls, but so is just visiting with Aunt Sal and Uncle Don!  Sal always has a project or two to keep the girls interested and involved.  Every year she leaves one part of the meal for the kids to make.  This year they made Red velvet cupcakes with frosting and decorations!  Good thing Adrienne is a pretty good cook...we had to send Sal in the basement to find the hand mixer.  After dusting it off and finding the beaters the cupcakes turned out great!  Needless to say....Sal doesn't bake!  She had gel clings for Lexi to decorate the windows with, and they both helped set the table.  All of those things make the afternoon special and make the girls feel special.  Don has an equally important role, he always has a drink of the day!  This year was "Midnight Manhattans".  Don's bar tending can't be beat!  We had a wonderful meal, and didn't get home until 1:00am!  Thanks for such a beautiful day and creating lasting memories Sal and Don!  We love you!