Christmas Festivities

Our December has been nicely filled with all things holiday.

Emma was the lucky placer of the star this year!

Dressed up as a unicorn no less, because why not?  

Seven year old unicorns should definitely get a chance to hang the star on the Christmas tree.

Let the magic of Christmas begin!

We decorated the tree the day after we got back from Colorado, and Christmas has been in full swing around here ever since.  

Our annual empty-cup picture in front of the Christmas tree, although I think we actually had eggnog and mint chocolate milk in the cups this year.  We must be growing up.

Look at those cute giggles!

This is Christmas magic in a nutshell- tiny toes and thinking about the baby in the manger.

Some nights were spent at home, like our caramel taste-testing party.

Some flavors were tastier than others!

We always loved the unexpected knocks on the door that are friends stopping by.  Leah got a special surprise from her violin buddy Tyson one night- a treat and a violin rendition of The First Noel!  She'll never forget that gift!

 Fort building!  Nothing beats a good fort.

Daddy took the last two weeks of the year off, so the kids have had extra time with him, and I've had an extra set of helping hands!  We're all going to miss him in January. 

 He likes to do silly things, like Elf Grandpa and a bunch of silly kids.

And he likes to do helpful things, like change out our toilet seats

 and put a fridge in the basement.  Meet Bev, the beverage fridge.

 The elves made their annual appearance and had fun switching up their hiding spots every few days.

 Leah performed in the church Christmas talent show.

We spent a fair number of nights parked in front of "The Santa House".  

Leah and Adam participated in a children's choir for the annual Festival of Carols and Creches.  

 Noah helped me shop a whole bunch. 

 And we spent a few evenings in the car delivering holiday cheer to some of our favorite Iowans.

 We visited Santa!  Apparently some of us really like certain clothing items- ha! 

 Secret sibling shopping!  We bit the bullet and spent one marathon Saturday shopping all over the city with the kids.  There is a lot of work that goes into all of the magic, love, and presents that are shared on Christmas morning.  Adam and Noah picked them same thing out for each other, each confident that they would love to get this golden LEGO ninja.

Class parties!  Jason and I shared this duty this year.

 One day leading up to Christmas we watched a bunch of Christmas movies and then had a bunch of energy that we burned off with an epic snowball fight in the basement. 

 Other moments were quite a bit tamer.

Christmas stories are the best for snuggling up.

We love puzzles!  This was a fun way to slow down and sit down together. 

On Christmas Eve-Eve Adam slept under the Christmas tree.  Jason was nearby on the couch, which worked out nicely since Noah spent the night between our bed and the bathroom.

And finally, Christmas Eve arrived.  We had a month full of fun, and it was finally time to enjoy the holiday.