It seems that we got an early start to the Christmas season this year and have been loving all of the traditions and joys of this season! Now the countdown is down to 8 days left till Christmas, but it feels so nice to know that we're all set & ready - and now we can just soak in the love and traditions of this time of year!
We've never gone the Costco route for trees before, but we did this year and loved it! Andrew says this must have been the heaviest tree we've ever had - but it sure is beautiful! Micah helped put the star on the top this year. :)
I had some really wonderful help hanging ornaments! :)
It wouldn't be Christmas without some Santa Cookies! Yum! Samuel did a Christmas cultural presentation at school and talked about his Great Grandma Audrey & England - and then brought some of these in to share. These very special Christmas cookies are a true labor of love, and they have been a special part of our family's Christmas traditions for years! Passed down from my Nana, to my Mom, to me & now to our children!
We had a fun time bowling at Andrew's work Christmas party! If you zoom in close you can see Andrew's beard ornaments!
We've been decking our halls with some handmade snowflakes too! Samuel took a liking to these and now our sliding glass door is covered with them! Aren't they cool?!
The boys were so anxious to build and decorate their gingerbread house! It was fun - and messy! Take a look at how many nonpareils are scattered on our table (& not to mention the floor!) Ha!
Samuel was also a great help to Daddy with hanging up Christmas lights outside!
The final look takes my breath away every time I drive home!
In other news, both Micah & Kendall got a sweet surprise in the minivan set-up! Micah graduated to a real buckle and Kendall is now facing forward! Kendall loves sitting in her "big girl seat" and Micah loves the independence of buckling and unbuckling himself!
Speaking of Micah, we were so proud of him at his Christmas celebration at preschool. He and his class went up on stage and sang "Good Good News" in front of hundreds of parents and family members! Even though he practiced a bunch at home, Micah chose not to sing, or do the hand motions while up on stage - - but, that didn't matter, we were so thrilled that he participated with his class! Yay, Micah! We love you buddy!
And to give you a look at how priceless this performance was - here's the video clip! Andrew and I think he was the funniest one on stage! It still makes me laugh each time I watch it... and let me just clarify, this video is too good to crop! So here's the whole song - about 2 1/2 minutes! We just love our little guy so much!
Lastly, we made a stop to visit Santa Claus at Sunshine Gardens. This year Samuel enjoyed talking with Santa, but Micah & Kendall both decided to keep a safe distance from this jolly, bearded fellow... (As you can see I tried to bring Kendall up close, but she wouldn't have it...!) Here's hoping for next year!
We wish you a Merry Christmas!
