Christmas 2012

Christmas is always a special time around our house. We were able to do a lot of great things this season. We celebrated Advent each night as a family for the first time, a tradition I hope to continue in the years to come. We played a lot, we made cookies and gingerbread houses, we (Sam and Chris) made lots of Lego figures via the Star Wars advent calendar (thanks aunt Debbie and uncle Doug!) and Lego City advent calendar, saw Joe do lots of fun things around the house and generally got excited waiting for the big day to arrive.

Thanks to my cousin Ben for some great Christmas Eve pictures with Santa.

Making sure daddy has the camera just right to capture some video.

Christmas Eve is always THE day we look forward to. Santa shows up at our house each year with the kids big presents and then everyone opens presents.

Santa gets a final report from Joe the Elf before he heads back to the North Pole with him.

Exactly what he asked Santa for.

All night long Isaac was so excited and he was great when Santa first arrived.
When it was his turn he had a slight melt down.

....until he got his present.

In wrapping the present to me from the boys, Sam informed Chris that it needed to be from "The Boy Pack."
That is how I am to refer to Chris, Sam and Isaac as a whole from now on.

Christmas morning checking out their stockings.

Playing their new Star Wars Kinect game.

Spending a little time with great grandma.

Gumdrops and Cookies

Saturday before Christmas was our gumdrop tree and cookie decorating day. Tradition for us. It's fun for me to see how Sam gets into it more and more year to year and starts asking when we are going to do something that we have done in the previous years. I love making memories with my family.

Chris got in on the gumdrop tree action.

Smelling the gumdrops.

This is really what decorating cookies is all about.

Left to Right: Mine, Sam's and Isaac's

 Some how we didn't get any pictures of the final cookies. Trust me, some were beautiful and others not so much, but that is okay. As long as everyone had a good time doing it, that's what matters!

Preschool Christmas Party 2012

Chris was informed he had a 1/2 day of vacation that he needed to use before the end of 2012. He decided to spend that 1/2 day with Sam. He surprised him at his Christmas party. Sam was SO EXCITED to see him. This was the first party that Chris has been able to attend.

Sam insisted on daddy helping him decorate his cookie.

Yes, he is eating icing directly from his spoon.

Cookies With Grandma

We unexpectedly ended up at mom and dad's on a Sunday afternoon in December. David decided that he wanted to help mom decorate the cookies this year. So, it became a family affair. I opted out because I knew I'd be doing it with the boys the following weekend. It looks like everyone had a good time!

So proud!

Preschool Christmas Program 2012

The Christmas program at Sam's school did not disappoint again this year. 

Yes, it was my child that was....

....singing at the top of his lungs to S-A-N-T-A

...nearly (actually upon further review did) hit two precious girls with his bells

....decided he needed to take a bow at the end of nearly all the songs.

Each video is pretty short. Take a minute or so to see how full of life our little five year old is!

Merry Christmas!

Professional Photographer, I Am Not

I will never in a million years know how professional photographers capture sweet moments of children together next to a Christmas tree. Whatever pictures I happen to capture that are half-way decent are a fluke. They are both moving target, especially Isaac.

Bella is the only one that will cooperate.

So thrilled.

Watching TV...the only reason he is still.

What happens when you ask big brother to help little brother get in front of the tree.