It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. And feel like it. It has been the coldest winter in 30 years so far this year. I think the lowest I heard was -18 when we loaded Kate on the bus. I felt bad because I didn't know it was so cold outside and just sent her in a coat, not mittens and hats and everything like clearly I should have. It didn't seem that cold. Jake even walked her outside in his flip flops and shorts. The cold does seem to be keeping me indoors anyways. Yesterday didn't seem so bad so I ran a ton of errands. Christmas is coming you know and between my one trip out yesterday to several stores and Amazon I am done with everything but my parents. One afternoon of shopping and I'm done. Can't beat that. My closet seemed an adequate size until I tried to hide Christmas in it, it is completely full of the packages the FedEx and and UPS truck are delivering daily.
I am so excited for this Christmas. Two years ago we moved 10 days before Christmas. Last year I was miserabley pregnant sick and we were at my parents waiting for our house to be done so we could move... like 10 days after Christmas (why do we think Decemeber and January are good months to move because they are not). So being settled and cozying up together by the fire reading Christmas books and decking the halls to no ends is a welcome change. That is exactly what we have been up to.
1, 2. The kids in their Christmas clothes. I figured since I worked so hard to put these outfits together, I might has well have them wear them a few times... maybe most of December. Why not? The kids of course don't understand "Mom wants a picture" I snapped 30 pictures and kids are hardly even facing the camera let alone smiling. Jake says we can't make the kids take pictures before church anymore. Mostly because it just makes me angry.
3,4,5. Sam and Bethany in their Christmas clothes. That is as far as we got. It was mass rebellion I am telling you.
6-12. Making a gingerbread house. The kids always want to do this Christmas tradition. They love it. i mean, candy and building? I found this kit at Costco the other day for $9. It was the best kit. The house came already made and you just decorated it. Do you like the fondant trim.... that was Jake's contribution. We even had the house sitting on the counter for 4 whole days before the kids begged to eat it.
13-16. Kate in her dance recital costume. She is a beautiful Christmas ballerina. I was actually dissapointed because all I got were these pictures in our horribly dark hall before and that one picture of her on stage, and the video is like something out of funniest home videos because I am wrestling a baby and so it is all kinds of slanted and jumpy... until we found out just yesterday that she may have another performance this weekend. So we will get to do it all over again. I missed most of her number because of the baby wrestling, but I did see her try to be as graceful as she could be. She slipped at one point and fell and didn't even worry about it, but just got right up and continued. I think I was most proud of this. She was really determined for me to let her have red lipstick for the performance. and so I did.
17-24. Sugar cookies. We made these sugar cookies while Dad was away at a scout camp out (yes in -5 degree weather). He came home to kids covered in frosting. They always just love the decorating and picking out the shapes.
25. Marianne's black eye. We are not even perfectly sure how she got it. The kids were downstairs playing. Kate and Sam didn't see it happen. Mary tells us she did it on a chair. There was a chair tipped over. I am shocked her eyebrow didn't split open. It had a goose egg raised at least an inch. Now it is a giant black eye.
26-28. Decorating the exterior. Jake caved and bought a new bigger ladder just to do this because we kept having to borrow the extra big size ladders. Then he put them up while Sam stood happily helping Dad with the project holding clips at the bottom of the ladder most the day. The end result was great. The blow up snow globe is the kids favorite part.
29. My Christmas present came early, and I opened it for the benefit of the entire family. I have been eyeing this 6qt, bowl lift beauty for months if not years. And this year alone, I have broken 3 hand mixers trying to mix large quantities of baked goods. It was time. Sam is very interested in this new tool as well. In one week we have already made chocolate chip cookies, two loaves of french bread, sugar cookies, sugar cookie frosting, chocolate moose for a pie, two loaves of honey oat bread, 6 doz butterscotch cookies (we froze the dough), and calzone dough. So yeah, it is being used and loved.
1 comment:
It's the most wonderful time of the year!
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