We're getting pretty excited for Christmas around here. All the regular Christmastime preparations are going on. We've been to visit Santa. I was ready for the typical toddler "don't-leave-me-that-hairy-stranger" reaction from Lydia (we certainly saw that with Hannah - for two years), but Hannah taught her to say "ho ho ho," took Lydia by the hand, and the two of them marched right up to Santa and climbed up on his lap.
We trimmed our trees. Yes, trees. I have too many ornaments to fit on one tree. It was fun to show the girls some of our favorites. The ball is from a trip Jonathan and I took to Disneyland after we finished school and before we started our first jobs.
This is the ornament my mom gave us the year we got married.
And what would Christmas be with cookies, and lots of them? Hannah and I took nearly a whole day to tackle the project of baking and decorating gingerbread men. I was impressed by how seriously she took the whole endeavor.
Check out those shoes!
Hannah thought my Santa cookie looked like a guy with a huge mouth. I thought her stripy one looked like a mummy.
The original plan was for Hannah to take the cookies to her class party at school. But she got sick, and couldn't go. So we had a party at home instead. We discussed what was necessary for a party, and settled on Cheetos and balloons. (Why have I been making all those birthday cakes? I could have just bought a bag of Cheetos!)
Lydia shared her cookie with her baby. I actually love this picture. She's looking at the baby with such a look of affection. I hope that's what Lydia sees on my face when I look at her.
Yesterday we had some friends over to make gingerbread houses. Well, graham cracker houses, but still...
I saw this clever idea in Family Fun, where you use crackers and dried fruit instead of candy. They're stuck on with peanut butter. I glued the graham crackers together with royal icing, because peanut butter just didn't seem to be strong enough. Surprisingly, it held the goodies on really well.
I don't think the kids missed the candy at all. They ate their fair share of toppings. In fact, I had to cut Hannah off after her fifth prune.
Last night, the girls donned their matching pajamas and danced around the living room.
Hannah got a new ornament in the mail from grandma that plays "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas," which is the recital song from her ballet class.
This is Hannah doing the ballet dance. See that look of concentration? She's so serious, that all I can do is laugh!
Last but not least, here is our sweet Lydia, playing peek-a-boo behind the tree.
Unlike last year's Christmas panic, this year, everything is finished, gifts are wrapped, food is cooked, and we are looking forward to a quiet and cozy holiday. I hope that your Christmas is as blessed as ours.
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