Christmas Recap 2012

So, I've let the blog slide lately and now I'm overwhelmed with all the things I need to write about and remember to post.  I thought I'd start with a quick recap of the fun times we had this December and some favorite moments, and then maybe I'll get around to catching up on some other posts.

My friends and I kicked off the season with our second annual "Favorite Things" party.  It started as a Christmas craft day a few years ago, but then we all had a gaggle of kids and decided it would be more fun and less stressful to just give each other gifts!

We followed that up with a cookie decorating party with our kiddos.  It was a blast!  Huston and Arden had so much fun icing and decorating their cookies (and licking the icing off the knife and dipping it back into the communal icing bowl multiple times, and licking the icing off their fingers, and eating multiple cookies right before dinner time).  I mean, what's not to love about that? 

As with last year, I loved dressing Arden in her little Christmas outfits every day.  I just adored this Santa dress, that she only wore once.  Unfortunately, I only got this goofy looking picture of her in it!

Once on Christmas break, the kids and I had our own cookie decorating day and this time they got to help with rolling out the dough and baking them before we iced.  They had more fun than I would have ever imagined and it was worth the giant mess in my kitchen!  

We did Christmas at my parents' house the Sunday before Christmas day.  Huston and Arden LOVE playing with their cousins.  Arden was most excited about her four new Olivia books (she literally shrieked when she opened them) and Huston was over-the-moon for his new Ghost Rider action figure.  It's a post for another day how he came to love a dude with a flaming skull head...

We had a great time at the Christmas Eve service at church.  The kids were very well behaved and I get choked up every year singing Christmas songs while I look at their sweet faces.  

Christmas morning at our house!  Santa came and the kids were so excited!

I take the worst Christmas pictures, but here are a few with the blinding flash on (as you can tell by the kids covering their eyes in the picture above!)

Huston got more action figures (Wolverine, Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, and Iron Man), a remote control truck from Santa, Citi Blocks (which he has yet to play with), and several other things.  Arden was probably most excited to unwrap two more Olivia books, including a new one we had never read, and a Leap Frog Tag Reader, which she has been loving.  

After unwrapping presents and having breakfast, we headed to Mimi and Grandpa's house.  The kids unwrapped even MORE presents, we had a great time hanging out with everyone (including my parents), and we even got to see it SNOW ON CHRISTMAS!  It was pretty magical.

A few favorite things in December:

Our annual tradition of unwrapping a Christmas book every night until Christmas.  Daddy read the books this year and the kids had fun taking turns unwrapping them every night.

Although I don't have a picture of it, probably my favorite thing we did this year was our Advent Devotional.  It was our second year to do it, after Ashlee and I hosted the ornament exchange last November.  I think the kids got much more out of it this year, and I loved that it was simple and quick to do.  Every night after dinner we'd sit by the tree, have the kids remember some of the previous ornaments we had done, and then tackle our lesson for that night.  Arden learned that God is "eterrrrnal" and Huston cracked us up by guessing that the Alpha and Omega ornament meant that God is "E-Terminator!"

How could I not mention Huston singing at his school Christmas program?  I mean, it brought me to tears and was just the  sweetest moment!  Here are the kids on the day of the program outside the school:

I loved listening to David Crowder's "Oh for Joy" album over and over with the kids.  Huston would play air guitar and request that we listen to his favorite song, "Angels we have heard on high" over and over.  I loved how Arden sang, "Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o'er the flames."  

Hanging up our Christmas cards is always one of my favorite things about the season.  This year I hung a few up on glittery tree branches that the kids made for me when they spent the night at Mimi's house.

I will remember Arden playing with our nativity set and recounting the story this way,

"You're going to have a baby!" said the angel.

"No way!" said Mary, "Am I?"

"Yes! You're really going to have a baby here!"

I loved all the lazy days we've had at home with Daddy, playing with Christmas toys, having a roaring fire one day, and just being together.  I am trying to treasure all these precious memories while the kids are small and everything is so special and amazing through their eyes.  

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas, too!