Christmas 2012

Christmas Eve we started off by cleaning the house. Isn't that what everyone does? Santa doesn't come to messy houses. After we cleaned and got ready we headed out for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner at our favorite Italian place, Lui Lui's. Last year we were the only people there but this year there was an hour long wait. So we headed into the mall to kill some time. (and when I say mall...I mean a big LL Bean and EMS with a few little boutiques in between.) The kids posed on Santa's sleigh




Then we ate some fantastic food




Afterwards we headed to Claremont, NH where we had heard there was an amazingly lit up house. We are still wondering if it was worth the drive...but the kids loved it.

 

They had a path where you could walk around and they had a scavenger hunt where you could look for certain things (like 12 candles, 11 soliders, etc) It was all set to music and it was a fun activity. Then we came home and started our traditions of reading and acting out the nativity, drinking wassil and egg nog (that Sawyer kept calling "door knob" all month), opening our pajamas, and writing our letters to Santa.

 

Then Ryan read Twas the Night Before Christmas by the fire





And then the kids practically ran to bed they were so excited. The next morning was fun but I didn't get many pictures. Kate got the new Tinkerbell movie and a set of all the Tinkerbell dolls for Christmas and a snowglobe with an ice skater in it from Santa. Sawyer got a boy american girl doll that he named Freddy and a snowglobe with a bear in it. We watched The Santa Clause and ever since then that was the main thing he asked Santa for. He wanted one with two trees and a house...but the elves were only making ones with bears in them this year! He was happy. Clara got a ball popper machine like the one we had for the other kids but stopped working and a soft stuffed bunny. She sure loves to hug and love on stuffed animals!





Ryan and I had a few big projects that we made for the kids. He made beds for the American Girl dolls while I made the bedding and then I had bought a wooden rocking horse at a thrift store for 1.75 that I repainted and added hair to for Clara.


Ryan also, last minute, made our family marshmallow shooters. They are a little hard to shoot but we had a lot of fun with them. And Clara had fun cleaning up all the marshmallows. And here is the present Kate made us in school, a stained glass candle holder. We used it as a centerpiece for dinner. It is beautiful!




It was a great Christmas morning unwrapping gifts, talking to family, and eating yummy breakfast food. We spent the rest of the day playing, relaxing and eating. We also did some Christmas hot tubbing. I took the picture from my warm kitchen where I was making dinner.


And then eating our Christmas feast...amidst the Christmas mess
 
Although we missed being near family, we had a very Merry Christmas and we hope you all did too!

Gingerbread Houses

We have been having so much fun this month doing an activity every day. The kids are really excited to pick the activity out of the advent and its nice to find time to do something fun together. December flies by too fast!

 

all Clara wanted to do was eat the candy

   

Kate's house

  

Sawyer's house 

 

Clara, Ryan and I all shared a house

 

Some of the other activities we have done are visiting Santa, making ornaments and bell necklaces, and watching lots of Christmas movies.

Thanksgiving week

On Tuesday we were invited into Kate's classroom for a Thanksgiving Feast. She was so excited as she learned about the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. When we got there they were dressed like pilgrims and sitting at their long table decorated with the turkeys they made the day before. Kate was in love with hers because the pine cones smelled like cinnamon. They were decorating the tablecloth with their artwork and waiting for the feast to begin. The day before I had gone in to help them cut vegetables and we ate vegetable stew for our feast, along with bread, homemade shaken butter, and desserts. It was quite a successful feast and reminded me of the similar feast I had when I was in 1st grade.






The night before Thanksgiving we made our pies. This year we made cherry and apple. I wasn't going to make apple but Kate told me it was her favorite so we did. (And I don't think she even ate a piece!) The kids love to help in the kitchen.




Thanksgiving day started with a little run. I LOVE starting the day full of eating with some kind of exercise but the closest turkey trot started at 10 and just wasn't too convenient. So a friend planned our own and it was so fun.



Then I came home and we watched the parade, cut up our veggie tray, made a turkey craft, and got ready to go to our friend's house. Sawyer wore his apron ALL day long and was constantly asking me what he could do to help. Even when it was time to eat he said he didn't want to take it off. He's a cute little chef!

 


 It was a perfect Thanksgiving feast and it was so great to share it with friends. One friend brought lima beans, which have never been served at my house before, and Kate fell in love. We were sent home with leftovers that she ate until they were gone.

We even brought the kid's jammies and put them to bed there so the adults could stay up late, eat pie and play games. Such a fun night!






The day after Thanksgiving we continued our family tradition of decorating for Christmas, eating leftovers, and going bowling. Always a fun family activity!





Then Saturday we continued one of our newer traditions, going to cut down our Christmas tree. This year we went with our friends and it made it even more fun! We searched and found the perfect tree, cut it down, put it on top of the car, and then enjoyed donuts and hot chocolate. What could be better? Especially because it was COLD!