Christmas 2013

It has been SO fun to see the girls experience Christmas in such a new way each and every year. We spent the month of December preparing our hearts and home for the birth of Jesus by using the amazing, toddler-friendly resource called Truth in the Tinsel. Advent became such a fun time as we would light candles in our advent wreath each evening at the dinner table and then read some scripture, sing some songs, and do a quick activity. Christmas is always our most favorite time of the year- and I'm so thankful that we get to make such precious memories with our 3 girls.

 Hannah sweetly decorated her own tree in her bedroom with two ornaments…however Emily was not sure it had enough "dazzle" to it. So Emily helped her out. And this was what Hannah's tree looked like  afterwards...

 Emily loved the tinsel so much that she slipped quietly outside to decorate her bike just as nicely.

 We LOVE wearing our Christmas dresses!! Caroline and Hannah are pretty good about letting me catch a picture or two of them…however my middle child has decided she is going undercover and will no let a picture be taken of her. Or if it is, she is running in the opposite direction. Sweet Em. I can't blame her- I kind of do the same thing.

Caroline got to wear her pajamas to school and they had a Polar Express day. Is it sad to document that her teacher didn't tell us about this special day until the night before…at 6:00pm. My mind raced as I thought about the fact that Caroline is growing so fast we don't have any pjs that fit her…we still are sporting 4t's on any given night. So, as soon as Brad got home, I ran out, found her the cheapest, yet still cute pi's I could find so she would be ready for the morning. Turns out the cheapest ones were not Christmas ones, but thankfully she didn't care a bit! I got her some slippers to match…which turned into a knock down drag out once the other 2 sisters saw them. Fun memories. Needless to say, I ended up getting Hannah and Emily a pair of slippers the next day.

 We celebrated Christmas with our good friend Peter, our police chief. We went to a Japanese restaurant for dinner then exchanged gifts with our neighbors Keith and Debbie, and Peter.

 Baby doll nativity

 Emily's obsession with the Grinch. I'm almost positive we talked about the Grinch as much as we did baby Jesus.

 Crafting fun

 Candy cane cookies

Pin the nose on the snowman. Promise we didn't stage that…I think someone was aiming a tad low.

 One evening we loaded up the girls in their pi's to go drive through some Christmas lights.

 Woo Pig! 

We attended a Christmas Eve service at a church close by that was having a "kid friendly" service. Good thing we did, because our kids were not the most angelic that hour. But it was a memory. We went with our good friends and partners in crime, the Dooleys.

 After a LONG evening of getting the girls to bed and setting up the scene for Christmas morning Brad and I settled in on the couch with a  plate full of sweets/cookies, some sparkling cider, and watched ALMOST an entire movie. We didn't quite make it to the end, but we got closer than we have in a long time. So thankful for the past 13 Christmas' I have gotten to spend with my guy:)

 We set out some of their toys to see before we opened the presents under the tree. New dress up gowns, robes, a sit and spin, play tent, and train station were some of the big items this year. 

Yes, that is an old school Barbie car. Yes, I am usually the one playing with it.

Hannah baby woke up first around 6:30 and we snuggled in bed until we decided to wake up the bigs. We went in and woke them and brought them to our bed, read the short version of the Christmas story, and we've carried on the tradition from Brad's family of having the girls stay put until they hear the sound of a snow globe/music box…then they can run into the living room:) Then the fun really began!

 Each of the girls had picked out a gift to give their sisters. The fun and joy on their faces as they got to give each sister their gifts was one of my favorite moments. We took turns opening gifts and they actually ended up wanting to give us more gifts before they even opened all of theirs.

 Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree for breakfast- thanks Pinterest

We played until about 11:30 when the Hobbs rolled into town. Brad's parents and Niki got to come spend several days with us and we had Christmas all over again. We are so blessed and loved on by all of our family, extended family, and friends. For some reason I do not have the pictures from the Hobbs visit on the computer right now, so I will have to locate them.