Here are just some of the things we did...
We went to our city's Christmas parade - Amelia loved the marching bands most of all
and lighting of the capital and fireworks - it was freeeezing cold, but totally worth it!
Sophia with her little best friend, Zoe, and their frozen little noses
We decorated our house the way we do every year - with Charlie Brown Christmas playing and appetizers and snacks for dinner
My dad spent last year in Germany, and he brought back this beautiful Advent calendar
The girls' dresser
We invited two of the girls' best friends over and decorated gingerbread houses
with hot chocolate of course
Then one night, we had dinner and a bath as usual, but instead of getting into bed after the girls put their pajamas on, we drove to a park filled with Christmas light displays
The minute we left the park, the girls passed out
It was very fun and special for them, because we NEVER go anywhere in the evenings with them. So just being out after dark was an adventure for them - we opened the moon roof and looked at stars too (with the heater blasting!) We carried them into the house and put them to bed - they woke up the next morning so excited when they remembered the night before.
We saw Santa at the mall
(sorry for the crummy picture of a picture - I was too lazy to hook up our scanner)
Amelia was a bit of a grouch that day
but she cheered up when she saw the big feller in red!
We made classroom treats and teacher gifts (which I wrapped in paper painted by the girls - they had so much fun painting the paper, that I think I make use this for ALL my Christmas gifts next year! I just got a big cheap roll of white craft paper and let them go to town with green and red paint)
We baked gingerbread men and hung some on the tree,
but most of them just got eaten
I even discovered this one evening - it made me laugh SO hard!!!
Sophia asked if she could sleep under the Christmas tree one night
it made her so happy!
Sophia was an angel in our school's Christmas pageant
She did great and came up to me beaming afterwards, saying "that was so fun!"
We kept focused on the real meaning of the season by praying and singing around the Advent wreath every night (we will continue this through Epiphany)
Every year, we make a new plate to put Santa's cookies on. I was SO proud this year - this is the first year Sophia and Amelia painted all on their own with no help. Sophia painted Santa (I just love this Santa!!!) and Amelia made the polka dots around the edge
Sophia also decorated this candy jar for Daddy (she drew the designs on paper, then I taped her drawings onto the inside of the jar and traced them with leading, and then had her color the inside with the stained glass pen)
Christmas Eve we went to church in the pouring rain
Then came home, where the girls got to open the new pajamas that grandma sewed for them - she does this every year and it is one of my favorite traditions. They are so lucky to have such an awesome and gifted grandmother! Here is Amelia calling grandma to say thank you
and then... visions of sugarplums danced in their heads
Christmas morning, Sophia was most excited about giving Daddy his candy jar - I love that she feels the true joy of giving this year. She was literally jumping up and down
Amelia's big gift was a soccer goal and ball and lots of Thomas trains and tracks - she's our little tomboy and she was SO happy
Sophia's main thing that she wanted was a doll swing and she got this play school set, which was a HUGE hit!!!
Even Baby Henry got some things in his stocking
It was a truly blessed Christmas!
The girls' dresser
We invited two of the girls' best friends over and decorated gingerbread houses
with hot chocolate of course
Then one night, we had dinner and a bath as usual, but instead of getting into bed after the girls put their pajamas on, we drove to a park filled with Christmas light displays
The minute we left the park, the girls passed out
It was very fun and special for them, because we NEVER go anywhere in the evenings with them. So just being out after dark was an adventure for them - we opened the moon roof and looked at stars too (with the heater blasting!) We carried them into the house and put them to bed - they woke up the next morning so excited when they remembered the night before.
We saw Santa at the mall
(sorry for the crummy picture of a picture - I was too lazy to hook up our scanner)
Amelia was a bit of a grouch that day
but she cheered up when she saw the big feller in red!
We made classroom treats and teacher gifts (which I wrapped in paper painted by the girls - they had so much fun painting the paper, that I think I make use this for ALL my Christmas gifts next year! I just got a big cheap roll of white craft paper and let them go to town with green and red paint)
We baked gingerbread men and hung some on the tree,
but most of them just got eaten
I even discovered this one evening - it made me laugh SO hard!!!
Sophia asked if she could sleep under the Christmas tree one night
it made her so happy!
Sophia was an angel in our school's Christmas pageant
She did great and came up to me beaming afterwards, saying "that was so fun!"
We kept focused on the real meaning of the season by praying and singing around the Advent wreath every night (we will continue this through Epiphany)
Every year, we make a new plate to put Santa's cookies on. I was SO proud this year - this is the first year Sophia and Amelia painted all on their own with no help. Sophia painted Santa (I just love this Santa!!!) and Amelia made the polka dots around the edge
Sophia also decorated this candy jar for Daddy (she drew the designs on paper, then I taped her drawings onto the inside of the jar and traced them with leading, and then had her color the inside with the stained glass pen)
Christmas Eve we went to church in the pouring rain
Then came home, where the girls got to open the new pajamas that grandma sewed for them - she does this every year and it is one of my favorite traditions. They are so lucky to have such an awesome and gifted grandmother! Here is Amelia calling grandma to say thank you
and then... visions of sugarplums danced in their heads
Christmas morning, Sophia was most excited about giving Daddy his candy jar - I love that she feels the true joy of giving this year. She was literally jumping up and down
Amelia's big gift was a soccer goal and ball and lots of Thomas trains and tracks - she's our little tomboy and she was SO happy
Sophia's main thing that she wanted was a doll swing and she got this play school set, which was a HUGE hit!!!
Even Baby Henry got some things in his stocking
It was a truly blessed Christmas!
3 comments:
Beautiful pictures. I especially love the one of your daughter sleeping. So sweet!!
What fun pictures. All of you girls (including YOU) are just beautiful.
Your tree is really pretty and the girls dresser is so cute!
Thanks for sharing - and again, I'm SO glad my friend Vera is back to blogging.
Love,
Lynnette
Oh Vera! I LOVED looking at all of these pictures! (love the half eaten gingerbread man still on the tree..haha)
It looks like Sophia and Amelia had a wonderful Christmas!
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