Yes it's mid-January but I have yet to share about our Christmas and so I'm doing it now. I figure it's my blog so there doesn't have to be a statute of limitations on posting!We had a wonderful holiday season this year although it came and went rather quickly. (In part I think this was due to November being a crazy month what with stomach flu, impetigo, Yos and Bin's birthday party, and being pregnant.) One really fun thing Kevin and I got to do this December was go to a grown-ups-only progressive dinner with friends. So fun! Here we are (weird camera angle) all ready to go.
Kevin and I are more about fun family traditions than gifts I've decided. This year we bought a gingerbread house making kit to do with the kids. All three boys in our house lost interest after awhile, but Anna and Mommy saw it through to the end. No, it's not anything Martha Stewart would have done, but I like my daughter more than I like Martha so it's all good.
This December marked the first time Anna got to "sing" up front in church for Christmas. My parents and Kevin and I got to watch and although Anna didn't sing a word of "Away in a Manger" or "Jesus Loves Me" up there (funny because she sings ALL the time at home), she looked cute and we were super proud. (Anna is pretty much front-and-center in this picture.)
Because we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with my parents up at their house, and because we had so many gifts under our own tree for the kids to open from extended and out-of-town family, we decided that we'd do our own little mini-Christmas celebration the evening before we went to my mom and dad's. We had Chinese food delivered (which all of us, including our kids, love), and after dinner the kids got in their pj's and we congregated on the couch while Kevin read the Christmas story out of Luke 2. (The kids actually sat and listened!) Then we moved to the Christmas tree where we sat, listened to Bing Crosby, ate homemade fudge, and had the kids open gifts. They received books, pj's, games, clothes and toys. It was a fun and special night!
Christmas Eve we started a new tradition for the kids where they get to wear cozy new pj's that they receive for Christmas to bed. Christmas morning at my parents' house we enjoyed cinnamon rolls, hot chocolate and coffee, fresh fruit, and bagels. Yum! Then came the gift opening. Puzzles, toys, books, and a Little Mermaid beauty shop for Anna! It's this vanity with a mirror (where Ariel appears and talks to you if you push a button) and a stool, and lots of fun stuff like hair brushes, a blow-dryer, straightening iron, lipsticks, you name it. Anna has a blast with this thing!
So, a great Christmas. The kids were exhausted, we were exhausted, and I look forward to all of the special Christmases to come!
9 comments:
sounds like a wonderful Christmas! i love family traditions as well. it's so great combining traditions and making up some as you go. looks like so much fun with all the kids! i've always loved Christmas (Christmas Eve is my favorite holiday), but it's sooo awesome to be a parent at Christmas and see your children experience it all.
This is probably what I look forward to the most. The last 8 years or so, we've had to drive the 3-4 hours to Los Angeles and spend Christmas with family. Now, I LOVE Christmas Eve at grandma's house, but we do have to sleep on an air mattress in the living room and live out of duffel bags for a few days. Which, needless to say, takes some of the Christmas cheer out of the picture. It'll be nice to finally have Christmas at home and start our own little family traditions. I've said for YEARS that we were willing to travel for now, but that once we had kids, it would end. Everyone seemed to understand. It'll be interesting to see how cooperative everyone will be now that it's actually here. "But Christmas is when we want to see the baby the most!" Ugh.
I want to be part of your family! Can I have some cozy new PJs and cinnamon rolls for breakfast?! Sounds like so much fun.
I love reading your blog! And I love hearing about other families' Christmas traditions. I can't wait until we can start some traditions of our own, too.
Sounds like you all had a great Christmas!! All your kids are so cute!!
The gingerbread house looks like it was alot of fun to make! I'll have to try that this next year.
Next year you will have to give me tips about that frosting, ours failed miserably and the darn thing did pass the house inspection, the roof slid off and then the four walls flopped outward like you see on a cartoon; quite sad :-( The holidays are SOO much fun with the kids at this age, Hannah is still singing Christmas songs. She also recieved a Little Mermaid toy but it was the pop-up castle (i.e. folds up neatly into a little suitcase which really makes mommy happy!)
Tamara the whole kit for the gingerbread house, including frosting, was from Costco and was only like $8! I know that's cheating (not making my own from scratch, and maybe someday I'll get adventurous and do that) but it was mighty convenient!
I think Tanya hot glued the house together before they used frosting. Now that is really cheating.
I agree with Jeanette, Mike and I enjoy having Christmas togehter in our own home. All family is always invited of course,(Even the Central Coast Heldts) but the 1000 mile trip and Christmas crowds have kept it an intimate affair.
Rachel I like that, "an intimate affair!" Yeah it was nice doing our own little evening (though it wasn't the actual day of Christmas.) Next year we may do Christmas here (with my mom and dad and anyone else who wants) but as long as the football games are on at my parents' house, I think the husband will want to do it there. :)
Jeannett I'm betting the fam will understand why you want to do Christmas at your place with the kids. This year plenty of people came to you guys, didn't they?
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