We have had a wonderful past few months full of good times with family and friends. My parents and brother's family were supposed to come down to spend Thanksgiving with us but unfortunately that didn't work out. Instead our friends came over and we indulged not in a turkey feast but in homemade pizzas and salad. Not a lot of preparation was required and it was relaxing and low key. I loved that about it. I told Nissa that we should start a new tradition and do that every year but she said no, she wants a turkey. We don't even eat meat and she wants the Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving...oh well...I tried!
We didn't have snow in the forcast for Christmas to which Nissa repeatedly replied that it was going to be the worst Christmas ever. In her mind snow and Christmas are synonymous. Another fact that added to her dismay was that we were set to spend this holiday by ourselves. Little did she know that my parents would be coming to surprise her and stay that Friday to Christmas eve. They arrived at our doorstep with blinking red nose pieces and antler headbands. The look on the kids faces was priceless!
Granny love...
I didn't buy many new decorations this year. Some years I feel like getting all new things but this year I loved up on my old things. For the past several years Nissa and Boden have each had a wreath hanging on their bedroom doors that they get to decorate (usually with homemade painted gingerbread salt dough men and such) but this year we included some trees in their rooms.
Ryan made this Charlie Brown tree for Boden out of some old fake greenery. If you look closely you will see my sons choices of "ornaments" ranging from a red hot wheels car to a scorpion and lizard...
Nissa wanted...what else?...sparkly pink!...
We made lots of Christmas cookies this year. I know most people make a variety of them but we stuck to gingersnaps. I made about five batches of them! They are just about the best super soft and delicious cookies I have ever tasted! Here is the recipe if you are interested.
Making cookies after Christmas around two in the afternoon (vegan chocolate chip this time)....and still in our jammies...
I let the kiddos shape them this time around...
I was all set and determined to send out some Christmas photo cards and had some artsy photography shots planned in my head. I was going to put our little red table with chairs out on the trail behind our house and have the kids wear their santa hats and show lots of love to each other. Well...it was soggy and Boden didn't want to step in the grass to get to the trail so he started to get upset. I put the table on the patio and while Nissa fully cooperated, Boden had tears and wanted to go inside. Here is what we ended up with for the now defunct card...
Sweetest girl...
Boden is his element....tool box, tool book, battery in pants pocket...
Now this is more like it...
On Christmas eve before heading to our 7 o'clock church service we had candlelight dinner by the tree and fireplace. More homemade pizza (Nissa's request) and salad. Boden ate a car...no...just popcorn with apple juice...
One of the best parts of Christmas for me is the pure excitement on the kids faces...
See?....we have been having a great time! Looking forward to what lies ahead in this new year while remembering the past year that had been filled with too many blessings to count. God has been so good to us.
Oh and we did finally get snow...about a week after Christmas...