Friday, January 1, 2016

Getting ready for Christmas!

December was a busy month! We did a lot of baking, wrapping, and hanging out with family & friends.


Annual cookie baking with Grandma, Great-Grandma, and Uncle Jeff. The kids helped Great-Grandma with the sprinkles most of the time. Ben also got to make his own small batch of nut-free fig cookies and was very proud.

 



 Both kids enjoyed rolling and re-rolling and re-rolling their own little ball of dough:
 




Building the Lego Christmas tree. We also added a Lego Christmas scene with Santa this year.



We visited Santa at Bass Pro again this year. Elizabeth decided it was okay to talk to him this year. She listed off each specific Star Wars action figure she wanted. Santa looked bemused and just laughed!






 Decorating our mini-gingerbread village:




We introduced the kids to "A Christmas Story" this year. Both were fascinated. Elizabeth sat on Dave's lap, enraptured.



While we watched, I finished up the ornaments I was making for the annual ornament exchange at Uncle Kenny's (felt animal patterns from Lia Griffith, polymer clay snowman from Then She Made...).




We also made Peanut Blossoms right before Christmas. We left a couple out for Santa on Christmas Eve.



Scenes from November & December

Elizabeth went to her friend's 4th birthday party at a gymnastics place. She watched for a little while before deciding it was okay to try. She enjoyed holding my hand while walking on a big balance beam, swinging with friends in a high 3-person swing, and jumping on the trampolines.






Hanging out with Daddy & Great-Grandma on Thanksgiving 

 



Playing dreidel and lighting the menorah with Opa. Ben got to talk to his classmates again this year about Hanukkah and brought in his dreidel. He was so excited about it that he told his beloved principal and she made a point to sit in with the class while he shared. Elizabeth was a better sport about dreidel this year, although she still wasn't too sure about having to "ante up" her chocolate gelt. 






Elizabeth showing off her pretty jumper from Great-Grandma and her sparkly new shoes: