Christmas 2011

Trains, a tent, hot wheels and flashlights. 

Santa knew he was stopping at a house full of boys!

Will and Ben were thrilled to see the train and train table they had asked Santa for.  They were having such a good time playing that it was a challenge to get them to take a break from the trains so they could open their remaining gifts.

This was what the train table looked like before they woke up.

Merry Christmas Will and Ben.

Love, Santa

Will and Ben were given a new play tent because their old one broke. 

Lots of goodies in their stocking--an apple and orange, Reese's pieces, a retro slinky and other fun items.  At Will's request, everyone in the family was given toothpaste and a toothbrush in their stocking. 

Mark and the boys with their flashlights from Santa.

Since Christmas was on Sunday, we only had a short time to open gifts and play and then it was time to go to church.  This was the best photo I could get with the boys. 

Mark's photo with the boys was better than mine. 

Finally after all the excitement of Christmas day was nearing an end, the boys had their annual book exchange.  It's a family tradition we started when Ben was a baby in 2009.  Each year the boys give each other a new children's book.  Of course, Mark and I have had to select the books so far, but pretty soon Will and Ben will be able to choose a book for each other.  We hope it's a tradition that continues on even when the boys are grown.

This year Will received Blueberries for Sal and Ben was given Frederick.  Each year I write inside the book who it was to and from and include the date.  I was so happy to get a photo with the boys and their books from the last three years.



Since having children every year Mark and I say this, but I think this year was the best Christmas ever.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve at our house with two little boys anxiously awaiting Santa. 

Will and Ben are checking Santa's location on NORAD's Santa Tracker.

As I type this I think Will is still awake.  He's just so excited about Christmas this year that he can't go to sleep.  I hope he does very soon so Santa can come to our house.

Merry Christmas!

C is for Cookie

Over the weekend I attended not one, but two cookie parties!  The boys were invited to a Christmas cookie decorating party and I helped host a Holiday cookie exchange party.

{Christmas Cookie Decorating Party}

On Saturday, Will and Ben were invited to a Christmas cookie decorating party. We've become friends with our family photographer, Lauren.  Lauren has twin daughters, Emma and Ava, and a little boy, Jaxon.  Emma and Ava are Will's age.  Ava assisted her mommy at our family photo shoot in November and she and Will really hit it off.  Will has told me he already wants to invite Ava (and Emma) to his birthday party--which is 10 months away! 

Since Will and Ava became instant friends, Lauren thought Will and Ben would have fun at the cookie decorating party.  Well, she was right!  They had the best time decorating AND eating cookies. 

Lauren's from a family of talented photographers and she and her mom took photos on Saturday.  I'm so glad they did because I only had my camera phone.  Lauren said she didn't mind if I borrowed a few photos of the party from her facebook album to share with you guys.

I love this photo that Lauren took.  It's my facebook profile pic now.

The boys didn't really want to stop decorating to take a photo but we told them to be Cookie Monsters and that's how we got this pic of both of them looking. 

We have more photos of Ben because Will was eating cookies. 

I really like this photo of me helping Will.  I'm usually the taking the photos so it's neat to have some photos of me with the boys. 

A few shots before the party started.

Lots and lots of colorful icing. 

Even more cookies.  There were hundred of cookies! 

Such a cool shot of the festive trays, sprinkles and toppings. 

Emma and Ava are in the matching aprons.  So adorable!

Santa was also at the Christmas cookie party!

Will was so excited when he walked through the door.  He ran up and gave him a huge hug.

Ben is all about Santa this year.  No tears from my little guy. 

Both boys went home with a festive tray full of decorated cookies.  They had such a good time and talked about the party all day. 

{2nd Annual Cookie Exchange Party}

On Sunday, the ladies in our church gathered together to exchange cookies and have a good time.  This is the second year that Jami welcomed us into her beautiful home.  (I think of Jami as my real-life Pioneer Woman friend.  Her home is stunning but she's as down to earth and nice as anyone I've ever met.)  Last year we had a great turn out, and this year was just as good or even better.

I love this group photo.  I love even more the mix of young and old. We are so fortunate to have a mix of ages at our church.  There's so much wisdom to be gained from the older ladies.  Love them!

This year I made place cards for the cookies so we could see who made what. 

Cookies!!! 

My very favorite photo of the night.  All of these women are dear friends.  We are so blessed to be a part of a close knit church and I treasure getting to spend time together with these ladies.

I was able to get a photo with Jami at the end of the party.  She's known my husband Mark forever.  They were in the same class in school (by the way, in a small town there were only about 45 people in their graduating class.)  Also, Jami's mom is a good friend to my mother-in-law.  They were a big help preparing things for the cookie exchange.

Jami's gorgeous tree. 

Well, now I guess I should go workout on the elliptical since I've eaten so many cookies!

Our Home at Christmas

Last year I spent more time taking photos of our home at Christmas.  This year I took a few photos and threw together this post.  I was planning on putting forth a lot of effort to make things look just right, but whenever I make that attempt it usually never works out like I've planned.  It was cloudy and rainy today, which made it hard to photograph inside without using the flash.  The photos aren't great, but despite their poor quality I'm still happy to show you our home.  By all means, it's not pin-worthy, but it's still our home and it's comfy and cozy to us.

Our Christmas tree 2011

No theme, other than being full of sentimental ornaments from our childhood, first years of marriage and ornaments the boys have exchanged for the last couple of years.

The boys in their matching Christmas pajamas in front of the tree. 

Beside the tree I have picture frames from Will and Ben's first Christmas and a photo of the boys in 2009.  That was such a special Christmas because our little family was complete.  Most of our Christmas traditions started that year after Ben was born.  I also have the Isaiah 9:6 art print from here.  It's probably my favorite addition to my Christmas decorations this year.

Will's first Christmas 2006.  Sweet Santa Baby.

In our living room, on top of the built-in I added some large ornaments.  This was my first year to decorate that area.  I'd like to add more nutcrackers to the collection but there's no rush.  I'll collect them over time.  That's what makes collections special.  Our stocking are hung on knobs or the edges of the doors on the built-in since we don't have a fireplace.

Here's another view.  The room looks a little empty because I'd removed everything to steam clean the carpet.

Also in the living room, I added a small tree to my great-grandmother's sewing machine.

I wasn't sure where to put this "merry christmas" banner so I hung it on the curtains behind the sewing machine.

Our little tree in the kitchen has cinnamon salt dough ornaments that the boys made this year.  I shared some photos of the boys making the ornaments here.

Christmas is such a special time of year.  As the boys get older, they get more and more excited about Christmas and all the traditions we've created as a family.

"Sleigh Ride"

These wonderful things are the things

We remember all through our lives

More than anything, I hope our home is the center of those wonderful things and that their memories of our special time together last forever.

Joining the Christmas tour of homes

here, here , here and here.

Christmas Parade and Goodies

I decided to share my phone pics on Thursday.  If I can get it together, I'll show you what our home looks like at Christmas on Friday. 

At the beginning of December our small town had its Christmas parade.  We've badly needed rain, but we didn't want it at 5p.m. when the parade was scheduled.  All day it rained on and off, but not enough to cancel the parade.  Due to the rain, attendance and participation in the parade was lower than normal.  The parade was abnormally short--it lasted a whole entire 5 minutes!  We arrived at 5:05p.m. just as the fire trucks were rounding the corner to our town square.  We heard the sirens and saw the lights flashing.  We found a spot under an eave/overhang and watched the parade.  When it was over and we headed to the car, I looked at my phone and it was 5:10p.m.  I'm not joking.  The parade was 5 minutes.  The boys had fun but were a little confused.  I think they thought it would last a little longer.  We thought it was kind of comical.  Bless anyone who made the effort to still participate despite the crummy weather.

Here's a pic of the boys in the rain at the parade.

One of the festive floats.

Part of our town square decorated for Christmas.

This one is really blurry, but I had to include it because one of my dear teacher friends is the sponsor to this group.  She walked in the rain for this parade and she's 9 months pregnant!  Now that's dedication!

I just can't resist limited edition Christmas goodies.  I thought about writing the caption "Oh, no you didn't!  Oh, yes you did!"  I know, I know, I didn't buy just one bag, I bought three bags of cookies!  I'm so bad, but let me tell you that they are so good. 

Speaking of cookies, our annual cookie exchange is this Sunday.  (Can something be called annual if this is only the second time we've ever had it?  I'm going to answer yes.)  These are place cards for the cookies.  Last year we had so many different cookies that it was hard to know who brought what.  I made these cute place cards so we could label the cookies and give credit to who baked them.   I cut and folded scrapbook paper and used a paper punch to make the decorative edge on the white cardstock glued to the polka dot and striped paper.  I don't scrapbook, but I could see myself making banners, cards and signs if I had a Cricut. It's on my wish list.

I took these treats to a Christmas party last week.  The Hugs Kisses should have melted just a little more.  Super easy and tasty!  I'm sure you've seen this floating around on pinterest.  That's where I found the recipe.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...

Christmas!

It really is the most wonderful time of the year. 

So far December has been full of fun and we still have a couple of more weeks until Christmas.  This list reflects things that make Christmas so special.

{one}

Christmas cards

My Christmas cards are in the mail!  I originally ordered 85 cards, and then I decided to add 20 extra.  That's a grand total of 105 cards!  I know it's a lot, but it's the one time during the year I still keep in touch with dear friends from the past--old college roommates, friends who have made cross country road trips with me, bridesmaids.  We all have very different lives now, so we don't keep in touch as often as we'd like.  It's nice to exchange cards during the holidays.

I posted a similar photo on facebook this weekend with this comment "If you receive a Christmas card from our family and the stamp is a little crooked, it's because I had a helper (Will) who didn't think it mattered."  Notice the crooked stamps.  He was so proud to help with such a "big responsibility" that I didn't have the heart to correct him.  It's pretty cute!

He took his job adding the stamps very seriously. 

105 addressed and stamped Christmas cards! 

{two}

Friends

Spending time with friends is always special at Christmas.  All of the ladies in the photo are friends, but this is my first time to attend one of their parties.  Usually the group is made up of elementary teachers (remember, I'm a junior high teacher) who go out to eat once a month--I think they call themselves Sisterhood of the Traveling Forks.  Pretty cute, right!?!  They decided to add a few new faces to the group and I was included.  There would have been more people, but it's a busy time of year with basketball games, band concerts, and other activities.  Despite the small number we still had a great time at Annie's beautiful home.  Annie's dog Gordon was a party favorite.

There's still more fun in the near future.  We plan to take the boys to a cookie decorating party on Saturday and then on Sunday I have a cookie exchange with the ladies of our church.

{three}

Family traditions

Are you tried of hearing about the Christmas tree in the kitchen with salt dough ornaments?  If so, sorry.  I'm going to talk about it just a little bit more.  The boys and I made cinnamon salt dough ornaments over Thanksgiving break.  I think we might do this each year and make it a new family tradition.

I included a photo of our little tree here.

{four}

Packages in the mail

My brothers who live in Virginia are always good about sending Will and Ben gifts.  My brother Chris and his wife Laura sent the boys a huge box.  They just couldn't wait to open it so we decided it would be fun for them to have something to play with before Christmas. 

(the living room looks so empty because I had just steamed cleaned the carpet)

(that would be a Hallmark Christmas movie on the TV)

{five}

Christmas books

I have a long list of others on my amazon.com wish list, but this is enough for this year.

{six}

Matching Christmas Pajamas

I can't help myself when it comes to buying matching clothes for Will and Ben.  I'm sure there will come a day, much sooner than I'd like, when they will tell me enough with the matching clothes.  As for now, I will coordinate their clothes while I can.  Since Ben was born each year the boys have had matching Christmas pajamas.

{seven}

Photos in front of the tree

Ben has the cute red dot on his nose from daycare.  He was Rudolph.

{eight}

Christmas music

Last year I shared my list of "Best Holiday Music Ever".  Mark and I love Christmas music and that's been passed on to our boys.  Will and Ben love Christmas music as much as we do!  Makes me so happy!!!  I have a little editing to do to my list and I'll re-post an updated version soon, but here's last year's list--Best Holiday Music Ever.  If you love Christmas music you must check it out.  Let me know if I left off any of your favorites :)

{nine}

The Reason

Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace