Christmas Goings-On

Life has been pretty hectic this month, as I'm sure it has been for everyone. We have been trying to keep everyone healthy and keep things festive. Here's a taste of how we've been creating the Christmas mood around our place.

A mincemeat pie I made for the West Akron Momsclub Christmas dinner party. This is one of the few Momsclub activities where the whole family gets together. It is fun getting to meet all the husbands and older kids.

One Christmas tradition that was big in my family was going caroling. My mom would spend a lot of time making goodies to take to friends from church and neighbors. We would drive all over the place to sing songs and I LOVED it! I have never outgrown this love and so I make my family do the same thing every year as well. Luckily, everyone seems to enjoy it and Cody puts up with it even managing a smile on his face.

This year's caroling group. The Smiths and the Wrights joined us for Cody's homemade soup and Lesli's yummy bread before we headed out. Emily and Lesli helped make goodies to hand out as well. It was actually a pretty warm evening, just perfect for caroling.

In years past we have not had the best of luck finding people home to carol too. So this year, I took the kids out a few days before hand and went to our neighbors to find out if they were going to be home on Sunday evening and if it would be okay for us to come carol to them. It worked out great because we were 4 for 4 on families being home. Also, our neighbors that are an older couple had some candy canes for us as well and let us sing a couple songs. So fun!

I made gingerbread cookies to hand out. After we caroled, we came back to our house and let the kids decorate their own gingerbread people. This is Pepper's if you can't tell.

Can you see the mountain of sprinkles on Morgan's cookie?!

For Christmas this year, we asked my parents for some money to buy a new tree and decorations, instead of a gift. We moved our old little tree into the family room and made it the "kid tree." The kids love having their own tree and we love having a big, full, pre-lit tree in the living room.

Our new hyper color angel.

Pepper posing with Morgan's Pilgrim hat he made in school.

Always a good time when you get to rediscover all your Christmas toys and decorations.

The kid tree. So colorful and fun.

Decorating the buckeye tree.

This face just keeps getting better and better.

Hazel thinks all these decorations are fantastic.

Every year my mom sends new ornaments for the tree. Last Monday for FHE we read a Christmas story and then opened our ornaments. The kids loved being able to finally open a present.

Not Pepper's greatest look but Morgan looks good.

Hazel was tired and fussy and just wanted to rip into everything and pull everything off the tree. Needless to say we don't hang out in the living room a whole lot these days.

Pepper loved her princess crown ornament.

"Sock monkey, sock monkey."

Kid decorations and kid photography.

On Friday, December 7th, our ward had their Christmas party. I fed the kids before we went so that I would have to mess with them and try to get them to eat when all they wanted to do was run around and play with their friends. Best plan ever! Cody and I actually got to sit and chat with some friends and almost enjoy our meal...we still had Hazel with us.

I asked Pepper to look at me and this is what I got.
Right before the kids and I left the house to go to the party, Pepper started coughing and gagging. In my attempt to get her to the trash can before she ruined her outfit and mine and the floor, I banged her head into the corner of the counter. So now she was bleeding, crying and had just thrown up but was HYSTERICAL at the thought that we wouldn't go. I was pretty sure she threw up because of the coughing so we still went. Luckily, we all had a great time and nothing else happened.

The Redds, our dinner partners. Eli and Pepper are in nursery together.

When Santa showed up, Pepper pushed her way to the front and got on Santa's lap before I even noticed. I love how she looks shy and reserved after she just elbowed her way up there with no adult help.

This little lady has had a rough time this month with a horrible, horrible cough and stuffy nose. After two different kinds of antibiotics she is finally getting better. Now we just have to keep her that way. Good thing she is such a happy baby and still sleeps like a champ despite having a hard time breathing. Love her!