And all through the house, our family was busy getting ready for Mr. C to visit our house...
Our family is usually flying through the month of December, with KK's birthday following Thanksgiving travels. Then its school parties and programs, spending time celebrating the season with our friends and their families... shopping, wrapping, somehow keeping presents secrets from a little two year old who remembers just enough to give it all away haha... its a busy time, but still our favorite season of the year. This year was even more special, as I got to hear many times from KK how its "not about the presents under the tree, but the gift of baby Jesus"! That melts my heart and makes me so happy that despite our list for Santa that we will recite on the spot if you request it or not (AJ!) and the parties and excitement, that maybe just maybe my babies understand the real reason we love this time of year: The Savior of the world was Born for US! It's amazing just typing it here! And while Christmas Eve was upon us so quickly this year, we did take time to read the Nativity story from our bibles and sit together quietly as a family to pray our thanks for Jesus' birth.
As any Mommy, I thought while we are in our pretty church clothes, let us attempt a picture to remember our night this year... let's just say that AJ had other plans. If you see the face he is making here, I think that says it all:
KK and Daddy were ready for some camera time though!
We were able to capture one picture where we were all smiling (boppy free)... but somehow off center...
And after wishing for a tripod for Christmas, another attempt in which AJ decides fish faces are required...
If I have learned anything as a mother, it is that perfection is rare and unneeded. I find the silly pictures are more remarkable and to be enjoyed. The same goes for cookies for Santa. If you wait until bedtime the night before, you just have to let the flour fly, let the sprinkles fall to the floor and let the kids run the show. Santa prefers cookies made with love more than cookies that actually look like something... I mean he is in the kid-business.
So after our photo shoot, we got into our jammies and started getting things ready for the big man in the red suit. First things first, cookie 101: roll out the dough and cut up some cookies
The kids did great
While they were baking, Batman came to town for a visit and showed us his "moves":
This is batman looking strong with is cape and PJ's! Below is a video of our batman showing his moves:
Once batman settled down, it was back to those cookies and decorating them with some green and red frosting. We made four for Santa and one for each of us as a reward for working so quickly. I should mention while the kids and I were baking for Santa, our sweet Daddy was making an amazing Christmas Eve dinner that we shared together. Yum! Ham, baked potatoes, asparagus (and maybe french fries for Batman and our Snoopy girl). Here are the pic's of our decorating (yes we licked our fingers a couple times, that was part of the fun):
After cookies were ready, it was time for our Christmas Eve tradition: to exchange ornaments with the kids. Each Christmas we pick out an ornament for KK and AJ that is theirs alone. Someday, far far far away from now please Lord, they will have their own families and when they leave our house, they will take with them a box of ornaments from each year of their childhood that hopefully will remind them of fun Christmas's gone by. As the softy that I am, I try to pick something that reminds me of something they loved during this last year or something they did.
For sweet KK I found a precious moments Santa ringing his bell for "Joy at Christmastime". As I mentioned earlier, her joy for Christmas and her constant reminder to her brother about how Christmas isn't just about presents seemed to fit her. For AJ, we found a fire truck. His year was filled with being a "boy" through and through, and he loves himself a good fire truck.
Daddy has been getting a "Santa's Sweet Ride" collection from us, and this year we delivered again with a hot air balloon Santa.
So after hanging our ornaments, reading our Nativity story, saying our prayers, we got Santa's milk and cookies ready along with the reindeer's carrots (no ranch for them said KK, they don't like it ~ I'll have to ask later how she knows such things, maybe Santa told her)...
And then we pondered one last time, how a big guy in a red suit can land on our roof and climb down our chimney... how special it is to be a mommy who gets to see the utter belief in magic as KK once again tells AJ that Santa will fit and presents will arrive... and the joy on their faces every Christmas morning when they wake up...
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