Christmas 2011

I know I've said it before, but having Christmas with kids is freaking awesome. And the older they get, the funner it is. We are finally reaching an age where the traditions are catching on, the kids are expecting certain things to happen and they are totally feeling the magic. I love it. This year Christmas was absolutely wonderful, we spent it with good friends and had such a great time.

We started our Christmas Eve by going to Chili's for lunch. Glenn and I were going to try to get a workout in that morning since we were doing our crazy diet and exercise program, but yeah right, not on Christmas Eve.

Afterward, we met up with the Bergesons for some bowling. The kids did great and enjoyed having a fun noisy place to run around in.

Then back to our place for a HUGE spread of foods that none of us adults had touched for at least two months. It was delicious, but I think we were all pretty sick by the end of the night! Glenn baked the kids cookies to decorate, and we watched Muppet Christmas Carol and National Lampoons Christmas. It was such a great night of food and relaxing.

Before we put the kids to bed that night, they each got to open their Christmas Eve gift of new jammies. I got surprised with my own new set with I may had put a request in for :) We set cookies out and put the kids to bed. That night "Santa" hung newspaper in the hallway to prevent any peeking. He also put a note out for the kids thanking them for their delicious cookies.

Christmas morning was fun and exciting. Unfortunately the newspaper had fallen, but the kids were still good enough to get us before running out to see what was under the tree. We all had wonderful Christmases. Jayda got a huge dollhouse that Glenn and I may have been even more excited about. Sky got a remote control car that he loved. It was a great day and we all felt blessed to have each other and good friends in our lives.

In a rare moment of craftiness, I made these cute Santa advent calendars with the help of the very talented Allyson.  One cotton ball for each day of December until the day of Christmas.  So fun for the kids!

That same day after opening gifts, we loaded up and spent three days with the Simonsons. It was basically three days of laughing and eating while the kids kept busy with their new gifts. Life doesn't get much better than that!

Christmas Stuff

A few weeks before Christmas our local YMCA (which I love so much that I might actually cry the last time I go), was holding a little Christmas party. We were watching Jack that night so we thought it would be a fun way to spend the evening. The kids had fun decorating cookies and ornaments, and of course, visiting Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

Later we had the Bergesons over to decorate gingerbread houses. I made a mistake and used the wrong flour, so the gingerbread turned out inedible, but still dang cute if you ask me.

This is just a picture of Jayda and I in our matching boots.  She'll be taller than me in no time.

I've really been enjoying my kids lately. Honestly, if I could freeze them at this age I would. They provide us with so much entertainment with their cute sayings and fun imaginations. This is a random picture of them with "hand-feet." I found it rather amusing.

Longwood Gardens 2011

I feel like our lives have started coming full circle lately. We're finishing off our four years here in Philly the same way we started them. Our first Christmas here we went to Longwood Gardens and we thought it would be a nice way to spend our last Christmas here. Of course, there is still a chance that we spend another four years here, in which case none of this matters, ha!

We tagged along with the Bergesons and Aubrey's mom. The gardens were beautiful, I especially love what they do with their huge indoor gardens. Even though we didn't get a white Christmas this year, it definitely helped to get us in the spirit!