This has by far been the best Christmas ever. I think we have a certain little two year old to thank for that. She is such a blessing!
There was Cookies and Milk with Santa - minus the pic with Santa. She would NOT go anywhere near him.
She loved all of the games though.
There have been lots of days staying in pajamas and embracing the bed head.
And lots of Ho-Hos.
There was a trip to the Enchanted Forest.
There were some theme-decorated trees and a gingerbread "house" competition.
There was some crafty time. We made a Santa face with cotton balls and a Christmas tree. She sang "Oh, Christmas tree" over and over again.
There was a fun and chilly trip to Zoo Lights.
Still no luck with Santa pictures - but at least she talked to him.
There was a night of our own gingerbread house decorating. It was a lot of fun and will definitely be a yearly tradition from now on. Can you guess which house is Chloe's?
There was Christmas Eve baking during nap time. Just me alone in the kitchen with the music and whirring of Bessie. It has been a long time since I have been able to do that and I really loved it.
Then, I had a sweet little elf come help me make the peppermint cream cheese frosting. Yum!
She may have gotten her hand stuck when sneaking another sample. Don't worry it wasn't spinning. :)
She pulled these letters off the fridge and threw them on the counter. The v and second e were turned over. I was pretty shocked when i turned them over to find she had gotten the letters to spell eve on the biggest eve of the year! And they are red and green. Crazy coincidence.
We enjoyed a fun spread of finger foods and maybe some scallops because we love them so much!
We ate off fancy plates and used the fancy glasses while watching Elf in the living room.
Then it was time for family presents! Probably Chloe's favorite part.
Oh, and I can't forget Jacob's favorite - Red Velvet Cake with Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting. So good!
This was our first "real" Christmas morning with Chloe. Last year, we were out of town and she was still too young to really know what was going on. *Yes, her pajamas are on inside out. She likes to strip in the night!*
The baby and bed were the big hit. She hasn't stopped playing with them. Best $13 I have ever spent.
She wanted nothing to do with the tricycle.
Hamlet wasn't sure about all of the new stuff.
Christmas morning breakfast was Overnight Egg Nog French Toast (so easy and good!) on fancy plates and orange juice in fancy glasses. These were my families when we were younger. It felt good to pull in some old things to celebrate and remember my family.
It was a fabulous weekend full of family time. It was really nice to have a low key time at home enjoying one another. We spent the rest of the day with Jacob's family and we are having their family Christmas on New Year's. So, all of the celebrating isn't quite over. Here's to (truly) the most wonderful time of the year!
