I really should title this post "Christmas Chaos!" because once December hit, our schedule was filled to the brim with Christmas activities! They were all SUPER fun, but it was a bit crazy running to and fro! Thankfully, my 1st trimester sickness was gone by this time and I was able to really enjoy the activities with friends and family!
Our Christmas traditions started extra early this year because we knew we would be gone for 2 weeks in December. So, in order to have time to really enjoy our Christmas tree at home, we picked it out the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We went back to the Family Christmas Tree Farm in Santee where we've been going for many years now and got to cut down our own tree!
I can't get over how grown up she looks in this picture!
She saw this baby tree and wanted to give it a hug
(in honor of her friend Ella who loves everything pint-sized)
(in honor of her friend Ella who loves everything pint-sized)
One more for you Ella!
While running around among the trees, she got sap all over her hands.
She really doesn't like to have her hands dirty, but thankfully, it didn't distract from the fun (especially since it didn't come off until after we got home).
The winning tree!
Time to cut it down!
She got to take home a baby sapling
How did she grow up so fast??
Homeward bound!
Back home, it was time for some Christmas decorating!
(And the baby bump is starting to show) :)
She is the best helper!
Daddy is so festive!
She LOVED putting on ornaments herself this year!
Daddy is helping with the really fragile ornaments
Ta-da!
The finished product!
Recently, Keira has been requesting breakfast for dinner fairly often.
On this night, it was a go and we even threw in a little extra fun by adding chocolate chips to the pancakes!
Yum!
She is a great kitchen helper!
This was our 2nd year of doing the countdown to Christmas with books.
Starting on Dec 1, and each night until Christmas, a wrapped book was waiting on Keira's bed. So, after she was in her jammies and ready for bed, she got to open the gift and find a new (recycled from last year!) Christmas book to read! She was so excited! Once the afternoon rolled around each day, she'd say, "I'm going to check and see if there's a present on my bed!" and then she would be so excited the rest of the afternoon/evening until she got to open the present. It has been a fun tradition to keep up this year!
Starting on Dec 1, and each night until Christmas, a wrapped book was waiting on Keira's bed. So, after she was in her jammies and ready for bed, she got to open the gift and find a new (recycled from last year!) Christmas book to read! She was so excited! Once the afternoon rolled around each day, she'd say, "I'm going to check and see if there's a present on my bed!" and then she would be so excited the rest of the afternoon/evening until she got to open the present. It has been a fun tradition to keep up this year!
Opening the first Christmas book of the season!
We had the great pleasure of attending another one of Briana's EXCEPTIONALLY FUN parties!
This time, the theme was Gingerbread and Keira absolutely loved it!
After some playtime, we started off reading The Gingerbread Man.
The girls were really captivated!
Next, they got to decorate gingerbread man ornaments.
Gingerbread sticker craft
Personalized, matching aprons.
So cute it hurts!
Time to decorate the GIGANTIC gingerbread men!
The finished product
More playtime!
Dr. Keira is in the house!
Now it's Briana's turn to check out the sick patient
Lawrence is growing fast
(almost 8 months in this picture)
Dr. Ella is now on duty!
Lunchtime!
The girls each had personalized gingerbread man plates!
WOW!
The moms did an ornament exchange!
And we got to indulge in yummy food too--homemade chicken strata casserole and peppermint punch!
Trying to eat the giant gingerbread man cookie was no easy task!
Pure sugar bliss!
The party ended with reading The Gingerbread Baby!
Thank you, Briana, Laura, and the Geiger parents for hosting such an AMAZING party!
Keira and I had a fun time together attending a Mrs. Claus event, hosted by our former sign language instructor, Joann Woolley. The event was held at Kid Ventures, which is an indoor play-place we had never been to before. There were several themed rooms with props (grocery store, fire department, etc) and Keira's favorite BY FAR, was this dance studio with a stage, mirrors, music, and costumes. She LOVED dressing up and watching herself dance and twirl.
The main attraction: Mrs. Claus signing along with Hullabaloo!
She was so thrilled to get a picture with Mrs. Claus!
Then, it was back to the dance studio for more costumes and dancing!
The partying just kept on rolling pretty much every day during the beginning of December!
This time it was Briana's turn for the IKEA party!
Of course, our old friend, Petals the Clown was there!
This time, Keira went all out with a butterfly on her whole face!
The party girls!
A few days later, it was time for the big event: Briana's 3rd birthday party!
Getting some face painting!
Can you guess the theme?
Ladybugs!!!
Girlfriends!
There was a bounce house--yeah!
Getting their bug jars and magnifying glasses ready...
How does this thing work?
Cute little ladybugs!
There were real ladybugs released in the yard and the girls got to find the ladybugs and put them in their bug jars. It was so exciting!
There were ladybugs crawling on arms, hands, faces, hair, and inside shoes!
Matt has one on his hand!
So funny!
Photobooth!
The birthday girl!
Happy birthday, Briana!
Thank you for inviting us to your birthday party! We had so much fun celebrating with you!!
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