Christmas Memories

This Christmas we took the kids downtown to check out the lights and displays.  Straub park is Christmas perfection and you can even see Santa there.


Tommy was freaked out by Santa...


So I jumped in to see if he might stop crying...no go.


The girls dropped their wish lists in Santa's mailbox.


No winter wonderland is complete without a little "glice" skating.




These three critters thought it would be fun to host a gingerbread house party this year.


They turned out great, didn't they?

I wish, I snagged this photo from Martha.

We had all sorts of candy and icing to embellish their houses.


The kids (and moms) got down and dirty.


The icing was tricky, so the mommies helped out with that part.














This was NOT a clean operation...


Meanwhile, Tommy snagged Ashleigh's iPhone to play "McQueen games".





Van Gogh went out with a bang this year and made his last appearance taking a marshmallow bubble bath while wearing a saran wrap shower cap.

On Christmas morning when he was gone, Khera sat down and cried because she was going to miss him so much.

Here is one of our Christmas cards from this year:


I thought you might like to take a look at some of the outtakes...


They took me very seriously.


Tommy with grosgrain antlers...






We had to take a break after this one to untangle.




I'm not sure if we have ever had a "perfect" Christmas card...there's always something I wish that could be changed, like someone smiling more, looking at the camera, put their dress down, smiling period, etc.  They are a good portrayal our lives right now, striving to do our best with lots of imperfections.

This was my favorite card for this year, it reminds me most of their personalities.  Elle is the little glamor girl, Tommy's got that little boy mischief look, and Khera is my little clown goofing off.
I love their little piggies...

Gotta run and spend some time with the hubinator. Stay tuned for more posts about our Christmas adventures, one of these days I will catch up with my blogging!

I'm dreaming of a....

White Christmas!
Our 5 year dream finally came true, it snowed during a trip back to Ohio. 
I'm not sure who was more excited, the adults or the kids. 
The first day we were a bit unprepared and had to put the girls shoes in plastic bags to stay dry--they thought this was standard procedure.


Aunt Brooke showed the girls how to make snowballs.


And GJ took them to the park to make snow angels.




Here's Elle admiring her handiwork:


And Kher-bear really getting into it:


The next day they took me sledding:




Elle tried to follow their tracks.




They made it to the top of the hill!


Daddy won the contest for the best sledding shot.






Daddy's looking a little tired here. Time to head back to GJ's for some hot cocoa.


Little did he know that he'd have to carry Elle-belly home because it was too windy.


The next morning we worked on a gingerbread house that Ashleigh's mom Jeannine gave us-she's always spoiling us in one way or another. This year the girls put the majority of the candy ON the house instead of their mouths.


They really worked well together, much to my surprise.






Elle had to dress in her new Belle costume while decorating, over her PJs of course.


And when the last piece of candy was in place, they posed for the final shot.


I think one of the most cherished gifts that children give is the ability to experience the world again for the first time. Thank you girls, I love you.  Love, Mom.