Christmas 2011

We had ourselves a fairly quiet and happy Christmas weekend. Friends joined us for dinner and hanging out on the 23rd, and then for Christmas Eve we had a quick dinner and went to see a neighborhood in our city that is known for being decked out with lights and decorations. It did not disappoint. We left as it was getting really crowded and came home to settle in for the night. After reading the Christmas story and Twas the Night Before Christmas, we put the kids to bed so we would have plenty of time for Santa to do his thing.

Tessa was wide eyed and brimming with excitement. We heard her get out of her bed to use the bathroom again after about twenty minutes in her room, where she assured us she just wanted to make sure she wasn't going to wake up for any reason. She didn't want to take the chance that she'd see Santa and interrupt the present giving.

Here she is with her Littlest Pet Shop bike that Santa surprised her with:
Here's our cowboy:
He talked about a black cowboy hat every time we talked about Santa, so I'm glad Santa carried through.

Opening the boots from Mom and Dad:

So stylish.
"Gummy Saver?"
And that's where the photo documentation ends. We had a yummy breakfast after going through Santa presents and parent presents and then got ready for church. A great web cam visit with Grandpa and Grandma M. was up next. We headed to church and had a really nice service; the kids behaved pretty well for me considering Dad was up singing with the choir. Afterward we were able to computer visit with my dad and Sandy and also my mom and open presents with them in turn.

I'm so grateful for technology that allows us to have meaningful face to face interaction with loved ones on Christmas.

All in all, it was a lovely day after that crazy building up to it month.

Then came the days where we enjoyed hanging out with Jake at home! Projects galore.

Happy New Year, everybody. May 2012 be everything you decide it will be.

Tessa Turns Five

My baby girl turned five on December 3. It was fun to have Grandma Lori here to celebrate with us. We had a low key family celebration with presents, cake, and then a movie outing with her friend Anna to see The Muppets. She was a happy girl.

Hooray for fancy dental hygiene!


The clear winner of the night:

Love my five going on fifteen year old.