This holiday season passed by so quickly.
Decorating the gingerbread house
I baked chocolate cookies for a cookie exchange party. Elena was very excited. She's a great little helper.
For the third year in a row we went to Wakefield Court to see the lights and decorations. (Luckily, it was not very cold this night.) All of the houses decorate. This house, with the gingerbread house and carousel, was my favorite; it's a new owner in the area.
I did the handprint Christmas tree craft with Elena and I love it. I wish we could've done one with Samuel's little hands, but it would just be a huge mess. Maybe next year . . .
Samuel smelling Nana's Christmas tree
Here Elena is opening her Christmas Eve gift, a Doc Mcstuffins book. She was very happy with it.
Their Santa gifts, an Ariel for Elena and a car for Samuel.
Elena was all about playing with her mermaids Christmas day.
At my mother-in-law's. My two handsome boys.
It was a nice day, so Jorge played with the kids outside.
Yes, that's Samuel being swung around. He's hanging on to his teddy bear pretty tight.
In the evening, Amy stopped by on her way home. We're kind of in the middle of her drive from Santa Maria to Joshua Tree, so we were able to have a short visit.
Elena was so excited to see her.
Christmas seems to get more exciting every year, as Elena's anticipation grows. I'm so thankful for my kids and love to see the excitement in their eyes.
The red holly berries on Elena's Christmas tree hand craft are a nice touch! Love that you have a small toy for each of the kids from Santa. Every year we try to simplify the gifts at Christmas, and every year I feel like we should do a better job at it. Your home feels like a place with lots of love. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteDebbie, the red on Elena's craft was totally her idea. I said we were done and she said the tree needed ornaments. I saw that on pinterest a couple years ago and then I saw it on your blog and figured Elena's at the perfect age to do it. :) I know what you mean about simplifying the gifts, I felt like we got a lot for them this year. I'm sure after we have another kid it will be easier to buy less for each one, right? Love reading your blog, it makes me feel like if you can handle 6, I should certainly be able to handle 2 . . . still struggle with the patience sometimes, but I love them more than life.
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