December - all that IS Christmas!!

Yeah for Christmas stuff!  We have many traditions that we try to keep up each year.  Of course, a favorite is decorating the Christmas tree.  We also make gingerbread houses.  This year, Daddy assembled them a day early and the girls decorated them like crazy after they set up; one for each member of the family.  The girls are so easy to please.

Cooper is checking out his first Christmas tree.

Our little elves at their school Christmas program.  Daddy was able to come this year so we got great video.  Last year, I didn't have the tripod so it made for a very amateur production. 

Polar Express Day is a favorite.  We love wearing jammies to school!  Our carpool drove that day so I didn't make it to the school, but we had some fun before the girls had to leave.

We continued our tradition-making into Christmas Eve.  Let me tell you...we packed in the activities!  I was pretty wiped out afterwards, but it was totally worth it.  My family is the most important thing to me so I thoroughly enjoyed putting all things aside and spending quality time with them.

Making Christmas cookies for Santa

Acting out the nativity story and watching the Living Scriptures version of it.  We opened our Christmas present from Gramma Judy early so this was possible.  I was able to talk Lexi into letting me be Mary for one picture, but she insisted on being her otherwise.  Daddy built a stable to add to our production.

Lexi is a very good Mary, belly and all :)

To wrap up the night, we got our Christmas jammies on, opened one present (an ornament for each of the kids), watched The Grinch, put out reindeer food (Daddy assisted since it was wet and snowy on the porch), left cookies and milk for Santa, and read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' before bed.  I told you we packed it in!

Phew!  What a way to get ready for Christmas!