Holiday Happenings

The countdown is on for Christmas! Only one week to go! We have enjoyed several festive memories this week to prepare for the big day.

Gram and Grumps came over for dinner on Thursday, and we exchanged our gifts. I prepared avocado Parmesan chicken, baked okra, and macaroni and cheese. Gram also brought a cake. The babies were thrilled with their presents, especially Jacob who squealed over his new tiny choo-choos until Daddy could remove each one from the box. I loved having a low key evening to celebrate with my mom and step-dad.

Friday was jam packed with fun. I delivered Maggie's teacher's gift early since she will be out next week for surgery. I arrived at just the right time to take pictures during the class gift exchange to share with the parents on our Facebook page. Each child brought in a $10 gift to swap with a classmate. Maggie brought a jewelry bead kit to share, and she received a new doll and bath bomb set.

Immediately after school the kids and I went to Phipps Plaza for our appointment with Santa. Tuttle and Maggie's lists have stayed consistent for weeks now, and they were eager to share with Santa when their turn came. Jacob was a little hesitant to sit with the man in red, but he quickly stopped resisting and just tolerated the visit with no expression. This year Tuttle asked for a laser tag set and a laser trap he saw in a catalog (Grandmommy is on that!), and Maggie wants a Fingerling, mini American Girl doll, and Sniffer Whiffers (scented key chains for her backpack).

Our next stop Friday evening was Maggie's holiday program for school. More on that in another blog post. :)

Saturday we attended a birthday party for Zanna's son, Alexander, at a local jumpy place. It was the first time in years that I had seen several of my close college friends. I loved having some time to catch up on their lives and meet their babies. Between my six college girlfriends plus me, there are FOURTEEN children and one more on the way! Although we were missing two friends and a few babies, we took a photo of the oldest to youngest at the party.

To add to our Christmas craziness, our furnace went out yesterday. Our poor Christmas tree had not been drinking water since we brought it home, so it was DEAD, and we decided to take it down early to make lighting the fire safer. Heat trumps decorations during a cold December. 

Our time before Christmas will be spent with a repair appointment, holiday parties, our last school music performance, and last minute shopping. Merry Christmas!