Making and Decorating Cookies

We made and decorated sugar cookies as one of our Advent Calendar activities.  Ryan loves to help in the kitchen.  He loves to measure, pour, and mix anything and everything.  He loved making cookies, but was pretty impatient while to dough remained in the fridge to get cold and firm so we could roll it out.  Decorating cookies was so fun.  Lillian just ate frosting, and Ryan decorated most of the cookies himself proclaiming "this one is beautiful" after each one was complete.  On a side note, I used meringue powder instead of egg white in my icing, which worked out so well since Lillian ate a small bowl full!!  We are planning to make some more for Santa on Christmas Eve.

Santa Babies

Santa Picture

I Love Santa pictures so much.  I think they ar so funny, and I love looking at all of our pictures from each year.  I display them all in order of the year they were taken and it is one of my favorite things to put out.  This picture was taken about a month ago. Lillian was terrified of Santa (reason I was in the picture) and continues to be.  We have visited him several times since this picture was taken and she likes to look from afar.  Ryan was a little shy at first, but warmed up to him.  Fortunately, we were very early in the season so no one else was there.  Ryan was able to chat with Santa for a long time.  

Christmas Train

Another Advent activity was to ride the Christmas Train in Alvin.  It took us through a ton of light displays and was really cute. The kids loved it!  Ryan visited with Santa, but Lillian was still scared. We brought along Grandma, Grandpa, and Grammy.  Our kids are so lucky to have such loving grandparents that live so close!!  I love that they get to be a part of these memories!! The pictures of the lights didn't turn out very well.

I love that he puts his arm around her for pictures.

Letter to Santa

One of our Advesnt clendar activities was to write and mail Santa a letter.  Fortunately, that day at school, they received a postcard that was already addressed to Santa.  I wrote exactly what Ryan asked, then he signed his name and off we went to mail the letter.

Santa sent some messages

Like last year, Santa sent the kids messages via email.  Lillian could care less at this age, but Ryan watches them over and over several times a day.  They really are so cute, and I love that this website does this each year.  The first time Ryan watched his video, I wanted to take pictures, but I couldn't stop staring at him to take the pictures.  He was amazed, and I think he might have gotten a little tear in his eye from happiness.  I certainly did.

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/mqiIOr1SbHH1K3afaNEE8RA

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/mB5-mCiXw8c_FT8Xt9-MDmA

Places Jingle has been...

I planned to update the blog everyday with Jingle's whereabouts, but I haven't been so great about taking pictures and I really don't have a ton of spare time these days as Ryan is barely napping, if at all.  Some of the places he has been are in the pictures below, but a few places he has been that I forgot to photograph were, eating the cookies we decorated the day before, in my bathroom making a mess with q-tips, making a snow angle with fake snow, hiding in our cookie jar, and I forgot to move him one day (mom of the year!). 
Our Advent calendar has been so fun!  We have ridden a Christmas train, spent the night with Grandma, made a door hanger, received Christmas magic grow capsules, looked at Christmas lights, made and decorate cookies, mailed a letter to Santa, received some candy, plus a few more things that I have forgotten about.   (see mom of the year comment above).

This is my favorite

Dress Up Time!!

My kids love playing dress up, but we don't have many dress up clothes, so Lillian will wear her tu-tus and Ryan will wear Rob's clothes.  As an early Christmas present, they were given a wardrobe FULL of dress up clothes and accessories.  They love it!  We play dress up daily now.  It has fostered Lillian's desire to wear bracelets and necklaces, but now she has actual jewelry instead of me making random things work for her.  The girl loves to accessorize!!