December!

Here are some highlights of our December! Christmas festivities, traditions, and celebrations! and Snow! We had a great month of December and a wonderful time spent with our families and relative in Columbia.  We are glad to be so close that we can make the quick trip and stay for awhile over Christmas Break and have plenty of time to spend with all of our family. So thankful for the long Christmas vacation to rejuvenate and celebrate the holiday.

For the first time this year, we decided on an artificial tree. Basically, for the times when we are out of town for the holidays, this makes it much easier. We don't have to take the tree down while we are out of town (we hate to leave the dry tree up while we are gone). We all absolutely love our new tree--it is a "singing" tree that plays Christmas music and the lights on it "dance" in rhythm to the music. Lauren and I went shopping around for different trees, and when we saw this one, we knew it was perfect!

Making Gingerbread Houses :)

Lauren being Mommy's little helper and cutting up strawberries.

This was taken at the MOPS Christmas party. Lauren doesn't really like to sit on Santa's lap, but Hannah was thrilled :)

Lauren playing dress-up :)

Our Daisy scout troop decorating gingerbread houses :)

Hannah's 6th Birthday party at Mercury Gym! This place is the perfect place to have lots of energetic girls run around for a couple of hours! She had about 20 of her closest friends, so it was too big of a party to host at home this year. It was a great time!

 

These are from Lauren's Hilltop Preschool Holiday program. Such a sweet morning. She was really excited to dress up and perform her songs that she had learned in music class :)

These are from a Christmas party at a friend's house. They invited Santa and he brought presents for all of the kids!

Christmas Cookie-decorating party at the Stouffer's house!

Snow!!

The girls clowning around in Lauren's room...Hannah was covering Lauren in stuffed animals :)

Hannah reading Lauren a bedtime story :)

Hannah at school on the day they celebrated her birthday (also was PJ day!). This was a substitute teacher and she was leading the class in the special birthday song.

 Class party in Hannah's class-"snowball fight" with marshmallows!

Hannah's birthday morning! She got up early that morning, of course! We used the extra time to make Lauren a fleece blanket. Lauren had asked for the blanket for Christmas, so we had the supplies on hand, but Hannah wanted to give it to her early, so she would have something to open. Such a sweet thought :)  Here they are opening their presents. Hannah's favorite was her new leotard, which came in handy at her family party, which was also at a gymnastics place :)

Christmas Eve!

Decorating cookies with cousins

Writing the letter to Santa!

 

Putting the Reindeer food outside!

Reading the night before Christmas :)

Christmas morning!

 

 More shots from Christmas break...

Girls and their dolls with matching Anna and Else dresses :)

Bowling at Diamond Bowl!

Lauren got a package from Grandma Nell! Grandma had told Lauren she would fill this little box up and send it to her, and this was Lauren's face upon receiving it :)

Eating at UpDog in Independence--the girls love that place!