december was full to the brim with parties and activities getting ready for Christmas.
this included redecorating the tree after it tipped over each of the four times.
we need a new stand. but the girls especially loved it.
i caught the girls in the middle of something and can't remember what.
i love grace's face
and the cluster of ornaments at the bottom of the tree.
we decorated a gingerbread house from last year that i packed away in our Christmas storage.
madison had free creative reign and did a great job.
g&g lebaron let us choose something we wanted this year for Christmas and we settled for snow boots - something we maybe wouldn't have bought ourselves but needed very much (we were very grateful!).
dan puts his to good use shoveling the snow... mine are more for leisure. :)
we couldn't let december pass by without making and frosting sugar cookies. i attended a relief society dinner and left dan in charge of dying the frosting colors and supervising the girls. they loved it and had fun showing off their cookies when i got home.
dan helped decorate gingerbread cookies with the residents one night so they could be given to all the office staff and doctors they work with. the girls warmed up to the other kids pretty quickly and they ran around the house like crazies for the night. the highlight for me was the cream cheese dip with red pepper and jalapeno jelly. so good!
not pictured is the ward party - grace was in tears and shaking when santa entered the room and madison was a little bit more brave. when it came time to sit on santa's lap, grace was the brave one because she knew she'd get a candy cane. that wasn't a good enough bribe for madison and she wouldn't have any part in it. so funny.
dan's work party was held at a local bar/restaurant and was an extended cocktail hour type of event - standing and visiting around tall tables with hor d'oeuvres and drinks on the house. i'm slowly getting more comfortable at these types of events with the other dermatologists and office staff dan works with. for some reason i find it very intimidating as a "stay at home mom". but you couldn't pay me a million dollars to change what i do for a living. i'd miss precious moments like the one below. no way, jose.
i also attended a baby shower for one of the resident's and it was fun. it made me quite excited for my own pregnancy to draw to a close - wishful thinking. i still have months and months to go.
for yw's we had several activities that helped me get in the mood for the season - a progressive Christmas party, a Christmas choir concert and delivering letters and goodies to families in the ward that needed some extra tlc. i was in charge of the yw progressive Christmas party. i attempted to make luminaries for the houses we visited and i think everything went well. i was very nervous!
dan was busy, busy every sunday - leaving super early for meetings and getting home late from tithing settlement. we were glad when that ended!
we really tried to be frugal for the holidays this year and part of the plan was to make some homemade gifts. i made this blanket for hannah with byu's old school logo and i love how it turned out. despite being simple and fairly easy, it took me forever. haha. i am so not creatively talented!
i also made photo blocks for my mom and mark, hannah, and chris. i took a wooden cube and mod podged pictures on each of the six sides. hannah and chris got pictures of their nieces and nephew and my dad and brother. mom and mark got two cubes with pictures of all their combined grandchildren. a friend gave me the blocks and the idea - i can't claim either one.
dan got a towel/rice bag to microwave and put at the foot of our beds to keep his feet warm at night. lucky for me, he shares. i thought it would be a surprise but dan said he figured it out when he saw the big bag of rice i bought. next year i'll have to be more sneaky.
i made a couple things for the girls room as well. these temple blocks (kits from the same friend as above) will go on their shelves and i decorated big letters (M and G) to hang above their beds with ribbon. it was fun to put in time and make some of this Christmas be less money and homemade.
december was busy and stressful and filled to the brim but looking back we were able to enjoy so much as a family and create so many memories. next year i'll just have to do more ahead of time and simplify, simplify, simplify.
1 comment:
Marie you did a GREAT job with the blanket!!! I love it, I really do. It's on my bed right now :) And the blocks are such a good thing to have out on my desk-it's a very good reminder of the amazing family I have. Thank you! I appreciate the time and effort you put into them!
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