Christmas Preparations

In only a few short days Christmas will be here. Our Christmas preparations have been in full swing and we are enjoying this time of year. The kids, especially Amelia, are excited for Baby Jesus to be born and for Santa to come and visit her. Even though she really doesn't know want she wants for Christmas. Every time Santa or we ask her, she says: "a gift" or "a straw" (which means a candy cane). I guess Santa has it very easy this year in our house. :) By the way, both kids received a letter from Santa this week. It was sent from Santa's Helper in Himmelspfort, Germany and was definitely a nice surprise for all of us.

This year, I'm really enjoying the holiday season. Advent and of course Christmas through the eyes of a child has to be one of the best things. There is so much wonder and excitement. I just smile the whole time while watching their sweet faces light up during this season. It is so incredibly special. I'm really looking forward to Christmas morning as this is the first year that Amelia really grasps the concept of gifts and opening them and all the excitement surrounding Christmas.

On Tuesday I hosted a little Ornament party at our house. The kids created some nice ornaments (made out of a mixture of baking soda and cornstarch), had some snacks and played while the Mommies had a chance to chat a bit. It was an easy going and fun afternoon and a perfect activity for the kids.

For the kids I filled some little goody bags with chocolate, candy cane and stickers and for the Moms I had purchased those cool wine glasses in a sippy cup. No more spilled wine for us, ladies.

Because the ornaments bake for more than an hour at a low temperature in the oven, the kids were not able to paint  them that afternoon. So the next morning, Amelia got busy and painted and decorated the ornaments with glitter. They looked really good. We will have to do some more this week as we gave all hers away as little gifts.  

Saturday and Sunday Amelia and I baked Christmas cookies. Elliot had fun watching us and choosing the right cookie cutters for us. Amelia loved using her own little rolling pin and pastry brush. She helped every step of the way and I must say, the cookies are delicious (I used an easy German recipe with almonds/ hazelnuts). Santa will definitely enjoy his cookie when he comes to visit our house.

The rest of the weekend we spent doing some chores around the house and playing outside. Elliot is such a boy- he loves the dirt, sand and everything messy. Derrick even threw some wings and ribs on the BBQ and we all enjoyed a delicious meal.

Of course a bath was more than necessary after a fun afternoon in the backyard.

 

And to finish off the weekend, tonight we drove around the neighborhood and looked at all the different Christmas decorations. Some people really did a great job with their decorations.

Even though there are still a few things left to do before Christmas- wrapping Christmas gifts is the most important one, also building a gingerbread house and making some more ornaments- we are ready and excited for Santa to come. The countdown is definitely on.