Thursday, January 02, 2014

Christmas 2013

I need to download pictures from my camera.  I should have taken more pictures, but that is always the case. I'll add the pictures in when I get to them, but in the meantime, I want to at least record what we did so that we can do the good things again next year.

Fun things we did:
-Audrey was in her first production of the Nutcracker.  She was a Chinese dancer and that song is about 2 1/2 minutes long.  So it was a low-pressure, quick performance.  She loved being a part of it and did well.
-Audrey and her friend Maddie (a neighbor from across the street) and her Grandma Margie and I all went to the Warner theater production of the Nutcracker.  It was awesome!!! It was the best production of the Nutcracker that I have ever seen.
-Lights at BullRun Park - it was a drive through a really neat light show.
-making lots of cookies - molasses spice, Russian tea cakes, Christmas cowgirl cookies (red and green m&ms), and of course sugar cookies rolled, cut and frosted.
-Advent calendars - my mom sent the girls a chocolate advent calendar each and they were so excited to open a new piece of chocolate every morning after breakfast; a playmobile winter woodland advent calendar (also from my mom); and a felt tree and ornament calendar
-Patty the elf made his appearance the morning after Thanksgiving and hid around the house.  December 23 Patty was in Meredith's room and December 24 Patty was in Audrey's room.
-The first day of Audrey's winter break we went to the in-laws and did the above mentioned sugar cookies and the girls got to play with all of the in-laws decorations including the train around the tree which they both love.
-Watched Christmas movies - Muppet Christmas carol, Sponge Bob Christmas, Cricket on the Hearth, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph, National Lampoon's Christmas vacation (just me - it was awesome as always).
-Decorated the house including the two trees and some out-door lights (candy canes, icicles, and a net light for one of the bushes).
-Listened to Christmas music mostly in the car on the radio because the girls wanted to listen to the Frozen soundtrack more than Christmas music at the house



Christmas Eve
-Audrey made a ginger bread house with Grandma Margie
-I made ham and sweet potato casserole (turned out awesome), Margie brought a homemade cheesecake - yum (and salad and fruit, but those are not as interesting)
-More cleaning than I want to remember (it did make for a magical Christmas morning...)
-We let the girls open one present which was pajamas
-We sang Christmas carols and read the Night Before Christmas
-Audrey wrote a note to Santa and picked out a cookie loaded with frosting and sprinkles and candy on top as well as a carrot for Rudolph
-Nina goes with Patty to the North Pole

Christmas Day
-Opened stockings while skyping with Claire
-opened presents
-Dutch Baby for breakfast and Westfields for lunch/dinner
-Nina grew up!! Meredith got a cabbage patch baby doll named Shelly Sheryl
-After Westfields we went to Ryan's parents house for presents and hung out there into the evening doing a puzzle.

1 comment:

Sylvan said...

Sounds like it was a magical Christmas. Very cute with the elf. With Nina growing up is she now a Barbie?