Every year we look forward to the family Christmas parties, and this year did not disappoint. We always have a great time, and it's so fun to visit and catch up with family, and of course see how much each kid has grown in the last year.
We're still working on incorporating new traditions into our new little family, and we got to introduce something new to Harper that I grew up with: an advent calendar. Every morning she got to check that day's slot to see what treat she had waiting for her. I loved seeing her excitement and it reminded me of how much I always enjoyed checking my calendar when I was a kid. The calendars we used as kids are who-knows-where, but Mimi finally found ones that were fairly close to those and sent them to us and I coudn't have been more thrilled.
We also baked Jesus some birthday cupcakes and sang Happy Birthday to Him, which Harper loved. And something that might become a new tradition was going out to look at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve. We bathed the kids and put them in their Christmas PJs, then loaded them into the car and drove around to find the coolest homes. It was lots of fun, even if a bit disappointing with the caliber of homes. Better luck next year!
Nana and Papa came over on Christmas morning to watch the kids open their gifts which was tons of fun. Harper got a new kitchen and Jasper got a fun interactive walker, among tons of several other gifts. They scored! Harper and I then went to the airport to pick up Mimi and Poppy, and we went home to open the rest of our gifts. We had a big dinner that evening and continued to eat for the next 4 days straight!
The visit with Mimi and Poppy was wonderful and we loved having them here. We hope they come back to visit soon! One of the best memories we made was Harper covering Poppy like she covers her dolls when she puts them to bed. She started carefully piling each of her blankies on him as he relaxed on the couch. He kept asking her to cover his feet, but apparently that isn't something her babies ever ask for, so she was reluctant to. When she finally did, it was with the big pink throw blanket, and she simply draped them over the ends of his feet, then continued piling her blankies on his body. She topped it off with a Santa hat -- all of it totally unassisted. It was too funny and I took plenty of pics!
We had a wonderful Christmas this year with so many wonderful memories. Here are a few of the pictures to share:
Jasper and cousin Diesel, 2 months apart
Hanes/Morganthaler/Johnson Christmas party
The kiddos: Harper, Jasper, Diesel and Thomas
Tackling his older cousin
Harper testing out the cupcake in her new tea set
Her second to last treat in her advent calendar. It's Christmas Eve!
Going to check out Christmas lights in our matching jammies.
Opening presents on Christmas morning.
Happy Santa boy
Playing with Poppy
With his feet covered
The final product.
All dressed up for lunch with Mimi and Poppy.
Mommy, Jasper and Poppy
Here's to a Merry Christmas in 2011!!!
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