Christmas Countdown

We have been keeping up (sort of) with our Christmas Countdown activities. I am finding that this was much easier to do when I didn't have kids in school. But, we are doing our best and cramming in some extra fun when we have time.

 Last week we had our 2nd Annual Grinch Party! We have been excited to do this again. Adam and Tessa made some Grinch masks, we watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas, played Pin the Heart on the Grinch, and had our Grinch feast-complete with a roast beast, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, green pudding salad, green vegetable salad, green punch and green rolls. 

 This week we also made and decorated sugar cookies. This is a must for us around any holiday!

 Gwen was a good little taste tester. 

 They did a good job decorating them!

 We made reindeer pancakes for breakfast one morning. Tessa wanted her pancake to be Comet, so she didn't get a cherry nose. 

 Saturday afternoon we spent up at Spring Haven with all of our Nielson Family. As always, it was fun to get together with everyone and laugh. Our kids had tons of fun playing with all of their cousins!!

Visiting Santa

 Yesterday we went up to the mall to visit Santa. Gwen was so excited to see him, she was calling, "Santa!" before we even got to him. When it was their turn to sit on his lap, Gwen ran right over to him and jumped onto his lap. Such a difference from last year!! Adam and Tessa both got to tell him what they wanted for Christmas and then we got a couple of cute pictures. They were happy kids!

Gingerbread Houses and Hot Chocolate Party

Last night for Family Home Evening, we had the Riley's over to make gingerbread houses with us!

 Tessa helped me get all the candy ready. We had quite the spread! I made all the houses ahead of time and the frosting was ready to go in bags, so the kids just jumped right in!

We have some creative kids! Their houses all tuned out amazing! We enjoyed spending the evening with our wonderful friends. Actually, we consider them family more than anything! We filled our bellies with yummy hot chocolate, the kids played, and the mommy's and daddy's got to catch up on life. We are so thankful for the Riley' and are glad they came over for a fun evening!

A Kiddo Update

 Today was our ward Primary Program. Adam and Tessa both memorized their parts and did really well when it was their turn! Adam said, "Heavenly Father wants me to pray to Him often, anytime, anywhere". Tessa said, "Our life has a plan and it began in Heaven."

Adam is excited to have another loose tooth. He asks me daily if he can go play basketball on our very frozen driveway. He reads multiple books at a time and just finished his first Harry Potter book.

Tessa is full of imagination. We are constantly playing dress up, or shopping, or library, or kitty cats, or clubhouse, or having tea parties. She is reading so well. She loves to write love notes to people.

 Gwen might seriously drive me crazy!! She has been my most difficult 2 year old! And, she's not even 2 yet!!! We thought Tessa was independent. Gwen has given Tessa a run for her money!! She is constantly into something or trying to do something she knows she shouldn't. I feel like 5 minutes after she's awake, I am already out of patience for the day. She is lucky she is so cute!!

 She loves to dress up! We often find her wandering around the house in a tutu, a crown, high heels and as much jewelry as she can get away from Tessa. 

 She wanted to go play in the snow with Adam and Tessa, but for some reason the snow freaked her out and she wouldn't even go outside. She looked cute all bundled up. 

 Her biggest news is that she is binky free! I wasn't mentally prepared to do it yet and there are times I want to give it back to her, but she has done so well without it and it's nice not having to keep track of her one and only binky. She's dying to use the potty, but I know for sure I am not ready to start that adventure!

 Gwen loves her big sister and wants to do everything Tessa does. They both loved their new dresses for church and had to wear matching butterfly necklaces. I hope they grow up to be best friends. They already fight over clothes and accessories, so I can only imagine how fun the next 10-15 years are going to be!

Christmas Countdown

We started our Christmas countdown activities a few days ago. On Monday, the kids wrote their letters to Santa. Gwen colored him and nice picture. Adam and Tessa were anxious to get their lists to him!

 Wednesday we made snowflakes to decorate our windows. 

 Friday we made our traditional reindeer cookies. They were gobbled up quickly!

With the yucky weather this week, we have also enjoyed time coloring Christmas pictures, watching some of our favorite Christmas movies and reading our favorite Christmas books. The kids are looking forward to seeing what is planned for next week!