December remembered . . .

I had a bit of gingerbread dough that I'd made for my preschool kiddos.  Jeff has always wanted to try a genuine gingerbread house, and so I figured I would come up with a construction pattern, and give it a try . . . 

This recipe was made with lots of cream and butter:  making it very soft and melt-in-your-mouth-y . . . 

A combination that is great for munching . . . 

 But . . . 

 Maybe not quite so good for building a house you might want to stand, and add lots of candy and stuff to . . . 

But, just in case you were worried that it went to waste, don't be, we all helped clear the pan so that we could start fresh with great building material:  

The trusty Graham Cracker. The kiddos all worked together to create a sugar charged masterpiece . . . 

that lasted all the way . . . until a few days later.

. . . .

December 19th was a day I had been looking forward to . . . 

We dropped off the kiddos at school and a friends house, and spent the entire morning having the longest ultrasound I've every had, but completely worth it!  I know the pictures are a bit strange looking, but if you look right at HER face, you can tell that she already looks like one of the family.  We are excited to get to meet this little lady in a few months, and have begun to collect, create, and organize in anticipation of her arrival . . . 

Everything looked great, and it was amazing to see her little hands wave, and cradle her face, as well as a glimpse at her eyes, I've never seen that before.  She was looking right at us at one point, and we saw her eye . . . the ultrasound took a while because she was a bit sleepy, staying in the same position, and they wanted to get everything measured. . . 

Third time was a charm, and they were able to get all the measurements they were in need of, and we were able to spend a bit more time seeing our little one . . .

. . . .

A few days before Christmas Eve, Jeff and the kiddos began working on the Norwegian Cake that would be part of our Eve dinner.  He is so good at having the kids help him and work together, Love it!

Pretty impressive finished product don't you think?

 Christmas Eve day, Jeff and I spent cooking all day, something we really enjoy doing in preparation for dinner, and fun company.  All the regular food players showed up, along with a cream and cloud berry dessert called:  multecrem.  I wasn't sure if it was worth the effort of tracking down the illusive cloud berry preserves, but one look at Jeff's face as he took a taste spoke volumes:  totally what he remembered as a child.

The kiddos made sure to leave Santa letters, cookies, and milk, and the reindeer food outside for good measure, and went to bed very quietly.

 Sunday, Christmas morning, we did stockings and new clothes, and headed off to sing prelude music and enjoy a lovely musical Christmas program to celebrate the birth or our Saviour.  

 After church, we acted out the nativity, twice, to allow for both girls to play "Mary"  I think this is my favorite part of the whole day . . . 

The rest of the day was spent doing things together, playing with new toys, and talking with family . . . 

We hope you and yours had a very Merry Christmas and look forward to a wonderful New Year!