OK, take a deep breath. This is going to feel like one looooong run-on sentence. Because that is a perfect analogy of our December this year.
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| We kicked off the Christmas season with my favorite tradition - a drive thru Bethlehem. The Rolling Bay Presbyterian church does an amazing job at recreating the scene, complete with Roman soldiers, live animals, and a giant (not live) camel. |
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| We held our 18th annual Finnish Independence Day feast. This was the biggest yet, and we still ate leftovers for a solid week. |
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| Our 3rd annual Christmas stay at the Sheraton. Torah loved the view from our window. |
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| Nathan was a great sport to swim with his girls. Mom was NOT gonna play beluga whale in that water! |
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| I "shared" a bed with Torah. This shot was taken at 3am. I spent most of the night clinging to the foot of the bed. |
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| The best gingerbread houses ever! The theme was Fairy Tales, and WOW! Little Mermaid |
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| A conglomeration of Brothers Grimm stories |
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| Alice in Wonderland |
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| Aladdin |
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| Then we headed downtown for a day of shopping. This was Nordstroms. I'm typically VERY anti-crowds, but I loved the festive atmosphere all over Seattle. |
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| Baba took the girls on the Christmas carousel. |
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| We came home just in time for our ward Christmas party. Cutest party ever. The youth put on an "Elf Training Program" for the kids. There were activities in each room. |
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| And I somehow managed to get all 5 kids with Santa! |
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| Torah LOVED Santa! |
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| In the middle of the month, this remarkable girl managed to turn 7. She wanted baklava instead of cake. I just adore her! |
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| Even though our rule is that birthday parties are RARE and only for "special" birthdays, she somehow manages to talk her way into getting one every stinkin' year. I think she just catches me when I'm wiped out and too busy to really think about what she's asking me. |
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| We baked & baked & baked all month long. I honestly think we went through about 10 lbs of butter, and nearly as much sugar. Nathan made, ummm, MOUNTAINS of baklava! |
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| Emma had her first school band concert. Jingle Bells never sounded so great! |
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| Crappy picture of our annual Islandental party. We do a hilarious white elephant gift exchange each year. |
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| Have I mentioned Sugar Overload!?! But mmmmm, those were some yummy gingerbread men. |
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| We invited all of the single, elderly sisters in our ward over for dinner the Sunday before Christmas. It was a hoot! These women have the most fun, interesting stories to tell. This will definitely become a new tradition. |
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| The annual Christmas Fire Truck. It always comes by our house on Christmas Eve Eve. It's the sure sign that the end is in sight . . . |
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| Finally, it was Christmas Eve!! We went to the service at Bethany Lutheran, then came home to eat chicken wings & pizza (& sushi for me). And watch A Christmas Story!! |
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| Christmas Eve jammies |
Christmas morning was as lovely as you could possibly hope for. The kids were thrilled with their gifts. They played and ate all day ...
... while Nathan & I got sick. Hello winter flu season. The final week of December is a complete hazy blur. I'm not exactly sure what Torah did or ate all week.
But welcome 2013! You are looking very promising indeed.
2 comments:
I have wondered where you've been! Busy and sick. Ugh.
I totally had to laugh at the picture of Torah because that is SO Nicholas! (Still to this day). Two years ago, we bought him a full size bed and that boy needs every inch of it!
Looks like a wonderful holiday. If I don't see sugar for at least 6 months, I'll be content. We baked like madmen around here. I've got the extra pounds to prove it. Worth it!
I love this post. So many great traditions, not the least of which is your annual staycation at the Sheraton. I'm liking that idea...
I scrapped nearly all of our traditions for just this year, which was okay for now, but my kids really missed some of the usual ways of celebrating the season. Your family culture is rich with love and traditions old and new--thanks for inspiring me!
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