Christmas at Home

Our Christmas break has been quieter than normal, and we definitely have missed gathering with our family. Having two joyous ladies to spend the days with, though, did bring a lot of happiness to our hearts. For the first time, Santa visited our home on Christmas morning. The excitement of finding the presents, opening the presents, and playing with the presents got us all up very early, but man, was it worth it. These sweet peas are SO MUCH FUN. Here is an early morning pic of opening presents:

Santa's big gift was a zipline, which will bring a lot of fun to our warmer months here!

Reindeer Food

To continue a tradition from Dana's house in our daycare days, the girls made and scattered reindeer food out on Christmas Eve. Some of these moments I wish I could just bottle up to always remember. Their joy, excitement, and sweet sense of belief is just perfect right now.

Baking Day

Two weeks ago, we spent most of a Saturday baking some holiday goodies. We had so much fun this year, and we had minimal arguing. Win, win! The day coincided with our first measurable snow of the year, which help make some pretty festive feelings. For the sugar cookies, we even got Jeremy in on the act. Like with most activities in his life, he declared himself very talented at baking! ☺️ It was a great day!

Kate's Interview

 

Here are Kate’s answers to her 7-year-old interview:

Favorite Food:  Noodles
Foods I Don’t Like:   Eggs
Favorite Thing to Learn:   Writing
Favorite Color:  Orange
Best Friend:  Addy, Karlie, Delaney, Natalie, and Katelyn
Favorite Game to Play:  Cool Math Games
Favorite Books to Read:  Chapter Books, like Ice Princess
Favorite TV Show:  KC Undercover, Big City Greens, and Bluey
Favorite Holiday: Christmas
Things I Do Well:  Jumping rope
Favorite Place to Go:  Grandma’s House
Favorite Thing to Do With Family: Play Monopoly
Favorite Thing about House:  My room
Favorite Thing to do Outside: Jump rope
Favorite Chore:  Making my bed
Least Favorite Chore:  Cleaning the toilets
Favorite Song: Little Mix “Power”, BTS “Dynamite”
When I Grow Up I Want to Be a:  Dance Teacher
Place I Want to Visit:  Hawaii
Favorite Part of Each Day: School
Favorite Drink: Pop
Favorite Sport or Activity to Play: Coloring
Something New I Want to Learn How to Do: Tell time
Best Part of Your Family:  My pets

Kate

Oh, our baby Kate. How is it that you are turning 7? This amazing little girl is growing up too quickly. 

On Kate's big day, the three of us went to wake her up together and whispered, "Happy Birthday, Kate." She whipped off her covers, sat up, and said, "Happy Birthday to ME!" What a nut.

Kate has grown into a funny, big hearted, loveable, slightly screen obsessed, dramatic, and oh, so fun little lady. Her sense of humor makes us laugh out loud daily, and even though her behavior at school comes close to crossing the line, she brings a lot of fun wherever she goes. We are grateful every day to be her parents. 

She enjoyed a fabulous day at school with her friends, lots of phone calls and texts, cool presents to open, and a delicious meal that night. All in all, it was a great day!

Kate, our wish for you this year is to keep up your sunny disposition. Your smile, laughter, and jokes bring so much fun to the world, and this year, we have all needed it! We love you, Kate!

Our Tree

Another tree hunting experience is in the books! This year proved to be a bit more difficult to find a tree that was fresh without paying a price Jeremy couldn't stomach. After three stops, we ended up with a beautifully shaped tree that hasn't filled our house with any kind of tree smell. 🙁 We aren't even sure if it is drinking water or if it is just the cats. Oh, well. The girls had a blast decorating the tree and reminiscing about the ornaments. At the end, Jeremy held off a star fight by picking up BOTH girls to put it in together. Way to go!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a quiet one, but it still gave us a lot to be thankful for. One thing in particular....my little potato peeler. I loved having help in the kitchen while cooking! Besides her wonderful company, I have NEVER enjoyed peeling potatoes! Win, win!