December Recap

Overall, December wasn't great for me. Which is probably why I didn't blog much.  I felt the pressure bubbling up as soon as Thanksgiving ended.  I kept saying I wasn't in the Christmas spirit.  It took me nearly 3 weeks to figure out what was causing my funk.  In general, I have a lot on my plate... work, MOPS, homeschool, mom and wife life, church volunteering, and more.  I'm sure most moms could say the same.  But then when December hit, each commitment wanted a little more from me.  Work was open later.  Shoppers were crabbier.  There were Christmas parties and extra obligations for MOPS.  My kids expected advent activities, and I wanted to give it to them.  But it was all a lot.

We did have fun, but I'm not sad to be past the holidays.

Logan figured out how to climb out of his crib all of the way.  Once he did it successfully, there was no stopping him.  So we had to turn his crib into a toddler bed.  He's done surprisingly well.

Olivia and Emily in their matching pajamas for the first time.  Look at that smile!

We went on multiple play dates.  This one was for our church, and we made gingerbread houses.

Grocery shopping is not my favorite thing, but I have to admit that these two do pretty good.

Our MOPS Christmas party every year is pajamas for kids and moms alike.  Here I am with my table.  Unfortunately there were a few missing that day.

And the steering team

December is a busy month, but about half of the group leaders got together for a little Christmas dinner and gift exchange.  We had a lot of good laughs, and I needed a night like that!

I had a random Friday night off mid month.  We dressed up and headed out to meet the big guy.

We used a gift card and had dinner at PF Changs.

More white rice!

On our walk to see Santa, we took a picture by the giant tree.

We went to the local outdoor mall this year.  It was perfect.  There was no wait to see Santa, and it was about half the price as other malls.  Score!  The kids were thrilled to finally get to see him and talk to him.  And since there was no line, he actually took time with each one of them. 

From there we went to the free carriage ride they offer.

It was a perfect night to get us in the Christmas spirit.

One day Olivia mapped out a plan for her and Michael to complete for me while I was gone.  Then they reenacted her vision.  Can you guess who they are? :)

We built gingerbread houses.  We've done the house and the train in the past. This year I bought the village so each of us had a small one to do.  I also got smart and hot glued them together first, so we didn't have to worry about them fall apart mid decoration.

I had lunch out with the steering team for MOPS.  We did a favorite things gift exchange and I got a candle.  I'm totally into candles recently.

We went and looked at Christmas lights one evening.  The kids had egg nog (an all time favorite) and gingerbread cookies as a treat in the car.

We went to a play date where there was a photo area with props.  They also did Christmas crafts and played with new to them toys. Always fun.

Our life group had been doing a marriage study, so we ended the semester with a date night to a vineyard.

We took the last two weeks off of school, but that didn't stop us from doing lots of read alouds, coloring, and crafts.

We ended the month with a picnic at the park.  Now it's time to get back on schedule!

I'm sure there is a lot more that went on, but those are the pictures I have.