The Very Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is Singing Loud for All to Hear!

As always, the holiday season passes as quickly as it seems to arrive. We’ve been busy, busy the past few weeks soaking up the Christmas season and all the fun that goes with it. Ideally, I should have separated these out into separate posts. But that didn’t happen so here’s a Christmas photo dump of sorts.

The next four or five days will be a whirlwind of family, presents, ham and good times. I’ve made it my singular goal this year to slow down, enjoy the season, and be as stress-free as possible. So far, I’m doing pretty good. I’ve been making my Christmas cookies over the past few weeks and stocking my freezer so I can just pull them out to bake off before we go somewhere. Our family parties are fairly spaced out (by spaced out I mean we only have one a day for four days) and all our presents are bought and wrapped.

Like everyone else across the country, I’m counting my blessings this Christmas in the aftermath of tragedy. As a mom, a former teacher, the wife of a teacher, a Christian, an American, the sister of a (soon-to-be) psychologist and the sister of a (soon-to-be) law enforcement officer my heart aches. Like a lot of schools, East and North were swimming this week with rumors of shootings. The school cancellation today was an answered prayer and I will sleep much sounder now that Adam is home for two weeks.

My three greatest blessings….



A little Christmas baking...



...a little Christmas arts and crafts

and a little Christmas "shopping"



We took the girls to see Santa a couple weeks ago. I thought Abi would be scared, but she went right up and sat on his lap. When Santa asked her if she wanted him to bring her a baby doll, she announced, "Nope, I'll have PlayDough."



Our Christmas gatherings actually started a couple weekends ago.
Here's a pic from Christmas with Grandma Dorothy last weekend.



Abi couldn't wait to go out in the first snow this morning. She lasted about 5 minutes.



I love this picture. Abi is obviously amused by the story she is making up.
And Madi has just given up trying to follow along.



reading in her house



The bottom right is Madelyn's first taste of baby cereal. Clearly, she is not a fan. ha!