Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy Solstice!
This was our first Christmas with just our little family. We enjoyed our time together and creating our own traditions. I think Scott and I were more excited for Santa to come than the kids, it is so much fun to be the parent (most of the time anyway).
Oh Christmas Tree, missing the felt tree skirt and presents but beautifully decorated and then re-decorated and then re-decorated again and again . . . you get the point.
Daddy went to Madison's school for her Holiday concert and crafting, very exciting for the both of them, I don't know who had more fun.
Advent candle (picture courtesy Madison) we managed to light every night with our meal blessing and gratitudes. Right beside the very flameable Rudolph Bumble which Carter is very scared of.
The ever popular and more elaborate every year gingerbread house.
This year's Santa photo, hanging on our new photo mobile. Gotta love Gabe crying, Cart pouting and Madi the only one smiling.
Christmas eve, we went to church where Carter said, "
Shhh, baby Jesus is sleeping". After our appetizers we gave the kids their
Waldorf dolls. Madison screamed when she opened Sasha, they have been inseparable ever since.
The stockings were hung and a plate of "sun" cookies and milk for Santa, carrots for the reindeer and of course some nice cheese for
Santa Mouse my favourite Christmas book from childhood which I now love to read/recite by memory to my own children over an over again.
Carter's
castle which he absolutely loves, he has put in an order for Mommy to make him a felt dragon, "green with a fire tongue" please.
Madison's
dollhouse, I love how Santa put the Daddy sitting on the toilet!
Gabriel, our sweet happy easy going Gabe, on his first Christmas morning, he was so excited but had no idea what exactly was going on.
Carter screamed with delight when he opened his roll of scotch tape. He also got 4 glue sticks which is great since he uses on average one per day.
Madison took some time out from playing her new recorder (another present she screamed when she opened) to pose in the new
silk cape, which Santa put in Gabe's stocking by mistake, even Santa makes mistakes!
Gabriel posing in the
dragon costume which is really for me since I always have to be the dragon,
Madi is always the princess and Carter is of course the brave knight (with no armour for now which is one of my many new sewing projects for the new year).
Madison gave hand-made Valentine cards to her school friends this year. I cut out a heart and wrote on the front and she did the rest. She wrote her name inside, drew & coloured pictures and stickered. We really enjoyed doing this together and she was really excited about giving them to her friends. What a sweetheart.
Gabriel a.k.a. Gabe, Baby Gabie, Gigi, Googoo, Mr. McGeeMcGoo turned one on the weekend! We can't believe that it has been a year since he literally dropped into this world and was caught by Daddy. He truly is an angel, he is the sweetest, happy, easy going, most cuddly baby. He fills this family with much love and we adore him.
The whole family helped to make his birthday banana chocolate chip cake which Madison & Carter picked for him because apparently he likes bananas so much and they like the chocolate. We don't have a picture of the finished cake because Daddy cut into it before the party.
Here he is, the birthday boy, wearing his birthday crown, eating his birthday cake with his new birthday train in front of him to distract him from taking off his crown for the picture.
We got him a Heros Birthday train, so that every year he gets a new wagon to add to the train with birthday candles to blow out. How cool is that for a little boy to have?
I did manage to make him a felt birthday crown, which he will only get to wear on his birthday and every year he will get a new embroidered star.
