Our December didn't feel quite so rushed with festivities this year, but it was nice.
Eden trying out Rebecah's walking boot:
Rebecah on the other hand was very happy to get the "all clear" and give up her walking boot! The boot was much better than crutches, but it still got tiresome after a month. Her ankle is fully healed. She went to one physical therapy appointment to learn some strengthening exercises, but she is good to go again and is so happy to be active once more.
Rebecah didn't want to pose for this picture, but I told her holding up that boot was like winning a trophy!
Joseph and I took the little girls to Dasher's Magical Gift. It's a ballet performance geared toward younger kids. I thought it was so boring, but the girls loved it.
We went to Rebecah's band concert. She is the first chair clarinet and her bestie sits right next to her. She wanted to be dropped off extra early for her concert so I just stayed and reserved close seats for the rest of the family.
We took a trip to Skaneateles, NY for their Charles Dickens festival. This quaint little town sits on the edge of one of the Finger Lakes. The downtown area is so cute. They had people dressed as characters from A Christmas Carol, other people in period dress, bands playing Christmas songs, Father Christmas, and free samples of roasted chestnuts (gross, by the way). The kids weren't very impressed with the excursion so we were back in the car less than an hour later. They did enjoy their hot chocolate, though.
We stopped in a little toy shop and Lincoln and Eden fell in love with some of the stuffed animals.
A visit to Father Christmas. This man played the part SO well!
Eden's class had a Grinch day at school and made a Grinch craft and drank green juice.
Gingerbread houses. We actually just used graham crackers this year. I didn't want to spend the money on five gingerbread kits and I didn't want to make gingerbread pieces, either. I decided to simplify and just use crackers. No one seemed to mind. Kimball opted not to decorate a house and Lincoln did his after the girls.
My ministering sister gave me this cute little Nutcracker-themed puzzle. I am NOT a puzzle person, but my family sure is! I did a few pieces, but Annika, Joseph and Kimball did most of the puzzle in less than 24 hours. It will be a fun puzzle for them to put together each year.
We attended the Christmas Eve service at the Lutheran church again this year. The kids enjoyed the experience enough last year for us to do it again this year. It is always a good opportunity to build interfaith relationships. We were warmly welcomed and a member of the congregation is also on the school board, so he recognized the kids and spoke with them.
All ready for Christmas morning! Since Christmas was on a Sunday this year we did things a little differently. Christmas morning the kids got up at 7:00 and they saw what Santa brought them and the little things in their stockings, but we waited to open the rest of the presents so we could focus on Jesus and get ready for church. The kids were SO good about waiting. I think we all agreed that opening presents in the early afternoon was perfect because it spread out the Christmas joy and we could worship our Savior without being distracted by presents.
I forgot to take pictures of our Christmas present opening. I just wanted to be present in the moment, but then realized that I now have no documentation of the moment for future viewing.
Here are the kids with their presents from Santa. Kimball opted to sleep in and I forgot to take a picture of him later.
Annika wanted a bookshelf so she could display her Lego sets!
This was a little Nativity that Annika put together with various Barbie and Lego characters.
We went to Sweet Frog (frozen yogurt) with friends. Here Lincoln has frog legs hanging out of his mouth! We basically had the place to ourselves so we sat and visited for an hour and a half.
Kimball is running indoor track, so went as a family to one of his meets. This year he is running the 55-meter hurdles.
My little girls playing together.
Other notables that aren't pictured. We took bread around to various neighbors and friends the week leading up to Christmas. I would make three loaves each day and deliver them with the kids in the evenings. Lincoln, Annika and Eden had a week of swimming lessons, which they loved. Annika moved up a level which made her so happy. She works hard on her swimming.
We look forward to the new opportunities we will have in 2023!
