Traditions

 

This year we decided to leave our tree in the box and get a real tree.  We put the tree up the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  One of our holiday traditions is that every year we take the kids shopping and they choose an new ornament that goes on the tree.  When they leave and have a family of their own.   They can take their ornaments with them to have for their tree. They always seem to pick out a mercury glass ornament. Nathan and  Andrew's selection varies from year to year.   Emma always picks a kitty cat, and  Barret, a train.

Another tradition is that I sew the kids matching Christmas pajamas.  This year I ordered fabric and ended up short 1 1/2 yds.  Nathan grew out of the pattern I normally use.  He now wears an adult size.

Emma and Andrew's school was hosted a Polar Express party.  They were permitted to wear their pajamas and bring a pillow.  They watched the movie in the school auditorium and were served cocoa with marshmallows. Each got a "golden ticket".  They had a blast.   Thank goodness I had a deadline, or they would still be unfinished.

Here is Emma in her pj's before school:

All I want for Christmas is.... =)

                 Andrew and Barret

I stayed up late trying to finish Andrew's before the school party.  He found them on his bed the next morning and came running in to give me a hug.  Scot had dressed Barret before he left for work but, he took them off to try on his new pajamas.  

Andrew loves snowmen.  We have an outdoor snowman that we put out at Christmas.  We used to store it in the attic with a sheet pulled over him.  When we were moving, the movers took the sheet off of him and loaded him on the truck.  Andrew cried for an hour about it because he thought his snowman was going to get cold without his sheet.  They finally had to put the sheet over him so he would stop.

Here is an old picture of Andrew and his buddy when we first bought him. He was 2mos shy of two.

We usually go through 4 pounds of butter during the Christmas season.  We make several different cookies, pecan tassies,  fruit and sausage and cheese kolaches.

I always envisioned creating sugar cookies with my children to look something like this:



Instead the gingerbread  men look like homicide victims.  My cookie cutters were Scot's mothers that included all the holidays.  So our Christmas cookies include the Easter Bunny, the Thanksgiving Turkey, a Halloween Pumpkin and an American Flag.

 It's the memories you're making, right?  Sure.

They're getting good at making cookies though.  I am pretty impressed.  Here's little Miss Martha making her favorite White Chocolate and Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies:

We were a dozen short because she couldn't stop snacking on the dough. I'm surprised she didn't get a stomachache!

 

Andrew making Peanut Butter Chip Cookies.

Barret took the job of transferring the cooled cookies to the cookie jar.

Where's Nathan you say?  Wrestling Practice-  Monday through Saturday, school or no school.  =(