Christmas Time

I've been busy thinking that I should be doing something else for like 2 weeks now. I don't know what it is, but I feel like I'm not doing enough. I have neglected my blog but I've been doing some Christmassy things so now I'll write some of my thoughts:

Last year Dylan would have pulled all of the ornaments off of the tree so we got a cheap pre-lit one for the corner here. This year it was so much easier to just use it than going and getting a big real one. Dylan likes touching the glittery shells my dad brought back with us from Costa Rica. He also likes pointing himself and Santa out from his first Christmas. He would have been fine with a real big tree like Malia has, but this one did the job. I didn't even put out my bulk ornaments this year.

I remember our first Christmas as husband and wife and how I was disappointed that it couldn't be big and spectacular b/c we didn't have much to start out with. I was used to my mom's years of collecting Christmas paraphernalia. I didn't have time to make ornaments and didn't really have the budget to spend money on decorations. Now with a baby and another one on the way, Christmas isn't about decorating my house, it's about making memories with my little family. And I have accumulated things since this is our 6th Christmas together so it's just a fun time.

(I was experimenting w/ camera settings. Some day I'll get a real camera that does what I'm envisioning.)

One thing that my mom had/has a lot of is nativity scenes. I really like that so have started my own collection. I have some ornaments, some scenes from the dollar store, and cool tiny ones from Costa Rica and Colombia. Lacey gave me one that our Grandma got in Mexico. I have them displayed in a couple of places.

I point out the baby Jesus, the "mommy Mary" and the "Daddy Joseph" to Dylan. I have to add their first names as mommy or daddy so he'll understand a little more. He has a felt nativity set that I can take to Church. One Sunday in the worship service I sat him in my lap facing me and he used my tummy as the felt board. Now at home, he comes and finds my tummy to display his baby Jesus, Mommy Mary, Daddy Joseph, and Moo cow. It's so cute how toddlers like consistancy or routines sometimes - like the right way to play with that toy involves my tummy.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE getting Christmas cards. I especially like the ones with pictures. This year our card didn't turn out like I would have wanted, but b/c of stress and hormones, I took the picture myself and added some photoshop creativity and called it done. I wish I would have waited a week to relax about it. I really wanted to show my growing toddler, Dylan and my growing tummy, but I also wanted to also show my and Steven's faces. I even paid a photographer to do a photo shoot but that was a disaster. There was not one usable picture out of the like 5 hours she spent with us. And that was more time than Steven had budgeted for photo taking. Next year I'll try again. So whomever lives near Lacey, use her. That's what I learned from my mistake.

Anyway, look at all of our cards we've gotten! I love it! Only three of mine got sent back so far. If you haven't gotten a card from me, let me know your address. If I haven't gotten one from you, then I'm waiting:)

I made a ton of sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies for church. I got burnt out on all of the steps that took to make the dough, roll the dough, cut out, re-roll, bla bla bla. Today I was supposed to make and take cookies to the widdows in our church w/ some other ladies but I wasn't in the mood to bake those cookies. SO I looked at Lacey's blog and her creative friends. I made these easy treats. The longest part was unwrapping the hugs, kisses, and rollos. I recommend sticking w/ hugs and rollos. Look at her blog to see better pictures than this.

BEFORE putting all the M&Ms in:

Ready to cool:They taste like chocolate covered pretzels.

Oh, and I also attempted the buttermilk pie. It looked good, but was kinda textury. I'm sticking w/ the pretzels.