Christmas in full swing

This year has felt a little different. I did really well with getting shopping done early and that has been great. But with the baby coming I feel like my spirit has gone between Christmas mode/excitement to baby mode/excitement. Why can't the two coincide? I don't know, but I feel like one gets turned off to focus on the other. I'm sure it will all come together into about 3 days of crazy fun and excitement.

We've tried hard to stick to doing all our normal traditions this year. We got our Christmas tree the first weekend in December. Then decorated it that Monday night for Family Home Evening.

I made things a little easier on me this year by making round cookies to decorate instead of shapes and then Wayne bought some decorating icing to save me from having to make extra icing and put in bags--very nice. And it didn't seem to hurt the decorating or fun.

So far we have made sugar cookies for decorating, shortbread house pieces--which will come together on Christmas Eve, 6 batches of poppy seed bread, 4 batches of jelly, and 3 1/2 batches of turtle cookies. It mostly has all gone to neighbors and friends, but we have wonderful people who have filled our counter with wonderful goodies in return.

Aiden had a Christmas program called, "A Bug's Christmas". He was a soldier beetle. It was very cute with fun songs and a cute story.

Parker had a Cub Scout program. They went and sang songs and told Christmas jokes at a set of apartments for the elderly. The people loved them coming and the boys did a great job.

I love Christmas and all the traditions and festivities that surround it. It also means Wayne gets time off work and home with us, which is always wonderful. I woke up this morning a little sad to realize we were almost at the end. But I quickly decided that was the wrong attitude and to enjoy every minute of the time left.

I hope to put up another post with our "official" Christmas letter, but if something should prevent me...

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone!