Merry Christmas You Filthy Animal

Here's how we celebrated Christmas 2016...

On Christmas Eve, we went to my mom & dad's house.

When we got home that evening, the kids were allowed to open one present. Alex tore into what he was hoping was Skylanders Imaginators (and it was!) And Addy chose NOT to open a present because Christmas morning is when you're supposed to open presents & it wasn't Christmas morning. (Which is just another example how Alex is my mini me & Addy is just like Nick!!)

Then the kids put on their new Christmas pajamas that the Pajama Elf brought, set out cookies & milk for Santa & went to sleep.

So that Santa could come!

Christmas morning the kids woke up early & dug in!

They got lots of great gifts including...

new art supplies 

pokemon figurines

nerf guns

fun blankets

and clothes.

On December 26th, we celebrated Christmas with the Roeders at Susan's house.

And on the 28th we celebrated at Pat & Eddie's.

We had a great time celebrating the holidays with all our loved ones! 

Life As We Know It... Christmas Edition

Here are some of the things we've been doing this Christmas season...

On December 2nd, Addy & I went to our Girl Scout
Christmas pajama party/service project.

Our troop decided that for their fall service project that they wanted to make Christmas ornaments & take up a collection of cookies & gift cards for the Amschwand Sarcoma Cancer Foundation.

So we combined that with our troop Christmas party.

At the party, the girls made super cool ornaments by 

melting crayons inside a glass ball.

And reindeer ornaments using glitter & mopping solution as the glue!

The girls made 2 of each, 1 to donate to the foundation & 1 to keep for themselves.

They also painted Christmas pictures and took photos in our 

homemade photo booth!

We asked each girl to bring a box of cookies & a gift card to the party to donate to the foundation. We collected about 50 boxes of cookies & 

almost $300 in gift cards.

Addy helped me box everything up & then I delivered it to the foundation.

The kids had their Christmas parties at school...

During Alex's party, they made shapes out of pipe cleaners & pony beads.

Alex made his into this heart for me!

They also decorated cookies & cut paper into 

snowflakes!

During Addy's party, they played a marshmallow toss & catch game, made trail mix & painted Christmas ornaments.

And Nick & I also went to a Christmas party.

Not a school party though, just one that a friend was throwing 

& we had a great time!

The kids & I painted Santas.

I sketched them all out the same but boy did they all turn our really different!

We also made gingerbread houses

and Christmas trash

homemade hot chocolate & lots of other yummy Christmas treats that I didn't get a picture of.

And of course we spent a LOT of time decorating the house 

for the Christmas season!!