Early Christmas Presents-and Cookies

Everyone at this house got early Christmas presents. Two reasons for this.

1. Snug needed to give his daddy's hat back...so he got his new one early. Plus we got snowman snow (see below)
2. We had "Christmas Eve" early.

Snowman snow! We only get snowman snow maybe two or three times a winter. Most of the time it is way too cold and the snow doesn't pack. However, yesterday Little Monkey Man got to use his early Christmas present-a snowman kit! He got a wooden box with all the pieces (sans arms and actual snow) you see here, inside. Every time we get snowman snow he can have great pieces to make his snowman out of!

Here is Snug's new hat. Daddy got his old one back...finally!

Merry Christmas to Mommy! Little Monkey Man is potty training. He's been doing REALLY well. As of this moment he is 24 hours clean/dry!!!!! It is a Christmas miracle!

*And yes, that is daddy's hat. Maybe he isn't really getting it back...hmmmm

.

Last night we celebrate Christmas Eve as #1 will be working the actual Christmas Eve. The kids and I will go to church for service, but then they will come home and go to bed as usual.

When I was little we went to my uncle's house after church on Christmas Eve and had "party foods". I always loved it.

When #1 was little he and his brother would exchange a gift on Christmas Eve and would eat similar foods to the ones my family did.

So, last night, since #1 was home, we made a fire, had fun party type foods, read the Christmas story from the Bible, and the boys gave each other a gift. It was a lot of fun. Snug had used his own money to buy LMM a present, and LMM had a "store" at his school so he had bought Snug a present too. They both actually wanted what they had given each other...so that was an interesting dynamic to the whole thing also!

I got my Christmas present last night also. I would have gotten it Christmas morning...but if you hide the present in the Christmas decorations...your wife is sure to see it! I've known for a couple of weeks now...but I am the proud (and humbled and awed) owner of a Cannon Rebel T1i. This is the last post with pictures from the camera my aunt generously loaned to me!

I should mention that #1 got a present too, from Snug. It was protein powder. So exciting. Well, he was excited and I guess that is what really matters!

Poor Rosebud went to bed and missed the whole thing. Always next year. She started crawling backwards yesterday and cut her 6th tooth today.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Snug helped me with Christmas cookies this week. Although babysitting is such a blessing because I get to be home with my kids...it is so fun to just be "us" for a couple of weeks.

He got his own frosting and cookies because no one else wants to eat the ones he made after he licks the knife and such. I just decided to let him make his own for him to enjoy over the next few days. I even found a gluten-free sugar cookie recipe and LMM has some that look just like ours. He didn't decorate his own because they are very brittle and he'd break them all...that and he'd eat more frosting that what actually hit the cookies!

And these are our cookies (mom, I hadn't made the tree ones yet). They are my Great-Grandma's recipe, and I love them. Come on over and we'll share!