Christmas Morning

We tried really hard not to go overboard this Christmas, but in a few ways we just couldn't help ourselves. It was our first Christmas together as a family since Abby was born and last year she didn't grasp the concept of the holiday by any means. We got a full-sized tree, put lights up outside, and even decorated a gingerbread house!

This wonderful kit was sent to us by my good friend Barbara. This is as far as we ever got. I had big plans for landscaping that never came to fruition. Oh well. there is always next year!

This year Abby was in awe of the lights and trees, but mostly by the concept of presents. We didn't put any presents under the tree until Christmas morning and although Santa didn't give her any presents, we did tell her that he delivered all of the presents. We tried hard to remind her that this was all because of Jesus' birthday by reading Christmas story books of a Biblical nature and signing Christmas songs along the same lines throughout the month of December, but especially in the week leading up to Christmas. We made birthday cupcakes for Jesus and sang Him "Happy Birthday" on Christmas evening.

Our family traditions are pretty simple. We don't have any close family nearby and although we wish we could have spent the holidays with them, it can be nice to not be obligated to do a lot of running around. We had planned to make homemade pizza on Christmas Eve, but after waiting in line for nearly an hour for a free horse-drawn carriage ride before giving up we ended up going out to a late lunch and never got around to the pizza. On Christmas morning we had our wonderful neighbors and Abby's stand-in grandparents over for a huckleberry pancake breakfast. We stayed in our PJs all day and it was awesome. We ended up having our homemade pizza on Christmas, postponing our more traditional ham dinner another day.

Here are some pictures of Abby's favorite Christmas present - a second-hand desk hutch that Greg and I turned into a play kitchen...

Look at all those presents! Can you say "spoiled"? Thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Baker, Aunt Debi & Uncle Larry, Gram, Aunt April, and everyone else that sent cards, gifts, and warm wishes this year!

She knew exactly what to do with it and got right to work!

We'd hidden presents in the oven! We're so tricky!

Her best bud, Haylie, has been the only one over to play with it so far. She is four and a half and I'm very glad to see her enjoy it as much as she is. Hopefully this means that Abby won't be done with it next week!

We outfitted it with cheap pots, pans, and various utensils from the local Hospice Thrift Store. Grandma and Grandpa Baker supplied fruits, veggies, and a BBQ set. Abby was also given two homemade aprons, kitchen towels, pot holders, and a chef's from our sweet neighbors, her Great-Aunt Debi in Oregon, plus one that was made for her by Jenn.

At one point I was keeping track of much we spent on the renovation, but I smarted up and quit. It probably didn't end up costing any less than buying a plastic one when you factor in various tools and parts we needed to buy but will now have for future projects. I am very proud of our team work and am excited for all of the things we're planning for next Christmas.

I got the camera that all of these pictures were taken on and lot of odds and ends things that I'd been wanting for awhile. Aside from the camera, my biggest score was probably three sets of new jammies! Greg got lots of new power tools from his Mom and Dad and a pretty cool gift from me, not that I'm biased or anything. I put together twelve preplanned and prepaid dates, an idea I got from none other than Pinterest! He really liked it and had fun comparing the thickness of the various envelopes. For January we will be going snowshoeing, something we have been wanting to do since we moved here. I'll be sure to post each month's date as we come to them so that you can follow along on our adventure!

Greg's reaction to his gift from me. Pretty much priceless!