Wrapping up the year (Part 1)

So the final weeks of the year are upon us! I can't believe it was almost a year ago that I turned 30...in some ways that seems like just a couple of days ago...and in some ways, it seems like my 30th birthday was YEARS ago! Anyway...enough about that.

This week, the kids and I celebrated the Christmas season together in a few more ways. We had our 2nd annual cookie decorating playdate with our MOPS group. First, Wyatt read the account of Christ's birth to the little ones...



And then the children got busy making birthday cards for Jesus.











Some of the finished products...

(Wyatt's card...)


(A kindergartner's card...."Isaac really wanted you to die on the cross. Love, Isaac")



And then we got to the cookie decorating...







Beatrice was doing great on her own...



And then once I turned my back for a minute, to get a few other pictures, I come back to my funny girl's plate...



And would you believe, she was insisting on me giving her even MORE sprinkles!? A girl after my own heart! But out of concern for her own heart, I did NOT fulfill her request, lol.

And the other festive adventure we took this week, was walking the beautiful Christmas lit streets in Penasquitos. We went the night before Christmas Eve...better late than never! :0) Outings are always more fun with others, and so we asked my sister's crew, and my mom to join us. And since my mom thinks outings are more fun with others, she invited her friend as well..."Grammy Barb" is ALWAYS good for a laugh! :0)





A speacial shout-out to...

...all of the princess themed houses, that caught my Bea's attention...



...the super hero houses that had the boys wide-eyed...



...the MANY over-the-top-super-cool train houses that could only be appreciated if you were walking the streets, not driving them...



...the Smurfs, a family fave...



...and to the really neat sleigh that shuttled folks through the streets...



In other adventures...

Apparently the best medicine for actual growing pains that keep you awake in your own bed, is sleeping with mama. It is definitely the exception, and not the rule, that the kids come and sleep in our bed...but it sure was fun waking up to this sweet face...





We had fun with Science...

My Mad Scientists...





...making "fart putty"...











...and making our own bouncy-balls...





So that's a wrap. I will blog about Christmas in a separate post. :0)