We started the day exhausted. Poor Rowan went and caught a bad cold right before Christmas and subsequently we all got very little sleep. We had her sleep with us in the hope that it would be easier for her to rest. It didn't really work, and I was up most of the night shoveling honey and Tylenol down her. Luckily we don't do anything on Christmas Eve, so we slept in and took it easy for most of the morning.
Later in the afternoon, we got the kids in the kitchen, turned up the Christmas music and built our gingerbread house. We do this every year, although we always cheat and get the pre-made kit from Costco. Maybe one year I will get brave and make it myself, but....its so much easier this way! We had two bags of frosting and all our candies:
We constructed our house:
And the kids set to work decorating it. Matthew and I did the icing, but the kids placed all the candies. This is one of my favorite holiday traditions. I love how we all plan together what will go where, the kids sneaking candy when they think we aren't looking, and the cool creation we have at the end. Plus, I like to sneak candy when I think Matthew isn't looking ;)
The finished house:
It also came with a cookie for each of us to decorate, and the kids were not stingy with the candy! Here is Rowans creation....can you even see any cookie? And whats with that squinty eyed grin? She has been doing that a lot lately for pictures!
And Killian's:
Once the house was done, the boys hit the Xbox360, and Rowan and I stayed in the kitchen to start baking. For the last few years at Christmas time I have been making little treat baskets for family and good friends. This year some of my deliveries were foiled by the weather, so I only got a few delivered before Christmas. I made another batch for our family since they would be over for Christmas, and I will probably end up making "New Years" baskets for the people I missed. I only got one picture during the hours we spent baking, and it was of my little helper keeping all the spices organized. Another goofy grin! What is this cutie doing?!?
We made Spicy Molasses cookies, Peppermint meringues, and Chocolate Candy Cane cookies. I didn't care for the last ones, but Matthew liked them a lot so in they went. We also made a really tasty cranberry jello dessert. I will do a post later with recipes for the people who have asked for them. We threw together a simple dinner, watched a movie with the kids and then it was time to open their Christmas Eve present.
We have been doing this with them for a long time, so Killian was on to us and knew that it was only new jammies inside. I suprised him this year though, and added a new Christmas book in with each present.
We have the story of "Rudolph" and "The night before Christmas" that we read to the kids each year before bedtime on Christmas Eve. This is the first year that Rowan is really old enough to get excited about Santa and elves and reindeer, so she was really enthralled by what we were reading. We read the new books too, and then went online to Norad and watched Santa making his way around the globe for a while, and the it was off to bed. It was easy for Rowan to fall asleep, but much much harder for Killy. I remember the anticipation and excitement of Christmas Eve from when I was a kid, and its so cool to see in your own child's eyes. I don't fully feel right about the whole Santa thing, only because I worry about how to tell them he isn't "real"....but the joy and magic they get from it just so fun to see I cant imagine it not being a part of our Christmas. My hope is that I can explain it to Killian when the time is right, and have him be excited to help keep Rowan believing for a little longer. He did ask a few questions this year, and I can see that he is doubting some of the logistics (he has such a curious mind!) that I don't know how much longer he will believe.
Later, Matthew and I were watching TV waiting for them to both be asleep when Killian came running out because we had forgotten all about him writing his letter to Santa. He always writes one on Christmas Eve, and then Santa leaves him a note in the morning. He got out a pencil and paper, wrote out his letter and went back to bed, only to come out a couple minutes later because he had forgotten to ask Santa a really important question. Here is the letter:
It says:
Dear Santa,
I hope that you give me a full faced helmet for Christmas. Rowan and me have been very good this year.
From Killian
P.S. How many elves do you have?
While he was up, he set out his milk, cookies and celery (we were out of carrots!) for Santa and went back to bed, this time for good.
After we knew they were both asleep, we retrieved all the presents from the attic and set everything out. I had wrapped all the presents weeks earlier, so all we had to do was put it all out and stuff the stockings. Unfortunately, like we do every year, we completely overbought for the stockings. We always tell ourselves that we wont, but then we once again we end up with stockings way to full to hang. Luckily, this year Santa brought the kids bean bag chairs, which are also handy stocking holders! Here is what the kids would be waking up to Christmas morning:
Later in the afternoon, we got the kids in the kitchen, turned up the Christmas music and built our gingerbread house. We do this every year, although we always cheat and get the pre-made kit from Costco. Maybe one year I will get brave and make it myself, but....its so much easier this way! We had two bags of frosting and all our candies:
We constructed our house:
And the kids set to work decorating it. Matthew and I did the icing, but the kids placed all the candies. This is one of my favorite holiday traditions. I love how we all plan together what will go where, the kids sneaking candy when they think we aren't looking, and the cool creation we have at the end. Plus, I like to sneak candy when I think Matthew isn't looking ;)
The finished house:
It also came with a cookie for each of us to decorate, and the kids were not stingy with the candy! Here is Rowans creation....can you even see any cookie? And whats with that squinty eyed grin? She has been doing that a lot lately for pictures!
And Killian's:
Once the house was done, the boys hit the Xbox360, and Rowan and I stayed in the kitchen to start baking. For the last few years at Christmas time I have been making little treat baskets for family and good friends. This year some of my deliveries were foiled by the weather, so I only got a few delivered before Christmas. I made another batch for our family since they would be over for Christmas, and I will probably end up making "New Years" baskets for the people I missed. I only got one picture during the hours we spent baking, and it was of my little helper keeping all the spices organized. Another goofy grin! What is this cutie doing?!?
We made Spicy Molasses cookies, Peppermint meringues, and Chocolate Candy Cane cookies. I didn't care for the last ones, but Matthew liked them a lot so in they went. We also made a really tasty cranberry jello dessert. I will do a post later with recipes for the people who have asked for them. We threw together a simple dinner, watched a movie with the kids and then it was time to open their Christmas Eve present.
We have been doing this with them for a long time, so Killian was on to us and knew that it was only new jammies inside. I suprised him this year though, and added a new Christmas book in with each present.
We have the story of "Rudolph" and "The night before Christmas" that we read to the kids each year before bedtime on Christmas Eve. This is the first year that Rowan is really old enough to get excited about Santa and elves and reindeer, so she was really enthralled by what we were reading. We read the new books too, and then went online to Norad and watched Santa making his way around the globe for a while, and the it was off to bed. It was easy for Rowan to fall asleep, but much much harder for Killy. I remember the anticipation and excitement of Christmas Eve from when I was a kid, and its so cool to see in your own child's eyes. I don't fully feel right about the whole Santa thing, only because I worry about how to tell them he isn't "real"....but the joy and magic they get from it just so fun to see I cant imagine it not being a part of our Christmas. My hope is that I can explain it to Killian when the time is right, and have him be excited to help keep Rowan believing for a little longer. He did ask a few questions this year, and I can see that he is doubting some of the logistics (he has such a curious mind!) that I don't know how much longer he will believe.
Later, Matthew and I were watching TV waiting for them to both be asleep when Killian came running out because we had forgotten all about him writing his letter to Santa. He always writes one on Christmas Eve, and then Santa leaves him a note in the morning. He got out a pencil and paper, wrote out his letter and went back to bed, only to come out a couple minutes later because he had forgotten to ask Santa a really important question. Here is the letter:
It says:
Dear Santa,
I hope that you give me a full faced helmet for Christmas. Rowan and me have been very good this year.
From Killian
P.S. How many elves do you have?
While he was up, he set out his milk, cookies and celery (we were out of carrots!) for Santa and went back to bed, this time for good.
After we knew they were both asleep, we retrieved all the presents from the attic and set everything out. I had wrapped all the presents weeks earlier, so all we had to do was put it all out and stuff the stockings. Unfortunately, like we do every year, we completely overbought for the stockings. We always tell ourselves that we wont, but then we once again we end up with stockings way to full to hang. Luckily, this year Santa brought the kids bean bag chairs, which are also handy stocking holders! Here is what the kids would be waking up to Christmas morning:
