Finally, its Christmas Eve! It felt like it was never going to get here this year, and at the same time, seemed to arrive way to quickly. We spent the day at home like we usually do, everyone taking it easy and not doing anything to strenuous. It was a a nice change of pace, and very relaxing!
The kids and I made a yummy homemade eggnog. It wasn't nearly as thick as store bought, but it was made with all raw ingredients and had a delicious sweet taste to it. I got the recipe from Gnowfglins, one of my favorite traditional food websites (recipe here). The ingredient list was short and sweet:
Our finished product:
The kids enjoying their eggnog:
We also made a big batch of snicker doodles, which happen to be Matthew's very favorite cookie. He has been waiting anxiously for them all month long, so he was quite happy that we finally got around to making them!
The kids always get to open one present on Christmas Eve, and even though they know what its going to be (since its the same thing every year) they get really excited:
Surprise...new pajamas! I usually get them Christmas themed pajama sets, but this year Killian specifically asked for sweatpants, and I got a couple nightgowns for Rowan. She doesn't particularly like Dora the Explorer, but she loves one piece pajamas and these ones were super soft so she was thrilled:
The kids settled down on the couch with a snack while we read our Christmas books. The collection grows every year, but everyones favorite is still "The Night Before Christmas":
Just before bed we got online to see how close Santa was on NORAD, the Santa tracking website:
Santa and his reindeer were flying over New Jersey, and had already delivered over a billion Christmas presents!
Once the kids saw that he was in America, and how fast he was moving along, they rushed to get ready for bed. They hung their stockings on the mantle:
And laid out some cookies and carrots for Santa. Santa didn't get milk this year, because the kids were worried (rightly so) that our kitten Porter would inevitably knock the glass over before Santa could get to our house:
They brushed their teeth, got under their covers, and fell asleep pretty quickly, no doubt with visions of sugarplums (and lots and lots of toys) dancing in their heads...
The kids and I made a yummy homemade eggnog. It wasn't nearly as thick as store bought, but it was made with all raw ingredients and had a delicious sweet taste to it. I got the recipe from Gnowfglins, one of my favorite traditional food websites (recipe here). The ingredient list was short and sweet:
- 4 cups raw, whole milk (or combination of raw milk and raw cream to yield a thicker, creamier eggnog)
- 8 egg pastured egg yolks (must be pastured from someone whose growing methods are known to you and trustworthy, otherwise don’t make this recipe)
- 1/4 cup raw honey (mild-flavored, such as Spring Nectar) – or other desired sweetener such as maple syrup or Rapadura
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- dash of nutmeg for each glass
Our finished product:
The kids enjoying their eggnog:
We also made a big batch of snicker doodles, which happen to be Matthew's very favorite cookie. He has been waiting anxiously for them all month long, so he was quite happy that we finally got around to making them!
The kids always get to open one present on Christmas Eve, and even though they know what its going to be (since its the same thing every year) they get really excited:
Surprise...new pajamas! I usually get them Christmas themed pajama sets, but this year Killian specifically asked for sweatpants, and I got a couple nightgowns for Rowan. She doesn't particularly like Dora the Explorer, but she loves one piece pajamas and these ones were super soft so she was thrilled:
The kids settled down on the couch with a snack while we read our Christmas books. The collection grows every year, but everyones favorite is still "The Night Before Christmas":
Just before bed we got online to see how close Santa was on NORAD, the Santa tracking website:
Santa and his reindeer were flying over New Jersey, and had already delivered over a billion Christmas presents!
Once the kids saw that he was in America, and how fast he was moving along, they rushed to get ready for bed. They hung their stockings on the mantle:
And laid out some cookies and carrots for Santa. Santa didn't get milk this year, because the kids were worried (rightly so) that our kitten Porter would inevitably knock the glass over before Santa could get to our house:
They brushed their teeth, got under their covers, and fell asleep pretty quickly, no doubt with visions of sugarplums (and lots and lots of toys) dancing in their heads...