Xmas 2010 Recap

Every Christmas brings special memories especially when you have two 2-year-olds that make it interesting, exciting and fun!! It's not always fun and games and of course being a mommy is A LOT OF WORK but it's sooooo worth it and we feel incredibly blessed to have the privilege of being parents to our peanuts. These are one of the few jobs you'll ever have that its rewards far outweigh the energy put into it.

Some highlights of Cati & Val's Xmas was that they discovered the Christmas Tree, Santa, and Presents, and most importantly we talked about Baby Jesus. As a matter of fact the girls sang Happy Birthday to the Tree and at church they sang it again for Baby Jesus.

The TREE

The tree at Rockefeller Center

It was so tall she almost fell over pointing at it.

And here's Val all smiles!!!!

Cati looks a little dizzy from staring up the tree for so long..lol

And a special friend made an appearance at the Tree too.

Santa

We followed a mysterious road to see Santa...

Val was enamored with the penguins..

And dancing bears...

And we know who's ride this is!!!

And finally the moment of truth it's the old guy himself...SANTA!!!

And I hadn't had a chance to really visit with him in a while so I had a few words with old St. Nick too!

As we got ready for our annual Christmas photo we sang songs around our tree & talked about presents at Christmas.

And we showed them miniature versions of little presents.

...which they loved!

A visit to Christmas Village...

I have never been but I've heard lots of nice things. It was a pleasant little ride to this special place. And I have to admit I may have been more excited than the peanuts, probably because they had no idea where we were off too.

Almost there!!

And finally here we were.

I think the peanuts were not really prepared for the cold but it didn't bother some of us.

Some familiar sights.

It's the other peanuts.

And even our summer friends make it out in the winter for Christmas.

The lights were really pretty!

And the trains which were shown indoors were enjoyed by everyone.

One of my old time favs.

And Santa!

What cold!??!...boys are so much tougher than girls lol. Cousin Elias had a greeeeat time!

Baby Jesus

Our visit to Christmas village offered an opportunity to talk about the religious meaning of this holiday. We got to see an almost life size Nativity that helped tell the story of Baby Jesus.

You see the history of the Holy Family is a such an important part of our families. We believe that without them we would have never had our Saviour enter the world. They are our role model as a family and something we personally strive for each day. I'm sure Mary and Joseph had their ups and downs like most married couples but yet they persevered through it all and managed to raise a happy & loving young man. It was their good parenting & love that prepared Jesus to take on his ministry when the time came.

This was the first year that we got to bake cookies too! I attended this fantastic baking class and got to learn how to make cookies which I then showed the girls everything I learned. Stay tuned for a separate post on this.

For me, the holidays are always special and I love love love doing all the Christmassy stuff. The decorating, the music, the shopping, and the holiday movies all make Christmas for me. Enjoying this with my daughters is a dream come true for me. Maybe one day when they are all grown up they may not want to do all this with me but then again maybe they will because it will bring them back memories of their childhood. And maybe one day they'll continue our traditions with their own children. Tears. (must be the hormones)

Christmas Day

Finally arrived! J & I spent hours building and wrapping and finally the big day arrived. We were so excited to see the look on the girls' faces when they saw all their gifts.

And when all was said & done they were OFF to play with their new stuff.

But wait! There was a lot more at Grandma's house.

My nephews also enjoyed in the loot!!

And we got some cool gifts.

This year was special for me too because I was carrying around a little bump, a reminder of a true Christmas miracle. We are very fortunate to have our two happy & healthy girls and expecting another baby girl is nothing short of a miracle for us. We prayed and hoped for this child with all our hearts and our prayers were answered.

The Xmas Blizzard

Oh yes and last but certainly not least...SNOW SNOW SNOW!! The last blizzard of 2010 proved to be a whopper of an experience. We were able to enjoy it because well J & I were both on vacation from work and the peanuts were off from school too. And they looooved the snow and everything that comes along with playing in snow.

All night it looked like this...

And the next morning it looked like this...

And when we opened the front door it looked like this...

And the poor dogs had to go potty like this...

But finally after we dug ourselves out of the snow the fun could begin!

Next year we'll take it to the next level and take them sledding WOO HOO can't wait!! AAAAND I won't be pregnant so you KNOW I will be in there like snow-wear sledding with my peanuts....I'm sure J will enjoy staying home with our littlest peanut.

And these are the moments that make being a mom to the peanuts PRICELESS!! I wouldn't give up this job for a gazillion dollars :)