Cookies and lights

The weekend after Christmas, even though Nate was working on the basement and my mom was in CA visiting Kris and Wendy, the kids and I finally got to meet up with Uncle Jim and Aunt Brenda at Kroziar's Christmas Village which we've been trying to do for years but can't seem to pull it together between schedules and weather.  It was a pretty nice night and the kids really enjoyed the explosion of lights and Christmas!

Because someone seemed to always be sick and we didn't want to spread our germs through food, cookie baking was a several week process this year.  We ended up making chocolate chip, peanut butter, snicker-doodle and sugar cookies.  Some didn't get finished until after Christmas but we had the break to work on them.  It's the only time of year I bake from scratch and for the most part, the kids like helping too:).

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Up bright and early to see if Santa came!

Score!

Aliyah packed wrapped shoe boxes for everyone in the family by gathering things around the house.  I'm pretty sure Nate's included a dish towel but she was so into it, we had to be excited to open them! 

And she got it, her mermaid tail.  Her dream can finally come true!

And the other big thing on her list, the Glowing Ice Palace.

It fits! And she can really swim in it!

The gift Nate bought for Daddy at his Secret Santa shop at school.  

Aliyah's adorable hat from Uncle Kris and Aunt Wendy!

Her angel she gets each year from mom and dad.

And Max's mom and dad gift Hess truck each year.

Happy Birthday Jesus!!!  Love our Christmas birthday cakes.

More gifts from Grandpa Ken and Grandma Diana.

Grumpy cat

Mom-mom opening gifts by the fire:)

The start of Christmas

Between illnesses and work on the basement bathroom we squeezed tree shopping in finally.  We're working backwards here so starting with the finished product.  And it lasted until Christmas which is a big step up from last year's tree. I was also excited that their Christmas PJ's from last year still fit!

Aliyah had a Christmas party at her school, the kids had fun of course!

Between coughs, fevers, sinus infections, bronchitis, and stomach bugs, we didn't make it to see Santa until Christmas Eve.  Just in time and he did pretty good giving them things from their list so last minute!

Later Christmas Eve the kids and I headed to my mom's (Nate has hone sick with upset stomach and fever).  We got through gifts, canned soup for dinner and then I started with the bug and didn't even make it to church.  Luckily the kids were better by then so my mom took them.  They looked so cute (Max hadn't gotten to wear his Christmas outfit to church on Christmas Sunday since he was sick that day!)

While Nate and I were both, literally and figuratively spent over all the sicknesses, the kids were over the stomach bug (which luckily passed quickly for me too) so we couldn't give up and nix Christmas this year.  The kids were of course so excited and how can the magical excitement of Christmas eve smiles not make you happy!