Christmas 2012

Christmas 2012 went well.  My parents were in town and the kids enjoyed their presents.  David started to understand this Santa Claus thing and had no problem opening presents. Both the kids received bouncy balls and a zip line (we are working on where that will fit in the yard).  

In addition, we brought back an old tradition from when I grew up of making homemade donuts.  We made them with cinnamon sugar and others with chocolate for the kids.   Everyone enjoyed them.  Greg had to go to work that evening, so it we had a quiet evening with my parents and the kids. 

Christmas Eve Tacky Light Tour

 For a few years now, we've toured the Richmond tacky lights.  Apparently it is a destination here as it has been featured on a few national TV shows.  Christmas Eve, we ventured out to view the lights. We were not disappointed and Sarah and David enjoyed the lights.

We are amazed with how much effort people put into these lights. There are limousine companies that feature tours of the area and the people also sell hot chocolate at some of their homes.  I can't imagine how  much storage they need for all of this or what their electric bill costs. 

We followed up the tour with preparing for Santa after a day of baking the traditional sugar cookies for Santa.  Sarah decided he needed chocolate milk this year.  After that it was off to bed to find out what Santa would bring. 

Breakfast with Santa

In December, we joined my friends Violet and Bob at their church for the annual breakfast with Santa.  We've been going for several years.  It was nice for Sarah as she was more timid and could watch Santa from a distance for a while before deciding whether she should visit with him.

David was the exact opposite. After having breakfast, we went to get up from the table to go see Santa and David disappeared. After a little looking, we found David sitting on Santa's lap talking to him.  He skipped the long line and got right to business!  

Sarah and David posing in the manger.  One thing about going to breakfast with Santa at a church is that we get all sorts of questions about Jesus and Christmas, which I am very good at answering!

David Turns 3

David turned three in early December.  He got a big wheel, which he quickly proceeded to bring down our driveway which is a long hill.  We soon realized that he needed a helmet to go with the big wheel despite the fact that it is low to the ground.  Later that day, he crashed into a post with it an bumped his lip.  We wondered if a hockey helmet would be more appropriate.

Later we had cupcakes and celebrated as a family.  I think David was still understanding what it meant to have a birthday.  For a few weeks after, he still insisted he was two and a half.