Christmas 2010

I thought I'd post my small amount of Christmas pictures before February. Looks like I'll just make it. We had a great time for the entire month of December. I thought about what we could do to create a sense of expectation for Christmas this year, and though I don't have a lot of pictures of every event, I felt like both kids, especially Avery were excited about Christmas as well as the true meaning of Christmas. She seemed to have a great time sharing about the Nativity with her friends and decorating gingerbread houses and cookies throughout the month. It made Christmas morning that more special, because we had all made a point to get excited about the day for weeks.

I inherited some pretty amazing friends when I married Paul. While at Regent, Paul met a group of people who are still close to this day. We invited them and their kids to decorate Christmas cookies with us.

The finished products. They did not last very long!

My parents came up for Christmas, so we waited to put our big gingerbread house together until Christmas Eve. Avery had so much fun with Nana. I wish I had the complete house picture, but it looks like I never took one. Oops!

My brother and I played carols on Christmas Eve. The kids loved listening to the songs

Avery in her tutu and slippers, both Christmas presents

a "new' tricycle

Adam loves sitting in Avery's chair and reading or jumping around in it. Nana Judd gave him his own this year, and he loves it!

Snow Days

We had the privilege of experiencing three snow days (as in the snow actually fell and there was real accumulation) in the Hampton Roads area this past December. This was Adam's first experience with snow, and he approached it with his usual enthusiasm. He started laughing at the snowflakes, ran accross the yard and laughed even harder when he fell down. My kids couldn't be more different. Avery didn't want to have anything to do with the snow when she was his age. Fortunately, she's older now and also loved each snowstorm. And those of you who know Paul know my husband is the biggest fan of snow that ever lived on earth. No exaggeration. Paul actually woke Avery up when the first snow started so she could see the flakes for herself. It was so much fun to watch them share that special moment together. Our final snowfall started on Christmas night and didn't stop until 14 inches covered the ground. Paul was the biggest kid of all, making a snowman at the height of the storm. Here are a few pics of all three days, which were always followed by a warm fire in the family room and hot chocolate for all. We love snow!!

Seeking shelter underneath the magnolia tree

The snow was falling pretty hard most of the day on the 26th. Adam lasted about 15 minutes outside.