That's a wrap!

Well December, you were pretty awesome. I think the past several blog posts tell that story. Here's a few random photos from this month before we move into a new month...and a new year!

Having a green house that we can heat is a pretty awesome development. We still have lots to learn to really use it to its full potential, but for now it's just really fun to still get out to play in the dirt when the ground outside is too frozen to do so! Bea loves it in there!

We have stinkbugs all over the house since they're coming in to find warmth. They're totally harmless and for some reason they don't bother any of us. Josie and Bea totally think they're pets.  Here's one exchange with a "Stinky" before it went in the stinkbug jar with the rest of its captured family members.



This is a video from one of Josie's last days of school before break with one of the four girls in her Kindergarten class. We could call it "why we love Josie's school & its natural playscape" or we could call it "the reason why Josie's boots only last two weeks tops." They asked me to make a Climbing Movie of them. Here it is:



This month we spent a lot of time making special surprises for people we love. Lots of time in our pajamas in the middle of the day getting messy. So in the spirit preserving these memories for the wee ones as they look back on all this one day (and not in the name of sending no-shower, no make-up Mama across the interwebs), I give you these two gems: 

These are just too sweet not to share. Glad I snapped them because these little hands and these carefully written letters on Daddy's gift are just too too too lovely.

 

Also in the somehow-didn't-make-it-onto-a-holiday-blog-post category, here are two videos of fun little moments from early in the month when we were just beginning to decorate.

Josie loves this little Rudolph SO much and her reaction to seeing that I had the decorations out was just too sweet.



Both girls were really wowed by the lights:


Here are some pics from the Nutcracker that didn't make it into that first post:

Oh no! I forget to mention the Christmas Eve story! On the night before our Christmas at home, we read The Night Before Christmas as we have every year since Josie was just 4 months old on her first Christmas. Then, we put Josie to bed. Then, wouldn't you know? She woke up at about 11:30 PM and walked her little sleepy self down the stairs and saw that Santa had ALREADY put presents under the tree and already eaten the cookies. Then she couldn't sleep. Then she woke up again about 3 AM and couldn't sleep again. Poor thing.

Then, she woke up again at 5am and there was no going back to sleep at that point. Finally, at 6:16 AM, I let her go wake up Bea and Christmas morning at our house began!

This is a picture of the little paper mache snowman that Josie made at school. We think he is super special.

In other exciting news. We got a new dishwasher. It broke right before Christmas, so our kitchen looked like this for a week:

 Then we got a new one and Lou & a wrench-wielding Josie installed it on New Year's Day.

 And now everything is right with the world again.

Goodbye my holly jolly friends. Until we meet again...