Christmas Celebration & Traditions

Well, this winter weather has definitely made us thankful for the traditions we celebrate every year, especially when it was looking like we might not be able to. It also due to circumstances, made us create some new ones. After Christmas Eve Mass, we have always gone to visit my PopPop to take some pictures and let him see everyone all dressed up.....this year, we couldn't even drive to his place because of all the snow. We also go and drive around to look at Christmas lights, and the snow prevented that as well. Luckily, Jason made it out to the grocery store so I could stock up on the supplies needed for our traditional breakfast and dinner. It was also a different Christmas because it is the first year we have ever had my mom gone (she is still in NYC with my sister and new nephew)...so the pressure was even more on to get the traditional foods right!! Some new traditions we started....everyone came over to my house for breakfast and present opening....it is just easier that way now with the kids. So it was nice to host it here and luckily my first shot at the traditional Spanish omelet sauce and Weinachtsbrot (pic below) came out perfectly!!! Whew! I have had this breakfast my whole life and my mom remembers having the Weinachtsbrot her whole life too, so it definitely is a must have and so pretty and yummy!! The girls got a very fun Slide/Climber/Basketball-Soccer set from Santa (and it folds up!!..minus the basketball and soccer nets that didn't come with it...err)....will keep them busy in these cold winter days and then outside in the spring and summer!! They also will enjoy this fun wagon, a new Little Einstein rocket toy and some fun videos. I can't wait to read THIS and use THIS. Jason is in love with his greenhouse and the girls are loving their new art easel!! Thanks to all the family for the beautiful and thoughtful gifts. Jason and I have decided that we will start a new tradition this year...we will do the stockings and a Santa gift and then the get together with family on Christmas Day, but we will not exchange gifts until the Epiphany to celebrate the Day the Wise Men brought gifts to Baby Jesus...and we will present each with three gifts to represent the three gifts Jesus was given. So, looking forward to still celebrating this Christmas season that truly does not end until the Epiphany (I hate it when stores and places start taking down everything so early!). The girls had a good nap and later that day we went over to my parents and had our traditional yummy dinner of prime rib, Yorkshire pudding (dad did both of these wonderfully!!) and I made a corn casserole and green bean casserole. We enjoyed being together and Angel entertained us all with her singing and dancing after dinner. So funny!! Wish I had gotten it all on tape! Then I made a new dessert...a double crusted Apple Raspberry Pie....so good and we sang happy birthday to Jesus!! (angel had been singing that for about a week and sang it all the way home!) It was a wonderful day with family and we feel so blessed for all we have and the gift of our Savior. We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ahead!! (my cards are late, but they are coming!)

(there are some really funny pics mom of us girls Christmas morning being silly and some from dinner too in the slideshow....I got a pic of the yorkshire pudding and prime rib dad did!) (the last video is so funny, Angel's version of Rudolph...not quite as funny as the one she was performing for us after dinner though)

What do reindeer eat?

Angel was telling everyone Christmas Day what she left out for the reindeer and Santa to eat...and it was so funny...we have this Santa toy that you talk to and ask questions and he talks back and when you ask him what do the reindeer eat...Santa says "Magical carrots that make them fly!" So Angel wanted to put out magical carrots and when she was telling everyone about them she does this funny thing with her fingers....so cute!! I think they are supposed to be reindeer flying.

Christmas Eve

We were worried most of the day if we were going to get out for Christmas Eve mass. Jason shoveled a path for us to at least get out of our development and we just hoped we could get back home. This weather sure made an interesting, memorable and different end of Advent season and Christmas this year. We heard on the news that the last time there was this much snow on the ground for Christmas Day was in 1865!! The girls looked beautiful in their Christmas dresses (thanks Aunty Megs) and mass was beautiful in our newly renovated church (some pics of it in the slide show). Alli sang in the girls choir and the music was beautiful. It was good to see those friends that were able to make it in, and we missed those that were stuck in the snow!! Angel disappeared when we were talking in the vestibule....and we found her once continually blessing herself with the holy water and another time....praying in front of Saint Anthony, even though she was saying "Hail Mary!" So cute. We tried to get a few pics in front of the beautiful trees and Angel loves seeing the big nativity at church. When we got home, they were very excited and did some dancing, set out the snacks for Santa and the reindeer...read that Christmas story and then off to bed!! Very thankful we could make it to mass and hoped that it wouldn't snow a lot over night so we could celebrate Christmas day with family!!

Christmas Turkey Abuse

Grammy & Grandpa....remember this you got last year and Angel was TERRIFIED of it? She wouldn't even go in the room if it was there. Well, this year she was still timid about it but because Emma LOVES it (calls it La-La) Angel finally warmed up to it. But the poor turkey gets dragged and smothered around the neck more than he gets a chance to dance!! Anyways...thanks for the entertainment!!

Emma's One Year Pics

We finally made it in to get Emma's one year pics a bit ago (also went ahead and just took a family pic for our Christmas Card as I gave up trying to get both the girls to look and smile...Emma won't sit still for anything!)....they came out pretty good. She looks so pretty in blue!

Still Snowing & Baking

Well, it snowed ALL DAY again today and we have a good foot out there! While it is EXTREMELY beautiful to watch and lots of fun to play in (we felt like kids again), with no truck, snow tires, chains or 4 wheel drive....we are pretty much snowed in!! Not that I would want to be driving around in this stuff anyways. It is definitely changing our plans and altering our to do lists, but coming at a very important time to remember what this season is truly all about. We have enjoyed family time around the fire, baking in the kitchen and whatever of our "must dos" don't get done before Christmas...oh well. We have heard more snow is expected in a couple days, so could be a very interesting week ahead! Poor Jason has not been able to make it in to work since Thursday as the buses aren't running, the roads are bad and Seattle is having the same problems we are!! So today I made a few more recipes (click on pic to get), and we had lots of fun in the SNOW....check it out.

Waiting for Mama to come back from a walk

Just going for a winter stroll

Getting ready to build a snowman

We had to put her somewhere!

Yes, she is eating the snow..EVERYWHERE

Well, the girls were getting cold, so our snowMAN turned into a snowbaby

although, I think it looks like a puppy face

coming back from my walk, could barely walk in the thick snow!

eating snow

sled time

Jason had to get one in too!

7 inches and counting...

Our own little ET

Tonight Jason was playing with Emma and put a blanket over her head....she started walking away and reminded us of that scene in ET on Halloween. The even funnier thing is Emma LOVED it and kept wanting the blanket to be put on her head. She was bumping into everything and kept mumbling "bop bop bop"...but every time the blanket came off she wanted it back on. We have our own personal entertainment...enjoy!!

Let the Little Children Come to Me...

...there is a sweetness about little children learning their prayers and such a sincerity in which they say them. I have been trying to catch Angelica saying her Hail Mary for awhile now but every time she spots me with the camera!! It is so cute....she knows it very well when we say it together, but when she does it alone she splits it into two prayers...the Hail Mary and the Holy Mary with an Amen at the end of both!! We have been adding prayers to her night time prayers and she has fallen in love with her Guardian Angel prayer...we have to say it about twice at night and she repeats it during the day. Yesterday Jason found her kneeling in front of our nativity scene saying it.....because after all there is an Angel on top!! So today, I caught her again and here it is....notice when I try to get her to say her other prayers she always goes back to the Angel one...and I have no idea what the Tupperware lid adds to the prayer at the end! So sweet, definitely one of those melt your heart memories to hold onto! (sorry a little dark)

Holiday Treats

My little Baker Elf has been helping me FINALLY make some of our favorite holiday goodies, plus some new ones. With all these snow storms, we have been home bound and happy cooking! So here are some of the ones we have made (click on pics for recipes) and hopefully a few more to come!! PLEASE feel free to leave a comment with any of your favorites as I am always up for adding to our list and trying something new and yummy!! Hope your holiday baking and goody making is coming along as well!!

Recipes below (click on pic)

Christmas Pretzels
Holly Cookies

Chocolate Mint Sticks

Puff Balls

Peanut Krispies

Peppermint Bark

Just Help Yourself!

More Nativity Fun

I ordered this magnetic Nativity Set and reversible board and Angel is really enjoying it...helps make more real the story of the birth of Jesus. Think I might have to get the Easter ones too!

And THESE just arrived and I am eager to make our own gingerbread nativity.

Movies

Some that we have watched recently and enjoyed are:
Facing the Giants (very cheesy but it is a low budget film and I didn't know produced by the same company that came out with Fireproof, which I hear is good but have yet to see)
The Great Debaters (really loved this one and based on a TRUE story, also can't beat watching Denzel Washington!) and
Freedom Writers (another true and inspiring story of what one teacher can do!)

Be Careful...

...what you teach your children...such as
Case #1: A few weeks ago, I had a cut on my finger and started teaching Emma the word "boo-boo" and that we give kisses to make them feel better. Well....she got this concept really quickly and the other day as we were in the check out line Emma noticed a pimple...yes not a boo-boo but a lovely red pimple on my forehead....and remember Emma is LOUD....so she proceeded to repeat over and over "boo-boo" "boo-boo" and point to my pimple and then started giving kisses.....yes, we got looks and I was at that moment wishing I had not taught her that particular word!
Case #2: In our family room, I have a hanging bundle of mistletoe. Angel was playing with it one day so I explained what it is and let's just say we spent the rest of the day kissing and that was how Jason got greeted when he came home too. Not that we mind the kisses, but having to be pulled down to her level and have mistletoe hung over your head all day long does get a bit annoying....she even was able to plant one on Aunt Caitlin!!

Emma the Dilemma

This is definitely what I have been calling her for the last several months, since I cannot figure out her eating likes, habits, quirks etc. She has always (and still is) an avid nurser, but when we started foods, she took awhile to warm up to them. Since I made all her baby food, she eventually took to all the purees and also loves applesauce and yogurt. She will eat certain finger foods and snacks like puffs, cheerios, crackers etc, and is finally starting to drink from the sippy cup. When the stash of purees I made ran out, I bought a little baby food mill grinder and have been trying that. But she is so funny. She will start eating things and if she gets a bit of texture that she doesn't like, she will spit it out and then flail her arms and she is done with it. She also LOVES to throw things over the side and wipe frantically off her tray, which is just annoying and so different as Angel never did this. But, at her check up her pediatrician didn't seem concerned because: she is still nursing so getting those calories and nutrients, is still young and only truly needs small amounts of food, is gaining weight and growth properly and is healthy, can feed herself just fine, and still only has two bottom teeth so the doctor thinks that might be one reason why she isn't eating more table foods as readily because she can't really bite or chew still. So, after worrying a bit and stressing about her not eating "well" or "regular" foods, I had to remember that I cannot compare the process to Angel (the only one I know) because each child is different and will reach milestones at different times and in different ways, that Emma will let me know in her own time and way when she wants and likes new foods, and after reading this WONDERFUL POST AND COMMENTS....feel much better about Emma's dilemma. I think I will just make more purees for now and keep doing and trying what we have been....and hopefully those other teeth will come in too!! Aren't all the little challenges of motherhood exciting? If you have any tips, PASS them on!

Perfect for Cold Weather

We have a Cocomotion, which I love....makes yummy hot chocolate or coffees SUPER FAST with minimal work!! However, Jason had gotten this many years ago when he was a bachelor and of course didn't save directions which also had the recipes....so after some searching, here is one I found that is very yummy. If you have any others...please pass on!!!

Mint Hot Chocolate (similar to Starbucks recipe)
1 cup water
4 TB cocoa
4 TB sugar
3 cups milk
2 tsp vanilla
peppermint syrup

Add everything to cocomotion and hit the start button!! Top with whip cream of course!

Yummy Dinner Recipes

A couple new ones from my sister:

This one is FABULOUS: Chicken Medallions with Capers and Tomatoes
and
Penne Arrabiata (I might add a little tomato paste next time though)