December 2012

I'll break December down into at least three posts.  It was a busy month and I (we) got a new fancy camera and I may or may not be "camera happy" when it comes to taking pictures.  Let's just say that Eric is glad it is digital and not real film that I would be developing.

I'm not sure if these are in chronological order.  I pulled pictures from two cameras and my phone.  I could look at the date stamp, but are you going to know if they are correct or not if I don't?

December 1st we drove about an hour north to go to a Christmas Light display.  I'm glad that it was free.  It didn't meet my expectations that all my friends made it sound like it should be.  The kids had fun but it was cold and crowded.  I can't imagine what it would have been like later in December.  We rode a small train (tractor pulling cars of people) through the Christmas lights.  We walked around the old fashion candy shoppe and bought expensive white yogurt covered pretzels.

 

We made "gingerbread trees" with some friends.  They are actually sugar ice cream cones turned upside down and covered in green icing.  The kids loved it.  I set out bowls of sprinkles, M&Ms, Nerds, and these candy cane shaped sprinkles I had found the year before.  It was a lot less messy than the gingerbread houses and the kids loved them!

 

You eat them this way to not get your fingers messy.

 



 

Noah didn't care, he just wanted to eat it.

 

Then came cookie baking.  I let Kathryn help with the cookie gun on the Christmas trees and gave them each a pan to decorate.

 

This is what happens when you give a two-year-old jars of sprinkles.

 

I made Elf Shortbread.  It was yummy.  Adding sprinkles to anything, well almost, makes it yummy.

 

Andrew's very decorated cookie. I let him eat that one.

 

Mommy got to play with the camera :)

 

One night I was experimenting with the camera settings.  Daisy was happy to sit under the tree and be my test subject. 

 

We also painted Christmas trees I found on clearance at Michael's.

 

At some point in the month, Eric & I went to see Andrew Peterson and the "Behold the Lamb of God" tour.  If you haven't seen this, you really need to.  It is awesome.  I mean the music on CD is wonderful by itself, but to see it in concert form is just amazing.  The night is in two sections.  The first section the artists, including a special guest, take turns playing two songs a piece.  There's a small intermission.  Then the entire CD is played from start to finish with no brakes.  One long song.  Completely amazing.  I don't remember who was supposed to be the special guest this year, but he couldn't make it so Caleb Chapman filled in.  He did surprisingly wonderful.  I will say that the previous two years hearing Jason Gray sing "Deliver Us" gave me chill bumps, but Caleb did well.

 

 

 

More December to follow....