--1--
We took Christmas card pictures on Saturday when we went to cut down our own tree (and failed, and ended up running out of time and having to purchase a pre-cut tree!) - I'm glad we got one of all of us on the couch, because I was a dummy on Christmas morning and had my sister take pictures of us in front of the tree (which was in front of the window and made us end up dark and blurry!)...
Here are the kids in their matching outfit glory:
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| Cecilia: I'm just going to snuggle da pillow! Mary Claire: *stare* |
And since they were the cutest, I posted more pictures (with quotes) in Tuesday's post, which most of you probably missed because hey, Christmas Eve!
--2--
Here's an awesome series of shots from the end of our "photo shoot" on Christmas morning after we got home from Mass:
Cecilia's face. I just can't get over it. And Elizabeth is SO excited to be chasing her!!! Also, please note that Cecilia is holding a doll and John Paul is holding a note pad. Yeah.
--3--
Can I just say how proud I am of getting crafty this year? We have almost NO ornaments that aren't breakable, so I decided I'd make some felt ornaments to put on the bottom of the tree, and then I decided each person would get their OWN felt ornament, and spent way too many hours doing that and getting too little sleep, but how adorable are they?
I was all set to make a train for John Paul and he requested a math problem ornament. Sigh. So I puffy painted "10 x 10 = 100" on the back and THAT is what he's excited about. Soooo glad I simplified his ornament and didn't use the 20+ pattern pieces it would have taken to make it the original way!
--4--
Christmas tree decorating on Christmas Eve was... Interesting? Only one ornament was broken, but after Andrew put the lights on the tree we realized they don't work. So sad! Christmas lights are one of my favorite things. So we need to hit up the sales and get some new ones and hopefully get them on the tree because we'll have it up for quite a while and we might as well!
I got such a kick out of the ornaments the kids chose to put on the tree:
Cecilia wanted the hearts, the pink ones, the little rocking lamb...
And John Paul went for legos, star wars, Gandalf... Too funny!
--5--
Elizabeth and Mary Claire's favorite presents?
Cellophane bags.
Seriously, they cared not even a little bit for the contents (And check out that incredible bedhead!).
--6--
My sister crocheted some beards so that John Paul can use them for his Bible story pretend play, but he won't wear them!
And she made cupcake hats for the babies - how cute are those?
Despite her obsession with hats (it's one of her favorite words), Mary Claire wouldn't keep it on. Shocker, I know!
--7--
We finished the evening with a birthday cake for Jesus - Devil's Food with peppermint buttercream. Yum! And those are the candles that we only use for Christmas and Epiphany - hopefully they'll last us many more years!
Looking forward to celebrating all 12 days of Christmas - check out Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!
Wow those cupcake hats are pretty much the best hats I have ever seen! Can I snag one if I have a girl? The crafty gene must run in your family, because the ornaments came out so cute too. JP is a freakin math genius, I love him. Merry Christmas to you and your seriously beautiful family!!!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the girls' matching tights! Also I am kind of jealous that you have a Gandalf ornament ... those felt ones are incredibe, I'm impressed. :)
ReplyDeleteAlso where did you get those candles, if you remember? They're pretty neat.
I love John Paul and his math!! And what?!? Those candles are awesome! Also, I think I need to see about knitted beard patterns. That is great. You are blessed with such a crafty involved sister! :)
ReplyDeleteYour boys totally need knitted beards!!! Especially Gimli ;)
DeleteLove these pictures, and the cupcake hats especially! Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteOh I love the matching red outfits! My mom would do the same thing to me and my siblings every year and I remember hating it--but now I completely understand :) And I'm very impressed with your felt ornaments!
ReplyDeleteRight??? I just couldn't *not* - the dresses were only $10/each on super-clearance from Hanna Andersson so I figured by golly, we're doing a matching Christmas! And we almost never dress the twins in matching outfits, plus they're too young to care :P Cecilia and John Paul were SO excited for everyone to match, and I think I have a few more years before I start hearing complaints!
DeleteLOVE the Christmas morning crazy photos! They are too cute. And the crocheted beard is too funny - I know a lot of little guys who would love one of those. Glad you enjoyed celebrating Christ's birth.
ReplyDeleteI love matching - esp the girls' tights! So cute. That cake looks fabulous, btw. And I always thought "Aunt Sister" was a name you used on the blog (you know, when some people use code names) and had to smile when I read her stocking.
ReplyDeleteThat's why you should always test out the lights *before* you put them on the tree! But you know, the strand probably just needs a new fuse. Don't spend the money on new lights if you don't need to. Check the little sliding compartment on the plug end, and take out the fuse inside. You can get new ones at the hardware store for a buck or two :-)
ReplyDelete