December

December is such a fun - but crazy - month! Some happenings ...

 

Hot cocoa day - Ana tried very hard to drink her cocoa through the candy cane. 

 

Lots, and lots, and LOTS of cookie making! 

 

Making Christmas ornaments with playgroup 

 

It was warm out the entire month of December.  When did we get our tree? Thanksgiving weekend, in November.  Literally the only cold and nasty day the whole holiday season.    My husband looks like a shepherd with my ring sling on his head (it was also raining).

 

Ana loved the Christmas village too much.  She carried around all "the guys" (what she calls any animal figures - stuffed, ceramic, whatever), and inevitably, they almost all broke at some point.  Holden would collect the pieces and make new characters for the village - like this one, a goose head on a man's body.  

 

Our festivals display

 

Santa baby! 

 

Christmas in Collinsville - we took a beautiful (and warm) horse drawn carriage round around downtown.  

 

St Nicholas visited! 

 

Santa Lucia Day - taken just before she dropped the entire plate of saffron buns on the floor!  

 

My star baby 

 

Gluten free saffron buns.  I combined several recipes to make up this one. They were very yummy! 

 

Our sensory bin this month was stones, in honor of the 1st week of advent.  It was a huge hit.  I think the only thing more popular was the corn pit on the deck. 

 

All the kiddos at the holiday lights display

 

"Mama, I've got big sockings on!"

 

Lots of cookies! 

 

And homemade caramel 

 

Gluten free pizzelles 

 

It can't be Christmas without stroopwafels!  

 

Why yes, it was 72 degrees in CT on Christmas Eve.  

 

So the littles decided to play in the water on the deck 

 

And wear just a tee shirt outside to sprinkle reindeer food on the lawn for Rudolph