We had our 5th annual PJ party and book exchange and the group was our biggest yet! We did an exchange for the big kids and for the little ones, but not for the babies. Cindy hosted this year and we had a potluck lunch.
I totally adore this time with friends each year. It is one of my favorite things that we do in December.
The little’s after their book swap.
The big kids after their book swap.
The kids had a blast playing as they usually do. The girls did some crafts while the boy jumped on the bed. The mom’s had a chance to chat and I got to hold some sweet baby boys.
And here is my favorite part of these yearly posts – the photos from prior years. And I haven’t repeated a pair of my jammies yet. Ha!
One of our family Christmas traditions is to go see “The Polar Express” at the Fort Worth Science and History Museum. They have “Polar PJ Parties” and encourage everyone to attend in PJ’s. If you get there early they have activities for the children to do and hot cocoa for everyone. Dynamo the museum mascot is always there in his PJ’s too.
Amelie waved at Dynamo, but was having no part of a photo.
During the movie they hung this mural up on the wall so the kids could see it when they came out at the end.
They made snowflakes out of coffee filters, felt the stuff inside disposable diapers heat up and expand, and made bracelets. It’s always a fun time!
Last weekend Mike took Nadia on a Daddy/Daughter adventure (separate blog post coming) and so Amelie and I had some Mommy/Daughter time. I thought we could make a Gingerbread Train since she loves them so much. I also knew that she would enjoy getting to do something on her own.
She was really funny wanting me to squirt icing here and there and she kept whispering to herself, “Dis candy not for eating… only for train. Dis candy not for eating… only for train.” She also hates her hand getting dirty, so each time she put a piece of candy on she would say, “Oh no! Icing!” So I gave her a wet washcloth to wipe her fingers on and then she started trying to negotiate with me, “Why not me lick my hands mama? I just lick them. It’s nummy in my tummy.”
Once we finished she was so proud and she looks at it every day and says, “I like my choo choo train. So pretty.”
Christmas is always an exciting time for me, but this year I really felt over the top. This being Amelie’s first Christmas and her being a toddler changed everything. Unlike and infant who doesn’t really know what is happening, it’s been really fun to see the delight she has at all the new things we have done. Nadia was really sweet the whole month wanting to point stuff out to Amelie and saying, “This is your first Christmas. Do you want to see this or do that?” The first gifts they saw were the sleeping bags/pillows. Thanks Lynnea for posting about them so I could score them myself at Costco. Nadia wanted to open up the sleeping bags and try them out right away. Then it was on to the stockings.
Amelie was really funny because she would open a gift and then want to clean up the paper and THEN check out the gift. We kept telling her not to worry about it, but she didn’t really listen until the end of the presents. The girls each got a medical kit in their stocking and apparently Mommy needed a lot of doctoring.
Nadia with her new cookbooks and kitchen gadgets from Papa and Grandma Brooke.
Amelie with her Tag Jr from Papa and Grandma Brooke.
Nadia with Darth Maul. She was totally amazed with all the Star Wars galactic hero figures and ships she got. (These were the rest of the set that we bought at her birthday. She asked us where we got them and we told her eBay. I am now convinced she thinks eBay is a magical storehouse of Star Wars figures you can’t buy in stores)
Amelie loving the wand (and tutu) from Kim, Eddie and the kids.
Spanish Dancer pose.
My sister Tahni and her husband Joseph were going to be in our area for 2 hours on Christmas Day so we told her to let us know who to invite for some coffee, appetizers and visiting. The time went too fast, but we all had fun before everyone broke off to have their meals with the other half of their families.
4 generations here!
Grammie and some of her grandkids.
My favorite of the day – the Prom Pose of cousins and spouses/fiancées. I love that everyone humored me!
Once everyone was gone we put the girls down for a nap and after they woke up we went to visit with Mike’s mom at her assisted living apartment. That night for dinner I made Mexican food and the girls had a blast playing with all their new gifts. I think Amelie was totally and completely overloaded by the end of the day and we could tell by her attitude so bedtime came quick.
