12-24, Family Time

It's always such a welcomed change to have our home filled with family and activities.  Our house tends to be pretty quiet-- even with 2 kids.  Come see all the fun little things we did as we counted down to Christmas.

Emalie joined in our annual 'dad and daughter fudge making' tradition.

When you have 'post concussive syndrome,' it is hard to concentrate and you forget things easily.  Proof of this mistakenly substituted ingredient is in the previous photo.  Proof of it's negative consequences are in this one.  I just didn't understand what dad meant as he was stirring and saying, "This just doesn't look right.....".  Ugh.  I was reading the recipe calling for "coconut milk" and thinking "coconut oil".  Nope.  Not the same.  Quite a disgusting mistake on many levels!!  That was a first for our fudge-making!  Thank goodness for my friend/neighbor who grabbed another jar of marshmallow cream at the store for me to redeem our fudge!

Another loose tooth and another chance for grandpa to save the day!

Story time with Aunt Kelly.  Such cute smiles on both of their faces.  I love that they are reading a children's Christmas book I snagged (with permission of course) from my Grandma's bookshelf during one of our last visits with her.

Em getting to work on her letter to Santa (with spelling help from Grandpa).

Our first ever gingerbread house.  Em's got a knack for it!

I think everyone  enjoyed decorating the gingerbread house.

Another Christmas, another puzzle.  Not just one, I think the grand total was 3.... or 4.... this Christmas.

Proof of the dusting of snow the evening before as Sven heads out to grill the Christmas Eve brats.  (Go ahead and laugh at his headlamp.... I always do....lol.....)

These kids just keep getting bigger!  The annual 'kids in Santa hats' photo in front of the tree on Christmas Eve.