Christmas Time

I LOVE Christmas time!  It is just a wonderful time of year (except for the snow, I kinda hate the snow).  With the exception of a 24 hour flu that about killed us (the flu is so much worse when you have a needy, teething baby and both parents are on their death bed), we have really been having a fabulous holiday season.  Luke just loves all of the lights and decorations.  And Jeff and I have had so much fun watching him try and take it all in.  

We bought a fake tree for the first time this year (for our first two years of marriage, we had a real one that we cut down ourselves).

After Jeff put the tree up, Luke helped me decorate it.  Well, mostly he just chewed on his stocking.

He loved watching me put the lights on the tree.  He didn't take his eyes off of the lit strand of lights as it got dragged around the floor.

The finished product.  I love the beautiful glow and warm feeling it brings to our apartment.

Stockings hanging over the fireplace

On the second weekend of December, I planned a little Christmas-y date night at home to get us into the Christmas spirit ...

I decorated with snowflakes and silver bells and had beautiful Christmas music playing.  For just $3, I was able to turn our living room into a winter wonderland.  [This picture really doesn't do it justice].  There were 12 snowflakes hanging all around the room, which I climbed on just about every piece of furniture in the house to hang.

This is my kind of 'white Christmas.'  I'm not such a big fan of the real kind.  I loved these snowflakes so much (Luke loves them even more) that we left them up.

For dinner, I made a yummy chicken bake, topped with stuffing.  I searched online for Christmas entrees and this is what I found.  It smelled like Thanksgiving.  As you can see, Jeff enjoyed it.

After dinner, we decorated a gingerbread house.

We used a kit.  Maybe one day I'll actually make the gingerbread.

Luke loved to play with the colorful, crackly bags of candy.  He shook them and flung them onto the floor over and over again.

When Jeff and I needed both hands for decorating, Luke was banished to his high chair.

And to his jumparoo.

The finished product.

I accidentally caved in one of the walls when I was trying to make that nasty fondant stick.  Whoops.

Next, we watched Elf, while snacking on delicious peppermint white chocolate popcorn (melted white chocolate chips; crushed peppermint candy canes; and red, green, and white sixlet candies).

My cute boys were out before the end of the movie.  It was a great night.

Luke is fascinated by the snowflakes, especially when the heating system blows them in circles.  He tries to grab them, but rarely gets a handle on them so he resorts to slapping them repeatedly.

I made fudge for the first time and gave it to the neighbors.

It pays to be kind to your neighbors because that very same day, they brought up some of their 'old' toys for Luke.  They said they wanted to make room for Santa to come and acted like we might not want their used junk, but every toy they gave us looked brand new and already had working batteries in it.

Luke loves this toy.  He's gotten really good at spinning it and usually doesn't let it stop spinning before he spins it again.  I love the concentrated look on his face in this picture.  This boy is always thinking.

Our awesome neighbors also gave us this classic toy.  Luke figured out how to spin those gears on the right side after I only showed him once.  I love watching my smart boy learn.

Luke loves this little piano from the neighbors (I kind of like it myself).  Not pictured: a firetruck that lights up and makes noise.  Luke loves all of his new toys.  Since the neighbors gave Luke such an awesome early Christmas, Jeff and I were off the hook from getting Luke many toys this year.  Thank you Steads!

Happy boy

Jeff thinks Luke's new sweatshirt makes him look like Al Borland.  I think it's cute.