SPILT MILK.

They say don't cry over spilt milk.

And it's all spilt milk, right?

GINGERBREAD HOUSE.

Nugget is totally loving any books about The Gingerbread Man these days. We have The Gingerbread Man, The Gingerbread Girl, The Gingerbread Cowboy, and The Gingerbread Baby. And maybe a few more. Why, oh why, do we have so many? I blame that on my previous career as a kindergarten teacher.

Anyways, this holiday season when I spied a gingerbread house kit on sale at Target, I knew my project loving girl would adore it.

And she did.

Brother too.

But they were both mostly in love with the candy. And wanting to eat it.

And I about lost my ever loving mind trying to get them to decorate the house instead of eat it.

Especially at one point when Dude licked the house.

But in the end it turned out okay. And they enjoyed it. And that was the point.

The resulting product. Nugget's rooftop side:

Dude's rooftop side:

Joined effort for curb appeal:

Mama got the back door. There wasn't much left to work with :)

And, I'm happy to report that our gingerbread man didn't get away. Nugget snatched that sucker up and ate every last rock hard bite of him. It tickled her fancy so.

Ahh. memories.

PARADE OF LIGHTS.

Another tradition we like to partake in is our town's Parade of Lights festival. It's really just a quick parade down Main Street with some activities that follow in the park, but it's a fun time nonetheless.

It was a chilly, but bearable evening. The perfect coolness to accompany thermoses of hot cocoa and fleece blankets. We stayed only for the parade this year, as the park tends to be a bit of a free for all with kids running everywhere.

 Watching with our friends, the Clarks and the Olsens.

And for a bonus, Nugget and Daddy could even see the park's fireworks from our front windows, so we really didn't miss out. We just got to be warm while we enjoyed the show :)

DADDY AT WORK.

Nick got the privilege of doing some restoration work at our local Catholic church this winter. He asked me to come down and take some pictures of him working. It's always fun for us to visit Daddy on a job site. But this one. Oh my. It took my breath away.

 
I totally trust that my man takes the necessary precautions to keep himself safe, but geesh. I couldn't do what he does. I know the labor of love that he puts into projects like these, and I really admire him and his talent.

AN INSTAGRAM CHRISTMAS.

Dumped my phone photos today for the first time in oh, five months. What a lot of gems on there, ha! Since I'm apparently still stuck in Christmas mode, here are some from the jolly season.

Let the countdown begin. This hangs every year in Nugget's playroom. In year's past each mitten has always held a little treat or goody, but it kinda seemed like a waste and was quickly forgotten. This year I chose an activity for Nugs and I do to together each day, wrote it on a slip of paper and slipped one into each mitten. Waaay better idea. She loved to check her mitten each day, and it was a great way for me to remember to slow down and enjoy some time with her.

Dude loved Santa. From afar. I hope I always remember his sweet voice saying "Ho Ho Santa", while placing his hands on his cheeks where Santa wears his beard.

Malls are not my favorite. I prefer to order online any day. But alas, we couldn't escape it come Christmas time, and of course Nugget didn't leave empty handed.

The mall proved to be too much fun, and Dude fell asleep at our lunch outing.

Not my best work, but kid approved.

These shirts took me far too long to create, but so, so worth it. Even if they only did wear them for a month.

It's fun pulling out Mama's old teaching stuff.

I discovered my love for washi tape this holiday season.

Nugget and I went to a tree decorating class at our local ECFE. Special dates are lots of fun.

Hooray for a new tradition: new Christmas jammies and driving around looking at Christmas lights!
Someone was excited, can you tell?

Dude's glasses turn all the lights into little snowmen. For reals. And popcorn? Maybe not my best idea. Ended up all over the back of the van. Oh well. Memories were made.

We baked.

And spoiled our dinner.

It was sooo good to be home on Christmas Eve this year. We had time to do all the things we wanted. Including a special dinner for just our little family, sprinkling the lawn with reindeer food, and reading The Night Before Christmas.

Look! Santa was here!

Another new tradition: We (Nick and Nugget) baked Jesus a birthday cake. Tiramisu. It was delicious.

TRIM THE TREE.

Still playing catch up. Bear with me.

Every year we cut down our own tree. I love it. I know real trees aren't for everyone, but they're surely for us.

We didn't have to search long for our tree, mostly because there weren't a lot to choose from. We tend to go with an average size tree, fairly full in branches. We are quick to agree and don't waste any time cutting it down. That may have something to do with the cold temps too, but we just don't mess around when it comes to tree cutting.

Found it. Cut it. And away we go.

But first we got to enjoy some popcorn and a little Christmas cheer from the tree lot owner. All kinds of small town fun.

We brought our tree home, and Daddy and Doodey strung it with lights. We waited until the next day to decorate. Remember, Mama's pregnant, and I think I ran out of steam at that point.

But decorate we did, and as usual, clothing is optional at the Slavik home. (*I'm happy to report that we set our thermostat back a mere two degrees, and Nugget now stays fully dressed, all day, most days.)

And there you have it. Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, how lovely were your branches.

CHILDREN'S MUSEUM.

We made room for a lot of family time in December, which of course means we pushed some other things aside. Blogging being one of them. Once Christmas came and went, I was enjoying the hiatus from the blogging world so much, and haven't had much desire to return since. But with baby #3 coming in roughly six weeks, I figure I better get myself caught up while I can :)

So, we kicked off December family time by spending a morning at the Children's Museum. It's a shame to admit this was only our second time there. Ever. Once way back when Nugget was around Doodey's age, and now this visit. The kids had a blast. There was so much to do and see that we only made it through one floor before we needed to head out in search for lunch. Nugget has been asking ever since to go back, so we may just have to do that, sooner than later, lets hope.

Here are some pics from the fun day:

The kids made crowns of their own, and Nick even made me one, with my new pregnant nickname he gave me, "Bumps". So thoughtful, right?