Gingerbread Houses

We made our standard gingerbread house kit this year. I have one word to describe the experience-MESSY!

This was Peter's first year to help, and he doesn't hesitate to get in there. You can see a good share of the frosting ended up in his hands and on everything he touched. All the candy he touched first went in his mouth. Some of it then made it to the house. Some it still was pulled off the house to once again enter his mouth. The candies were then once again put back on the house.

Peter definitely had his own ideas about decorating. He is responsible for the candy sticks on top of the house, his idea. It was also his idea to have them be somewhat perpendicular to the roof. When we tried to straighten them, he turned them back! Peter thought the gingerbread men that came with the kit were for eating. He ate one and let Eddie eat the other.

Eddie tried some of the candy, but he didn't like most of it. (Of course, that didn't stop him from picking it apart and trying different pieces the days after the house was done.) Eddie was curious why cheese was included with the kit (it was shredded coconut). Eddie took note and appreciated the different things Ben and I did to decorate the house. When we were done decorating, Eddie just went in and took a bite out of the side of the roof! Okay, I thought. Let's all do it for a picture!

We had fun, and everything/one got clean once we were done. The house, however, stayed looking rather messy!

Christmas Lights

We enjoyed the Christmas lights at a nearby park again this year. You can either drive or walk through the park.
Choo, choo!
riding in Santa's sleigh
Peter loved touching all the lights!
We are happy to be able to enjoy these beautiful lights each year.
Eddie's favorite part of the park.

Eddie could never get over the fact that the park wasn't as big as he expected it to be. He was sad each time we'd walked through or driven through it all and was convinced we were cutting it short.

Stockings

the Christmas stockings I made Eddie and Peter this year. They were an after-Thanksgiving project at my brother's house. They are really cute. Santa had to bring an extra stocking for each child, though, as they are kinda small for anything more than candy. I was planning to start making family stockings in 2010; I think I may still do that, though these will always be cherished!

O Christmas Tree

We set up our Christmas tree on Sunday, November 30. We were so excited to get it up! It was so much fun with Eddie and Peter!!! This is going to be a great season!Eddie liked hanging the ornaments up high so Peter couldn't reach them. Eddie also coordinated ornaments; he put a pink ornament by a pink light.
It was so precious to see Eddie's excitement at each ornament he pulled out of the bag. It reminded me of decorating the Christmas tree when I was a kid. Though he has no memories of these ornaments, they were all so exciting to him. Peter also found a couple of ornaments he was really excited about, a jingle bell and a Santa. It was fun for me to see all the memories we've collected through our ornaments over our small time as a family.
Christmas for a one and a half year old is very fun when you have a three and a half year old brother that's so excited. Peter can say Christmas tree, ornament, Santa Claus, and snowman (he loves snowmen!). He loves to see these things and point them out. He also loves pointing out Christmas lights.
Eddie put on his boots so we could decorate the tree because they reminded him of Santa Claus. His new favorite game is having us pretend to sleep, so he can pretend to be Santa and leave us a toy under the tree. Eddie also was adamant that we read every book we read under the tree. He lays so his head is literally under the tree!
Here you can see Peter and me hanging ornaments. Notice some of the gifts Santa has already delivered.

Merry Christmas, everyone!