A Small Snippet

we attended church on Christmas Eve with both sides of our families, and then came home and took some pics in front of the tree before getting ready for bed:
the crazies were especially crazy, since Christmas was finally upon us!


before bed, we had to make sure that we threw Reindeer food up on the roof, so that the Reindeer didn’t get too hungry during their long flights:
and of course we had to set out some cookies for Santa:
and last but not least, we had to track Santa to see how close he was to Florida. thankfully, we had a little bit of time to fall asleep before he was scheduled to get there:

(if you don’t know about tracking Santa, you must try it out next year. it is the cutest thing, and my kids LOVE it and look forward to it every year! just go to www.noradsanta.org on Christmas Eve, and you can see Santa’s trek around the world, and learn about the different countries he stops in. you can call too and talk to an actual person who will sweetly and patiently answer any questions that the kiddos have about Santa and his flight. its adorable!!!)

i know people have different views on Santa, but we love him and the way that he helps us celebrate Jesus’ birthday. he always leaves a sweet letter for the crazies, so that they can start their morning remembering just what we are celebrating:

upon first sight (and in true christmas spirit, the bug took it upon herself to don some green socks with her festive nightgown. that look goes great with the 2 sizes too small christmas pants that the boy insists on wearing for 3 years in a row now):
there were many yelps and screams when they saw that Santa had brought them a Tom and Jerry DVD. they are BIG fans…BIG…HUGE!
there were lots of fun surprises, but we’ll just show you a few:
the bug loves to spot yellow VW bugs as we drive around town, and what a smart guy that Santa is to know that she would get a kick out of having one of her own!
Sports Cards were a big hit this year, and the sheer quantity of cards that the Boy received has made him very happy, mainly because one of his favorite things to do is “organize” them in his new binder! (the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…in terms of organizing, not sports cards !!)
he was also thrilled to get his own Atlas, complete with pictures of his favorite…flags!
and it wouldn’t be Christmas in our house without Legos:

the Bug even got her own set of Legos, and loves to sort out all the pink ones. she did build a replica of our church the other day with them, to make sure that Canaan’s lego people had a place “to go to church.” can’t wait to see what else comes from that little mind…

the Boy was very thoughtful this year in the gifts that he picked out, doing all of his own wrapping and including handmade cards (written in spanish…which he thinks he knows, but he really doesn’t…priceless!):
the Bug loved her new ballet house slippers that he picked out for her:
before breakfast, we made sure to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus:
this Christmas brought a special new member to our fam. remember this cutie from here? well, Lanie is now an official part of our family, and Bella has warmed up to her quite well:
and although this was not a gift for our family this year, we did enjoy ringing in the New Year by playing some Just Dance on the Wii that Pete and May brought over today. and i have to say….i’m very much tempted to sell my tredmill and purchase this thing, cause it was more fun than i can even describe, and the best workout i’ve had in months!!!
we also have had lots of fun with our new Flip video cam:

i do solemnly swear that i will try my very best to not post many videos on this blog, cause i know many of you come here to see crafts and recipes, and don’t give a rip about seeing our kiddos do silly things. but its sure been fun for us!! however, i can’t promise that i’ll never post videos now that this little Flip just makes it SO easy!!

i am getting sad about having to jump back into schedules and life. i mainly don’t want to send the Boy back to school, and i’m already craving spring break! but now that the holidays have come and gone, i’m wondering if things will start to feel slower soon. probably not, and for some reason, i keep thinking that 2011 might be the biggest year of changes for our little fam! but i say…BRING IT ON 2011!!! i think we’re ready!!

happy 1.1.11,

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a friend of mine made these for a party the other night, and passed along the recipe to me (thanks Danielle!) cause i instantly fell in love. they taste just like my favorite Girl Scout Cookie…Thin Mints!!! (not lying…they really do!)

one quick note about the unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder….i couldn’t find it at walmart, but i had some regular unsweetened cocoa powder on hand, so i googled and did some calculations based on my findings, and ended up using 12 TBSP of unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, in addition to the 1/2 teaspoon baking soda that the original recipe calls for. it turned out just fine!

note: the recipe calls for peppermint extract. all i could find was mint extract. to be honest, i have no idea if there is a difference or not! but they taste yummy, so i’m thinking it doesn’t matter!


once out of fridge, let dough sit for 10 minutes to soften.

bake at 325 degrees for 12 minutes.

transfer parchment paper to cooling racks and let cool completely.





and i have to show you what i just happened upon. this is our nativity scene at the moment. it looks as if mary, joseph and baby jesus are in time out, cause they are all facing the corner, and the rest of the bethlehem peeps are forming a line for some unknown reason. i’d love to know the thought process behind this one!

okay…i’m officially off for today. but i have a short little post planned for tomorrow, so i’ll see you then!

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