it's almost here...

snip...fold...tape...snip...fold...tape.

i'd be lying if i said i longed for the wrapping of the presents.  i really should do it as they come in...instead of waiting and doing them all in one night.  the hallmark channel helps.  but still.  you know it's bad when you start tossing things for the kids into the "santa" pile...just so you don't have to wrap it.

so i took a little break.

****

we finally made good on our "make cookies for the neighbors" advent.

these are my favorite.

this one liked them too.  would you believe that colton hates peanut butter?  so...he was totally not thrilled about them.  chase likes peanut butter...but not chocolate.  so he wasn't thrilled either.  aiden tolerates peanut butter...but, for some reason only ate the kiss off the top.  so...thankfully...i can count on my baby girl to take after her momma when it comes to sweets.

isn't this just like chase?  i mean...you can't get more like chase than this.

i don't even know what he was doing...but houdini ended up stuck in the basketball goal.  we were headed out to see santa...and we were sorta in a hurry...and they were supposed to be getting buckled in the car...and this is what i walk out to.

chase says, "uh-oh"...a lot.

chad went to the mall straight from work in order to get in line for us.  he waited an hour and 45 minutes.  i got the kids ready at home and then we waltzed on in right as he was getting to the front.  this is the way to do it, folks.

our visit with santa went ok. annslee cried as soon as i sat her down.  so chad and i had to be in the picture again.  there have only been 2 years that chad and i didn't have to be in the picture.  there is just usually someone who is under 2 and completely unwilling to do this thing.  we have seen the same santa, every year, since colton's very first christmas.  we have so many memories of standing in line...dressing the kids in their christmas outfits, chronicling the stages and ages.  it's the same every year...and i've come to absolutely love it.  santa is as real as you can get, and his gentleness with the kids is tangible.  he is quick to listen and slow to speak...and he has watched our kids grow over the years.  i would think that there is no way...with all the kids he sees every day...that he couldn't possibly remember us.  but, i swear...he does.

i will never forget the year that i was pregnant with aiden.  it was the day before christmas eve, and chad had taken me to an ultrasound place who specialized in finding out the baby's sex.  hours before we went to see santa...i heard the words, "it's a girl" while watching her dance on the ultrasound screen.  we were not telling our family until christmas eve...so i wore a pink shirt in our picture with santa.  i wanted to always remember that.  it was the magic that only chad and i knew.  well...and santa, of course.

tonight, we gathered and had dinner and then watched the nativity story together.  i absolutely love this movie.  it is a beautiful depiction of Jesus' birth story...my favorite by far.

i also love national lampoon's christmas vacation, elf, and it's a wonderful life.

but...if you are looking for a worshipful experience during the holiday...don't miss out on the nativity story.

little miss is now refusing to sit in her high chair.  that's super great.  today she dumped her entire bowl of soup on my good table cloth.

we made sugar cookies for the first time ever.  i was sort of pre-occupied with keeping aiden's cast clean and out of the dough...

but other than that...it was a win.

tune in next time.  and remind me to tell you about mine and trout's bike accident.  it's a winner of a story.

i better get back to it.  these presents aren't gonna wrap themselves!!