It's already the day before Christmas eve!? We've had such a festive month.
We decorated. Look at that homely tree! With little, grabby hands in our midst, our ornaments have gravitated to the top half of our pine.
Christmas wouldn't be the same without our favorite books and stockings.
This year, we improvised a chimney from construction paper. It was a cute idea. Lasted...oh about....45 seconds after Miss V woke from her nap.
Another holiday fail- stringing garland of popcorn. Don't let the quaint Christmas songs fool you! It's not as fun and careless as they make it seem. It takes more patience than I possess, ESPECIALLY with four little feet running amok, smashing each kernel of corn into minuscule bits. After getting about two feet of popcorn garland assembled, and muttering too many curse words, we called it quits.
Turns out this girl liked it better as a snack rather than a decoration anyway.
Maybe a little too much. Double-fisting.
Our goal this year was to do as Christmas as best we could, with all the pazzazz we could muster, for the least amount of money. We are in grad school after all. These cards were PERFECT for that. And simply adorable. Who doesn't love homemade, three year old footprint, Christmas greetings?
The weekend before finals, I pried Riley away from the library, away from his laptop, and forced him to come with us to Freeport. The weather was frigid and the rain was ridiculous, but we had a ball.
And guess what?! They have a Lindt store! I've never seen an actual Lindt store. And I LOVE Lindt truffles. Those little nuggets of heaven have gotten me through some rough times.
Hinder's first Santa sighting. Hinder was extremely shy and could barely whisper an audible sound.
Freeport's charming Derosiers pizza joint. Cozy and delicious. And apparently it's been around for ages.
And of course, we couldn't go to Freeport without exploring the LL Bean empire and...the BootMobile!
The LL Bean aquarium was top-notch. I had to resist the childlike urge to crawl into that observation bubble. We definitely will need to make another trip back for more fish face time.
Downtown Portland Memorial Square was another family outing that ended with freezing temperature, frozen smiles, and warm drinks. They light up the entire plaza and Old Port streets. There is huge Christmas tree in the square and quaint shops everywhere.
While waiting for our horse drawn carriage ride to start, we found refuge from the cold (and Hinder's whiny voice) in this coffee/gelato shop. One small peppermint hot cocoa and H's attitude did a complete 180.
Daddy and daughter stayed our of the cold...
..while H and enjoyed an old fashioned carriage ride around Old Port.
As the number of days until Christmas have dwindled, we have felt so loved as package after package has arrived from family members. Being so far away from our loved ones is a lot easier when they seem to constantly be sending their love through the mail. Thank you everyone!
The kids adore opening the packages, placing gifts under the tree and enjoying the surprises. Like this beautiful Christmas dress!
And these adorable reindeer antlers!
I just can't say thank you enough.
And now here we are, just two 'sleeps' (we refer to any passing of time in our house by number of sleeps. Moms out there- you know what I'm talking about!) away from the big day.
That makes today Little Christmas Eve, or Lillejuleaften as the Danish call it. The Danes know how to party- they start the Christmas celebrations on the 23rd and go until the 26th! And since Denmark has a special place in our hearts, we kicked off our Christmas holiday with some traditional Danish dishes. Christmas ham, glazed potatoes, red cabbage, green cabbage and rolls.
Mr. Hurst was in heaven. Think of the scene in What About Bob? where Bill Murray won't stop complimenting Fay's meal. That was Riley. Priceless.
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, my favorite day of the year. I feel closer to the Savior and more focused on the true meaning of Christmas on Christmas Eve night.
Merry Christmas!!
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