Jammies for Christmas

This year on Black Friday I went to Joanns to get some fabric for my Mother in law.  While I was there, I let the girls each pick out a fabric for themselves and then I attempted to make pajama pants for Christmas eve.  

Alayna chose monkey ballerina fabric.

 

And Brylen chose cute little penguins.  

They turned out pretty cute.  I don't know if it will become a tradition, but it was fun for this year.

And here's Sarah and Brylen right before we went to look at Christmas lights.

Nativity

Definitely one of the favorite (and not so favorite, depending on your age) Christmas activities is the live nativity.  (In fact, on a side note, Alayna just asked me last week while we were at Grandma's house if we could dress up and act out the Nativity.)  Nonetheless, whether it's your favorite or not, it is a fun, memorable tradition that has been a part of our family for years.  

This year our Nativity featured 

The angel: played by Sarah.

Look at her.  Is she not the cutest Angel ever.  And boys, she really is a real life Angel.

Joseph: played by Dan.  (Like his beard?  Believe it or not, KaLee and I used to wear a similar beard made out of paper.  Since there weren't as many members of the family back when we were little, KaLee and I alternated between Mary and Joseph each year.  Of course we loved being Mary.  And I am sure you can guess how we felt about wearing a paper beard and playing Joseph.  :)

Mary: played by Alayna

The three wiremen: played by Alicia, Me, Mom/Grandma

Camel: played by Humphrey the camel

Shepard: played by Adam

The Narrator: played by Grandpa
                               

The donkey: played by Jordan
                               

Let me just tell you that the Nativity was splendid.  The acting was superb and we had a great time being reminded of the real meaning of Christmas.

A few extra pictures and outtakes.

Look at this cute Shepard/wiseman family.  

And this wiseman couldn't be any cuter.  Her wrap was my favorite.  It looked so cute with her haircut.

These wisemen can work it.

As well as the Angel.  She knows how to work it.

The Narrator was just enjoying his view from the couch.

Random

While random pictures are hard to blog about at times, I have to remember that these random pictures tell a lot about or everyday life.

Quirky as it may be, Brylen loves croutons.  I don't really know why.  But this night, she wanted a snack.  And croutons were at the top of her list.

Also, Brylen went through a phase of hats.  For a few months this winter, she LOVED hats.  She loved them so much she wore them inside all the time.  Even for naps.  And bedtime.  We pretty much couldn't get them off her.

Alayna thought it would be fun to push Brylen in the doll stroller.  And since Brylen is so petite, she fits quite nicely.  Brylen sure thought Alayna's idea was fun!

These two girls really do play well together.  Alayna is a little mother hen and has no problem mothering (or playing with) Brylen.  

And Brylen LOVES books.  So she will pretty much let anyone read to her.

At times I have to drive the Young Women around for activities, which means the carseats get brought inside.  And played with.  I don't know why carseats are so cool when they are inside.

Shoes.  My girls love shoes.  Apparently Brylen couldn't decide which boots to wear.  Just too many choices.

Thanksgiving

Yes, Thanksgiving.  I know I am only 4 months behind.  But better late than never.  Right?

Our Thanksgiving was low key this year.  And I actually liked it that way.  Dan's mom came over and celebrated with us.  But other than that, it was just us.  (Dan was on call Thanksgiving weekend, so we couldn't go anywhere.)

I tried to do as much cooking as I could beforehand so I wouldn't be in the kitchen all day on Thanksgiving.  And it worked.  At midnight, the night before I may have cursed my idea, but on Thanksgiving, I was actually grateful to have a somewhat relaxed morning.  

The girls enjoyed some coloring before Grandma showed up.

And Alayna was a great helper in the kitchen.  She LOVED wearing her turkey apron that she made at Preschool.  

After our feast, (which was fantastic, if I do say so myself) Ilene was kind enough to babysit while Dan and I went to see the second Hunger Games movie.  

It was the perfect day.  Food, family, fun, and a date with my handsome man all in one day!

Brylen

This cute little girl can melt your heart one minute, then try your patience the next.  She truly is the.most.INDEPENDENT one year old I have ever met!  (I know, I know.  You have heard it before, but it really is true!) But we love her for it.

Here's some of what she has been up to over the last couple months.

Trying on Daddy's shoes.

Just.so.tired.  She fell asleep in the middle of lunch.

Cheese!  She loves coloring.  Mostly because her older sister loves coloring.  She has to do EVERYTHING Alayna does.

Buttering her own piece of bread.  All by herself.  On the table.  She pretty much insists on doing everything by herself.  It creates fun situations like me finding her buttering her own piece of bread on the table.

Cheese.

What?  I am not doing anything wrong.

She wanted to wear her "sockies" on her hands.  Silly girl!