Christmas Morning

Christmas morning was so fun. I loved watching Bobby's excitement at what had happened while he slept. "Santa brought me a Spinosaurus....how did he know that is what I wanted? And a black dragon?!!!" All said with a huge smile on his face and amazement in his eyes...it was wonderful to watch. Made the lack of sleep just disappear...at least momentarily:) And although Samantha didn't know what was going on, she loved her gifts, and gave us all her own gift....her first steps!!

Bobby loved his gifts and truly appreciated them, which was great to watch. And Samantha loved her dino stride and ride, grocery cart, and all of the babies. I have a feeling that I am going to have a girly girl on my hands, despite the swords and diggers that she is constantly playing with too:)

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was a busy day....we had a lot of "prepping" to do to be ready for the big jolly man's arrival. When we visited Santa, he told Bobby that chocolate chip were his favorite kind of cookie. So we had to make cookies. And then in the afternoon we sprinkled magic reindeer food in the yard. The glitter and oats make it possible and easier for Rudolph and the reindeer to find our house....a very important element of the whole Christmas thing...at least according to Bobby.

We always spend Christmas Eve with GG and Poppy on the boat. But unfortunately, I didn't take very many pictures on the boat. I was dealing with some major sleep deprivation that finally caught up with me right in time for Christmas. But the kids had a great time, and I enjoyed beginning all kinds of fun traditions with my little guy and can't wait for next year when Samantha can join in the fun too:)

Gingerbread House

While we were in Wilmington for Christmas, we made our "real" gingerbread house. Carrie and Mummu helped in the construction and decoration. My "construction" of the house was a bit sub-par, hence the food cans propping it up while the decorating was happening. And of course, as usual, Bobby was more interested in licking icing off his hands and eating the candy. But with some help and guidance, we were able to make a beautiful house! Thanks for the help Carrie and Mummu.

Pre School Party

I am behind. I always seem to be making excuses for the timeliness of my posts, but the truth is that these days there just aren't enough hours in the day for all the things that I have to do, need to do, and lastly, want to do. So here are some pictures from Bobby's Christmas party at school. He had a great time and has really enjoyed all the friends that he has made at school.

the three amigos

snack time

the book exchange


rudolf cookies that I made for the party. I was happy with how they turned out

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

The Christmas season is in full swing in the Long household...we have advent calendars on the countdown, Elves watching our every move, a tree picked out and decorated....Christmas play at school, graham cracker and ginger bread houses made, cookie exchanges, and a visit with the big guy...the one, the only...Santa! Bobby has really embraced the Christmas season and all of the activities this year. It has been so much fun to watch him get excited about all of the activities. And Samantha is just as much fun to watch, even if she doesn't really have a clue as to what is going on:)





Excuse some of the "editing"...I was having some fun with an editing site that I found!

Christening

While everyone was home for the holiday weekend, we had Samantha christened. She was christened at 5th Avenue Methodist Church in Wilmington, which is Sam's family church. All of his family have been christened there and Bobby was also christened there. She did great, and it meant so much to have family and friends a part of the day.

The dress that she wore was one of her GG's (Sam's mom) when she was a little girl. As I was ironing the dress, I was just praying that I didn't burn it:) And the gown that she wore was made by my mummu (my mother's mother) and my Aunt Kaarina. Both my sister and I were christened in it and so was Bobby.

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving in Wilmington...as usual. Unfortunately, Samantha had a double ear infection, so she was a bit out of sorts for the week....which means little sleep for mommy....which means very few pictures were taken, but we still had a wonderful time. And I am truly grateful for my wonderful family and extended family. You all mean the world to me and I consider myself very lucky to have the family that I do...both my own and Sam's family.

We were able to also squeeze in a Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning, which I hope will become an annual event!