December here...and gone....

OK so I really don't have any excuses for falling short in the blogging area for the month of December.  So, I offer no excuses and have attempted to capture the highlights of the month (minus Christmas) in a single post....so here we go...

We started the month with a late Thanksgiving celebration with Derek's family.  Grandma Freihaut and cousin Cameron came up a few days early to spend some time with Addy and Carter while and Derek's brother Cory, Aunt Courtney and Kerrigan came to our house for dinner on December 3rd.  The kids loved having lots of play time together.  It was a lot of fun seeing them interact with each other. We even managed to get a few pictures of the cousins in their Christmas outfits.

Fun with hate from Grandma

Freihaut cousins

The second weekend in December was a very busy one for us.  Derek and I headed to his work Christmas party on Friday (the 9th) while Derek's mom stayed home with the kids.  The next day we all headed to the Chicago suburbs for our annual Chicago getaway.  On Saturday we took the kids to the Kohl Children's Museum in Glenview.  It was our fist visit to the museum and we had a great time.  They have a fabulous water exploration room that Carter loved, although he did come out a little soggy from all the water play.  Addy really enjoyed the supermarket, baby hospital, and the animal clinic.  They both had a blast performing on the stage.  Later that evening we checked into our hotel, ordered pizza, and watched Indiana upset #1 Kentucky on an exciting last second shot.  The next day we headed to the Lego Exploration Center in Schaumburg.  Although it was a bit smaller than we anticipated, the kids had a lot of fun. 

Dancing on the stage

Taking care of the babies

Light table fun

Carter wasn't so sure about getting messy

Looking through the Lego Lion

Posing in front of the replica of Chicago

During the third weekend of December we took the kids to see Santa at our local park where you can go see him in the community building.  It is very low key.  You can snap your own pictures (for free!) and the local organizations are there making fresh gingerbread cookies, hot chocolate, and selling snacks.  We anticipated Carter being a little intimidated by seeing Santa, but Addy was actually the one who was a little apprehensive about sitting on his lap.  Carter willingly sat on his lap while Addy was more comfortable standing next to him for the picture.  She did tell him that she wanted 2 Mobigo Games, a Doodle Bear, and Crocs for her baby doll for Christmas. Both of the kids were happy to devour a gingerbread cookie after their visit with Santa and Carter even ran up to Santa to get a high five while we were eating our cookies.

Our visit with Santa...Carter doesn't look so sure

Face painting at the Zoo

Our two little reindeer

Addy got to experience her first Christmas celebration at school.  They talked about celebrating Christmas all month long and learned many Christmas carols. One of her favorites is O Christmas Tree and even though she doesn't sing all the correct lyrics, she is SO darn cute singing it.  Addy had a wonderful time at her classroom party.  I helped out with crafts and got to attend the party and help the kids make a few ornaments.  Santa paid a visit to Addy's classroom to hand out candy canes and talk with the kids.  Addy wanted no part in it and went to the very back corner of the classroom.  When I asked her why she didn't want to see him, she said "Mom....I already saw him once.  I don't need to see him again."  I guess Santa makes someone a little nervous! 

Our Elf on the Shelf paid a visit to our household again this December.  However, his name changed from Barney to Jingle.  Addy was very aware that Jingle was always watching and made sure to find his new place each morning.  Near the end of the month Carter was even pointing out Jingle and getting excited about finding him.

Jingle brought donuts and pj's on December 1st.

So, that's our December of 2011 in a nutshell.  We spent the majority of the month trying to keep with the holiday bustle and enjoying each others company. It was a great month that flew by all too quickly, but we made many great memories that we will always cherish.

Checking out the tree



Christmas Card Picture