'Tis the Season!

One of my "must haves" on our new home list was to have a window facing the street so that at Christmastime you could see the tree from the window.

ta da!

When we moved here in March I couldn't wait to decorate for the holidays...and all of the sudden it was December and  time to decorate. We enjoyed doing this last weekend together as a family. Sierra made us some decaf Starbucks and Jackson watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas" as we put up the decorations around the house. I had forgotten I had bought this last year during the after Christmas sales! Now where did I put the soundtrack?

"Mom can I check out our beautiful tree and look at presents?"

At one point, Jackson threw an ornament the Bartels had given him last year--a football--across the room... yelling, "HIKE! Football!" He was pretty upset when it crashed into 50 pieces.

Abby's new spot for the next month.

really wanted to do matching stockings
 but just couldn't give up our originals!

We had a guy come out and install our lights on the house this week so it's official...we are 'tis-ing the season!

"That's not a bowl full of jelly!" --Marissa Johnson 
::31 weeks::

We had our first Santa sitting at Sea World. Jackson met Santa last year four times so we will see how many of Santa's helpers we will sit on this year. He wasn't a big fan of the snow because he didn't have his "snow hat," but he managed to scoop some up with his buddies Chloe and MJ. 

Santa gave him LOTS of advice on being a big brother
and guessed he is having a sister.

"Santa, please can I have a race car?!"

these scoopers are hard to come by!

Normally baking isn't my favorite thing as I prefer cooking, but apparently pregnancy brings out the Betty Crocker in me. Jackson is my little Bobby Crocker. He LOVES to help and even gets out the ingredients for me now! We made another batch of Pumpkin Cookies for preschool's bake sale and then some yummy chocolate chocolate chip and walnut cookies just because mama was craving them. HO! HO! HO!

learning to roll dough in balls