Christmastime and snow

We got some snow the weekend before Christmas and Ari was thrilled to be able to go out and enjoy it with daddy.

AJ took him sledding for the first time, and of course they crashed on their first time down. :) But Ari was a trooper and wanted to do it again, even if that meant getting snow in every place imaginable.

When they got back from sledding he wanted to stay out in the cold some more. Evangeline and I stayed in the cozy warm house and just waved to the crazies who were out there freezing.

Ari learned two songs to sing for Christmas at church. The kids performed them during the church service on Sunday and also for the Christmas Eve service. There were two Saturday practices and Ari asked on the way to one "Why do I have to go to practice? I already know the words and motions." We are working on patience and being humble. :)

Aunt Erin, Uncle Chris, and baby Owen did a great job as Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.

Ari was looking forward to dressing up for the Christmas Eve service like he did last year.

Our traditional family dinner on Christmas Eve includes a trip downtown to Weber Grill. For it being past the kids bedtimes they did surprisingly well. 

Evangeline decided that the bouncer was not just for Owen but also for herself. 

Evangeline is such a little mommy and is constantly tending to her baby dolls. I'm excited to see her when her baby sister arrives!

Out of nowhere Ari has decided he is in to pirates. I really have no idea where this came from but he was thrilled to get this costume.

Great family photo except for my son who can't be serious in pictures and my daughter who was cranky and wouldn't put her blanket down.

We tried to spend as much time with this little guy as possible. I tried to get a cousin picture but Evangeline was not cooperating (still cranky), but this one turned out great.

The day after Christmas we got lots more snow. Ari was ecstatic, especially because daddy didn't have to work most of the day so they got to play some more. All he wanted to do with our big snow mound was to build a snow church. They dug an entrance and even made a cross for the top.

The pile was so big from the plow truck that he was even able to sled down it. I say if it's going to be cold, it might as well snow!

We did my family's Christmas the weekend after and it was a full day of eating, playing games, and napping (for some).

I'm pretty sure my brother was the only adult napping. We found him several times passed out even in the midst of kid chaos. Gotta love the sippy cup he cuddled up to. :)

Every year we go to Christmas at the Zoo. I thought both kids would really enjoy all the lights but it was hard to enjoy anything because it was freezing! We cruised through all the lights and stopped momentarily for a picture. We didn't even care if the picture turned out good because we were just ready to get in the van and get warm.

It doesn't really seem like the new year is already here, but it was fun to have AJ home another day off of work. He took me to Patachou for breakfast-my all time favorite place to eat! We are looking forward to 2013 because our new addition to the family will be here soon. Eight(ish) more weeks to go! Hope you have something to look forward to this year. Happy New Year!