It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

We are having a beautiful snow storm this evening. It's cold and it's windy, but it's pretty. It seems like the month of December has just flown by. I have been so busy with getting ready for the holidays, the girls birthday, a sick baby, no sleep, work parties, ballet recitals, singing concerts, a huge neighborhood party at our house, and the list just goes on and on. This is my excuse for being a horrible blogger this month. I have to say Thanks to my loyal viewers because I know you are still checking daily to see if I have posted anything new.

Last weekend we had a great party at our house. We had a great turn out of about 35 couples (no kids). We had some incredible food and a yummy slush punch and a great chocolate fountain. Yummy! I started a neighborhood tradition where we all donate $ or gifts to some families in need in our community. We collected a good amount of money for our first year doing it. Tonight my family went out and bought gifts for 5 families in need this year. We had cart fulls of toys and food and wonderful gifts. It was a lot of fun and my girls just love doing it. We have done this each year we've been married, but this year we are doing it in a larger capacity with neighbors help. We will deliver the gifs on Christmas Eve. Thank you so much for all the donations. There will be a lot of kids and parents very grateful this Christmas. This is the true meaning of Christmas!!!

We have had fun with the kids the past few weeks reading Christmas stories and talking about the Birth of Christ. We have been doing an advent calendar and counting down the days. My very talented sister in law, Beth, made the girls these darling Christmas pillow cases. They have these little pockets on them and each night if the girls were good that day, Santa's elves come and leave them a surprise in the pocket while they are sleeping. The girls just love this. It's a super cute idea. I will have to post a picture of the pillowcases. They are so darling. The girls truely Believe in Santa. They have told us about kids on the bus saying he's no real, but they believe. It's so cute. It's a really fun age.

Well we are off to Utah tomorrow for a cousins wedding. We are also having a Neider Christmas party which should be lots of fun. My girls are so excited to go down and be with cousins and exchange gifts. We'll come back on Sunday, just in time to prepare for Christmas day. I'm glad I will have Monday to do some last minute stuff, especially wrapping.

I love Christmas time. I love that I have my own little family to start traditions with a celebrate in our own home. Waking up Christmas morning and watching our children so excited is such a highlight. I'm also married to a total kid at heart who can never sleep on Christmas Eve. We usually stay up half the night just getting everything ready for the morning. It's so much fun. I love being a Mom!