December Update

What a month it has been.  Every month is busy yet this seemed even busier.  We had a month full of fun.

In the beginning of December we got together with Katlyn.  Sophia and Katlyn have been friends all their lives and we used to see each other more often before the kids went to school.  It is harder now but when the girls get together it is like they didn't miss a beat.  They have so much fun.

We decided to cut down our Christmas tree again.  We figured it would be heavier and perhaps it would survive Mr. Twinkletoes and it did.  White Mr. Twinkletoes was interested he never did try to climb it.  We had fun picking out the perfect tree and cutting it down.  We also had a blast decorating the tree.  Sophia and I both love to decorate inside and out.  It helps us get into the Christmas spirit.

Sophia was a huge help shopping and wrapping gifts.  She loves giving people gifts.  She also loves making them.  She made gifts for her teachers.  Soap and Snowmen mittens.  She loved bringing them in and giving them to her teachers.

Nick was able to join us for Christmas.  It was so nice having him down.  We had a wonderful surf and turf dinner at home.  We then played a game that Sophia created.  She used the Clue game board and we tried to figure out which reindeer, hid what gift in what room.  It was fun.

Sophia and I made red velvet fudge and sugar cookies.  We gave some for Santa but we also had some ourselves.  They were yummy.

Christmas morning was full of excitement as Sophia opened her gifts.  Sophia got the Skylanders trap team she had been hoping for.  Santa brought her a Breyer horse trailer.

Sophia bought gifts for Mr. Twinkletoes and the dogs.  She did an awesome job picking out gifts.  They all loved their new toys.

We then had a lovely dinner at Grandma Bev's house.  I made enough lasagna to feed an army, with Sophia's help of course.  I also made an antipasto salad.  It was nice to spend the day with family.

This was the first Christmas without my mother.  It was very hard.  One of Linda's friends made my mother a wreath with some of my mother's Christmas ornament collection.  It was beautiful.  Linda put roses on my mother and fathers grave for me.  Christmas was hard but New Years Eve was harder.  It was so sad not calling her at midnight.

 Mr. Twinkletoes loves Sophia.  You can often find him at the dinner table on Sophia's chair and sometimes sleeping with her at night.

Sophia and Steve had many adventures over vacation while I worked.  They were out every day, parks, Dave and Busters, etc.  Steve is such an awesome father.

We spend a quiet New Years Eve at home.  We had dinner and then made a fondue.  This is our second year making a fondue so I guess it is becoming a tradition.  We watched some of the Carol Burnett videos Steve got me for Christmas and made it till the ball dropped.  Sophia was asleep second after the ball fell and we rang in 2015.