Getting Ready for the Holidays
This year is Melanie’s first Christmas! So we had to make her a stocking of course. We first tried a wreath, but then i wasn’t happy with how the bottom of the stocking was all empty. So i thought to do a candy cane which is a bit longer. I still don’t really love how its empty around it, but, decided to just live with it!
Jeff decided this is the year we can put up Christmas lights on the outside of the house! His dad had some extras from doing his house, so we didn’t even have to go the store (big bonus for Jeff!) Mike also loaned us his ladder.
Vincent was a good helper too, following along with his own ladder. Super cute. He thought the little hanger for the lights was cool.
One night we went for a stroll around Pop-pop’s neighborhood to check out Christmas lights. We didn’t find anything too cool except for these candy canes. Also the moon was really bright!
In front of Pop-pop’s house. Loving the look on these kids’ faces.
Melanie’s super cute kitty jacket from my friend Bonnie!
Another first for us was visiting Candy Cane Lane in Pacific Grove. We had dinner at Sapporo’s with the in-laws first (where Melanie grabbed her purreed carrots and spilled them ALL OVER herself…), then drove on over.
Lots of lights, lots of people, but lots of free fun.
Lego movie!
Thomas! Pretty elaborate.
We put up the christmas tree — our fake one. I actually really love our fake christmas tree. It looks pretty real and the lights are already strung in them! Genius! Vincent helped put on some ornaments.
This year, Grandma Jerrie got him a red firetruck ornament that made sounds and Melanie a pink first christmas bear that kinda looks like a rattle. I forgot to take photos of them, but unintenionally you can see them in the above photo. Vincent is holding his, and Melanies is right above his right ear.
We thought it was funny to put Melanie in the tree skirt!
We bought an advent calendar online for Vincent — it is by Eric Carle. It is pretty neat because each day you open it and there is either an ornament or a present to put under the tree.
Pop-pop also brought him a traditional one that opens the door to pictures of different christmas items.
You can see it on our mantle above the stockings.
I also taught him to cross of each day with a marker. So our routine would be to do all three calendars every night!
We also started Elf on the Shelf this year. Vincent’s old enough to participate in it. It’s pretty funny when he finds it, he gets quiet for a second, smiles real big, then points and said “right there! right there! right there!” (he can’t say his “th” sound very good yet so its more with a “d” sound)
