Christmas Day 2011

My favorite holiday! : ) Another fun and memorable year!

Christmas Eve in Lodi!

Another one of our annual traditions is to spend Christmas Eve with my mom's side of the family in Lodi. My Aunt Karen has been the hostess most years in my memory, and she continued to do an amazing job at keeping the tradition alive! Even though we were definitely missing my Grandma Ruth and my Uncle Ken, we all managed to have a great time celebrating the holiday, enjoying each other's company, playing with the kiddos, and eating yummy food. Once we got back to my parents house in Manteca, we played with Hayden and Zoey for a bit, and after they were in bed all the adults played Apples-to-Apples before prepping for Santa's visit and turning in ourselves. : ) As I always say, we are so blessed and I love my family oh-so much!

Our day so far....

Pancakes and meeting baby Violet for the first time! I love vacation!

Baking Christmas Cookies

Even though Z is only 2, and not quite ready to perfect her kitchen talents, this year I still wanted to start the tradition of making Christmas cookies with her in preparation for the holiday. It wasn't quite the peaceful bonding experience I hoped for (I was probably being too optimistic given my high-spirited little girl!), but it was definitely still a fun-filled, memorable adventure! My crazy toddler sure knows how to keep me on my toes - especially around a hot oven and a carton of eggs! We ended up with a messy kitchen, tons of laughter, Z's first experience licking cookie dough from the mixer, and 6 dozen yummy un-broken cookies! Overall definitely a successful inauguration for our new annual holiday tradition!

Mixing and Stirring...



Laughing and Tasting.....





Patienty Waiting!



I think for now, I'll have Z stick with her Play-Doh. : )

Our Annual Holiday Party 2011!

FUN TIMES AS ALWAYS! I am so glad that we've been able to keep up this tradition for so long - I think 7 years?! Lots of great memories with our amazing family and friends. Happy Holidays!