Merry Christmas 2013

Merry Christmss from the Perry Family!  It was a wonderful day spent together - a fun morning and then lazy and laid back as we enjoyed our Christmas treasures.  It turns out our camera has a timer on it....guess I should have figured that out before.... so we attempted a family picture.  Clara wasn't exactly cooperative but at least we all look nice.  This is in front of our fireplace and next to our tree.

Clara is 2 1/2 now so this was the first Christmas with her that she got excited about opening presents and seeing what was in the packages.  One of her gifts was a little kitchen set.  She loved it!

She also received a new Doc McStuffins coloring book and pencils from Samantha as well as some Mickey Mouse flashcards in her stocking.  We use the flashcards to help her learn words and pronounce them a bit better.

Gramma Perry bought the girls new books to read.  Emma LOVES "Diary of a Wimpy Kid."  She finished it the first day!

Art supplies are always a big hit - especially with Samantha.  She spent lots of time coloring pictures.

Sam also received a new bathrobe - it is very soft and warm.  She has been wearing it all day!

This is Clara and her new tricycle... she likes to sit on it but hasn't figured out how to pedal AND steer.

My big gift from Santa was a new bread machine!  I love it and can't wait to use it.  My other one broke this past year so I have been anxious to receive a new one.  Santa knew just what I wanted!!!

Emma received a giant bulletin board.  She wanted to be able to display all of her 4-H and school awards.  This one should do the trick!

The big gift this year was a new basketball hoop.  Emma and Sam love to play basketball but we are no longer close to a park to play.  Santa dropped it off and Daddy spent several hours in the early morning assembling it.  They also received a new basketball from Gramma and Grampa Edwards.  They are set!

There were lots of other gifts given and received - we have enjoyed the Christmas season and we are sad to see it go.  It's hard to think about waiting another year for it to come around again.  We hope your holiday was very special!

Advent Activities

Each December I put together an Advent Calendar of activities for the girls to do.  Hopefully it helps them to enjoy the holiday and spirit of the season.  Some activities are bigger than others but we do something each day.  We have cut out snowflakes, done secret service, watched Christmas movies, and played Christmas games.  One activity that the girls really enjoyed was making homemade snow globes.  They were very easy to make and they turnd out very cute.

I found the figures at the Dollar store and besides needing the jars (which I had), some glitter, and some hot glue that was all we needed.

Another popular activity was homemade Hot Chocolate with all the fixings.  We had whipped cream, peppermint ice cream, hazelnut cookies, sprinkles, marshmallows, etc.  This was super yummy!

We also made reindeer and snowman pancakes - thanks to Pinterest for the reindeer idea!  The girls were really creative and gobbled them up very quickly after they made them.

Its getting harder and harder to come up with activity ideas that the girls will be interested in as they get older.  But it's a fun tradition to have and hopefully they will remember these moments as they get older.

Happy 11th Birthday Emma!

My little girl is now 11 years old...... It's easy for me to feel sentimental about time gone by.  How many times have I written on this blog about wanting time to stand still or to have my babies stop growing?  But then I look at these pictures of Emma and see what a lovely young lady she has grown into and I can feel good about this stage in her life - for a little bit.  Emma is smart, kind, gentle, thoughtful, curious, observant, and faithful.  I can trust her to make good choices - to be a good friend and a good sister.  She just makes people happy and that makes me one proud mama!!!

She had a great day!  Her friends made her day special at school and we had a little family party at home in the evening with a special dinner and root beer floats.  The main thing she really wanted was a new sewing machine for her 4-H projects.  Hopefully this machine will do the job!

She also got a couple of games, lots of cards and spending money from family members, and a new scarf from her aunt and uncle.  There sure are alot of people who LOVE this girl!

We love you very much Emma!  Hope your birthday was the best ever! :)