Our Christmas season was busy as we are sure yours was, too. Isn't it the merriest when you have things to do and places to go? Each night in December held different holiday events for us - time with friends, programs at school, visits with family. It was busy (and a little stressful), but we wouldn't change this time for anything.
Noah had lots of fun with a few friends before the holidays actually began. Daphne Deemer came over to play while her mommy and daddy attended a football banquet. Noah and Daphne had such a good time giggling with each other and playing dress up...well dress up boy style.
Noah and I had a fun time 'jingling' our neighbors. We aren't sure who jingled us, but it was fun returning the favor! A mysterious holiday sack appeared on our doorstep. Inside were little holiday trinkets, candy and decorations with a note that read 'You've been jingled!'. We had a day to turn around and make a holiday sack for two different neighbors. We filled our sacks with candy, stickers, holiday magnets, mini-note pads and then took a walk to Emma's house and Olivia and Sophie's house. It was fun 'elfing' and spreading the holiday spirit. 
My secret pal at work gave me a holiday cookie care package complete with Christmas cookie cutters, icing, sprinkles and sugar cookie mix! Noah and I rolled the cookie dough out with a rolling pin making it flat for our cookie shapes. Then we got to cutting! We even made boy-themed cookies: helicopters, swords, dinosaurs and rocket ships!!
We placed in the oven to bake for 12 minutes. Noah enjoyed watching the cookies puff up through the oven window.
After the cookies cooled, it was decorating time! We had so much fun shaking the sprinkles. Noah kept poking the icing and saying, "Oops" so he'd have to lick his fingers. Wonder where he learned that from? Sounds just like his daddy.
Then it was time to enjoy.
Then it was time to enjoy.
Noah chose a sword and then a gingerbread man. Making cookies with a two-year-old boy is really fun, but super messy!
Our next friend adventure was for adults only. Our Journey church small group had a tacky Christmas sweater party. Cody and I were stoked to dress up! We looked high and low of tacky sweaters and found pretty much nothing...We went to five different thrift stores, plus asked around. Can you believe that tacky Christmas sweaters are hard to find? At least it was for us.
Chris Carlson (left) made his sweater. Quite creative! Kris Boyd (right) looked so cozy in his!
Adam Barnett was voted best tackiest Christmas costume. He was a lumberjack elf. Hilarious!
Brandie and Kelly looked cute in their tackiness!
We played Dirty Santa. Cody unwrapped a lovely mini-feng shui waterfall. I unwrapped a photo package courtesy of Kyle Maly, an excellent photographer and member of our small group. I knew I wouldn't be hanging on to that gift for long. I was right. The Barnetts tried to steal and really thought they were on to something (there were a lot of threats being made between Cody and Adam), but they forgot about the middle man! After Adam stole my photo package, it was my turn to steal...SO I stole Cody's waterfall and what did he do??? Stole the photo package from Adam. That was it's third possession so uh oh!! It was frozen on the Goodnights. That's how we role. And that's why the game is called Dirty Santa. The Barnetts were shocked. Cody didn't know what I was up to. I was throwing seven different kinds of smoke. Impressed? I think so.
I think we made a pretty cute tacky couple! It was fun being silly and hanging with good friends.
Our next friend adventure was for adults only. Our Journey church small group had a tacky Christmas sweater party. Cody and I were stoked to dress up! We looked high and low of tacky sweaters and found pretty much nothing...We went to five different thrift stores, plus asked around. Can you believe that tacky Christmas sweaters are hard to find? At least it was for us. 
Chris Carlson (left) made his sweater. Quite creative! Kris Boyd (right) looked so cozy in his!
Adam Barnett was voted best tackiest Christmas costume. He was a lumberjack elf. Hilarious!
Brandie and Kelly looked cute in their tackiness!
We played Dirty Santa. Cody unwrapped a lovely mini-feng shui waterfall. I unwrapped a photo package courtesy of Kyle Maly, an excellent photographer and member of our small group. I knew I wouldn't be hanging on to that gift for long. I was right. The Barnetts tried to steal and really thought they were on to something (there were a lot of threats being made between Cody and Adam), but they forgot about the middle man! After Adam stole my photo package, it was my turn to steal...SO I stole Cody's waterfall and what did he do??? Stole the photo package from Adam. That was it's third possession so uh oh!! It was frozen on the Goodnights. That's how we role. And that's why the game is called Dirty Santa. The Barnetts were shocked. Cody didn't know what I was up to. I was throwing seven different kinds of smoke. Impressed? I think so.
I think we made a pretty cute tacky couple! It was fun being silly and hanging with good friends.
The weekend before Christmas, my teen girls' bible study, called Ladies of the Lord or LOL for short, had a Christmas slumber party at my house. Noah went to Mimi's for the night. Kamrin, my co-leader, and I took the girls, with help from one of the moms, to Journey's Christmas Spectacular service. Afterward, we came back to my house. Kamrin and I made spaghetti for the girls (and then waffles for breakfast). The book we read all semester was Boys are Waffles, Girls are Spaghetti so we thought the food choices were fitting. Teenage girls sure can eat! We made two pounds of hamburgers, two loaves of French bread and used two jars of marinara sauce...It was gone in no time! We, then, played Holy Angel (Dirty Santa, but appropriate for bible study). I got a nice scarf and house socks! The girls played so nice. There wasn't much stealing going on...We watched Christmas movies and chick flicks, had a Snuggie fashion show and talked until 2 am...well that's what time I went to bed. Two girls pulled all-nighters. I couldn't do it. In total, there were 14 girls. It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed being 14 again.
Our holiday preparations were wonderful this year. We've enjoyed making memories.
Our holiday preparations were wonderful this year. We've enjoyed making memories.
