Christmas in pictures

Our Christmas....

Annika's preschool Christmas concert

(she's in the grey jumper and green shirt, about the middle of the front row)

Annika, hard at work during Carey's work's open house

The advent calendar, completed on Christmas morning with the star on top

Beautiful ballerina

Christmas fruit tree we made for brunch at my parents' place

Carey loves playing dolls :)

Emmett reading the Christmas story with Grandpa, on an iPad (how things change!)

Beautiful wooden handmade gifts, made by Grandpa

Emmett's newest game, stuffing his socks in the central vac outlet

My gift from Carey - Eggies!

(I love "as seen on tv" stuff - I also have a Snuggie).

Just as much fun as decorating the houses - smashing them!

Emmett thoroughly enjoyed it!

I must've been very good this year - Santa brought me my very own sewing machine (so far I had been borrowing my mom's to do my sewing).  Can't wait to start a new project!

This is what I want to remember from this year's Christmas - the smiles, the excitement, the fact that Annika did so well in her very first school concert, the love shown through gifts, the delicious food and the fellowship.  Hopefully over the years, it will be the memories held in these photos that remain in my heart, and not the stress, the exhaustion, the sickness, or the crankiness (although I want to remember those things enough to try to do things differently - hopefully better - in the coming years).