Getting Ready For Christmas

With only a few days left until Christmas, we had just a few things left to take care of before we'd be ready.  Yesterday I finished up all the present wrapping.  I love to wrap presents, but you get to a point where you feel like it's never going to end.  I'd been working on them during weekend nap time for the past three weeks and finally, thankfully, finished them.  Now the reason it took me so long is my own doing - if I wasn't so meticulous about how each gift looked when done, it probably would only take about half the time.  Yet even though I know it's likely only my sister and father-in-law will notice the straight corners and pretty bows, I still spend the extra few minutes with each present.

After the kids woke up from their naps yesterday, we worked on baking some cookies for Santa.  Now everyone who knows me knows I can't cook, and I'm not a great baker either.  So I took a helping hand from Pillsbury and popped some ready-made cookies on a sheet.  If I had the extra time and a kitchen worth hanging around in, I'd definitely spend a day baking real Christmas cookies with the kids.  There's always time to add that as a tradition down the road.

Once the cookies were baking away, we warmed up some milk and the kiddos had their first hot cocoas of the season.  Mya mostly had fun mixing in the packet, barely even taking a drink.  Mason kept wondering where his mini marshmallows had disappeared to.  :)

And our last Christmas preparation was accomplished today.  We took the kids to see Santa.  We hadn't gotten around to it last year, so Mya hadn't sat on his lap since she was 6 months old.  As most toddlers are, she was scared so sat on my knee.  Mason climbed right up and was happy to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas.  I think his dimple and the gleam in his eye give away which list he's on, but hopefully he'll have a good couple of days ahead of him to get back on the nice list.

So with that, we're ready for the big day (or days).  From the Mattens Family - Merry Christmas!