a cold christmas

We were back home on the 23rd, but it was too cold to even go outside! We stayed in our jammies all day, cozied up in front of our fireplace. The kids wanted to play in the snow, but I knew they wouldn't last long in -7F so instead we brought a couple bins of snow inside. Mae diligently painted hers. Colin ate his.

We planned to go to back to the museum with Anna and Grant on Christmas Eve. We’d been the week before to see the train display but didn’t have time to visit the children’s play area. The museum was closed for weather so we decided to go to the conservatory instead. The train display was SO cool, and it was refreshing to be surrounded by warm, tropical plants on such a cold day! I really loved the miniatures of city landmarks made from natural materials.

Christmas Eve we baked a carrot cake (new tradition request from Mae), went to church, picked up Chinese takeout, set out cookies for Santa, watched "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street," and read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" before bed. Then I fell asleep watching "White Christmas" on the couch with Dan.

After a busy Christmas Eve, we slept in on Christmas morning and didn't open presents until Mae woke up around 8:15. We set up our tree in the playroom this year for the first time.

Colin loved opening presents and sobbed when he was done. He didn't have any specific Christmas gift requests, but was very excited about his little Brio trucks. When he was playing kinetic sand later, he said, "I hafta get my trucks! Make a flat road!"

Mae was excited to get two Lego sets she asked Santa for. I told her she had to wait until after breakfast to start on them (for my own sanity), so she snuggled up and read her new Catstronauts books while our breakfast casserole cooked.

She spent all day Christmas and the 26th building her Lego horse trailer set, and was so proud when it was finished! It's very interactive, and she's had fun playing with the little people and horses.

It finally warmed up enough to go outside for a few minutes. On Christmas we sledded on the driveway, and on the 26th we delivered our Christmas cards to neighbors and to the blue mailbox at the end of the street. Colin had fun being towed around the block on the sled. Stay warm!