Day 7: Christmas Devotional

Today we watched the Christmas Devotional from the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It originally aired last night, but since half of our family went to bed before it began, we saved President Monson's talk for tonight. If you missed it, listen here.

PS. Check out this great Christmas site! (Thanks, Eryka!)

Day 6: Decorate Christmas Tree

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," but not since my freshman year in college have I taken it so literally. Even when we lived in 350 square feet in Manhattan we managed to get a decent (fake) 5 foot tree. But with Dave working the entire Thanksgiving weekend and then taking a never-ending business trip to Houston (he's already canceled two different flights home), this is what we have. That's all I have to say about that.

Day 5: Rockwall Christmas Parade

Today we went to a Christmas parade that was sponsored by the local Kiwanis Club. Before the parade:

Don't be fooled by Madeline's zen-like stare. The parade was right during her morning nap and it took much cajoling, bouncing, and stuffing little star puffs in her mouth to keep her from screaming. As for Emma, that donut was probably the highlight of the day.





And like all winter parades, it ends with Santa on a fire truck. (How did that tradition get started, anyway?) We enjoyed ourselves immensely. And contrary to my belief, Emma claims that her favorite part of the parade was getting a little flag. I should have known from past parade experience.

Day 4: Neighborhood Sleigh Ride

We tried Santa again: success!


Unfortunately, they were running a little late and by the time we actually got on the sl"hay" ride, Maddie was losing it, so this is the only picture I got:

You can tell she had fun, though, by the chocolate and crumbs on her face. :)

Day 3: Rockwall Christmas Tree Lighting

We got there late and left early, but we made it gosh darn it. And managed to eat a cookie too.
PS. Do you like Emma's hat? She put it on herself. I think it's backwards...

Day 2: Decorating for Christmas

We had kind of a crazy Thanksgiving weekend (more on that later), so we busted out the Christmas decorations today. We lit a pine-scented candle and popped in the best Christmas album ever. Emma took command of the Fisher Price Nativity:

She also took charge of the stuffed animals:

And tried her hand at photography:

I took care of the rest:





As for Maddie, she mostly crawled around and ate stuff. She was particularly excited about the new additions on the floor.

Day 1: Old-Fashioned Christmas in the Square

Rockwall's "Old-Fashioned Christmas in the Square" sounded idyllic: "sleigh" rides, boutiques open for shopping, pictures with Santa, hot chocolate and treats. Unfortunately, winter decided to arrive tonight. (For the non-locals, winter in Texas means cold temps and rain). We braved the downpour anyway and headed to the old courthouse. It is a charming old building, and we climbed the stairs to see Santa. Last year, Emma absolutely refused to sit on Santa's lap and cried if we got too close. Our progress this year:

She still refused to sit on Santa's lap, but stood next to him without a fuss. I think she might have tried it if the kid in front of us hadn't been crying. Maddie seemed to be a fan.