Merry Christmas!

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MERRY CHRISTMAS!
(one of my mom's friends made the leg warmers and hats...too cute!)

Putting up our Christmas tree!

Daddy got the ornaments out of the box. 

Ruth liked the mooing cow ornament!

And Ruth gave them to Mommy to hang up on the tree. 

All finished! We had fun reminiscing about our ornaments
(we get an ornament when we travel places, so they serve as fun and special memories!).
I think Ruth wanted the camera here:). Can you tell?

Christmas cookie decorating!
Actually, this is more like Christmas cookie eating:)
I think she's "cheesing" it here!!
These are sugar cookies...

These are chocolate mint...

Dark chocolate gingerbread cookies...
We made all these to deliver to our new friends and community neighbors!
Something I always enjoy doing around the holidays!

Cookie decorating at our local coffee shop.
Ruth was able to decorate her own! She did a wonderful job!
See?

It just didn't last very long...

Nor did this one...

Can you tell what her favorite part was?
And can you tell I had fun, too?

The ornament we made for Grandma Lewton!
It's our tradition to make an ornament for Grandma and Grandpa each year. Ruth held the beads, and I put the pipe cleaners through. We had to work on it a bit at a time, but it was fun that it was something she could do.
(It's a candy cane made out of twisted red and white pipe cleaners with clear beads strung on them.)

Putting it on the tree. 

Making a bird feeder for Grandma Cully.
Actually, I think she was taste testing the shortening and oatmeal mixture here...yuck! She wasn't a fan either!
I did warn her, but it was probably a better lesson to be learned on her own. 

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Lewton's. 

Grandpa was bringing in her "big gift" at this point...can you tell?

Note the face...

Running toward it...

It's a wagon...that she at first called a boat when she saw it on the box!
Notice her legs...for some reason, she kept them up like so?!? (maybe because she can't reach the bottom and felt the need for some sort of footing)
Daddy got it all put together for her!

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Cully's. Well, actually, this wasn't really "Christmas". Grandma and Grandpa let Ruth open her presents early because they wanted her to have time to play with everything while she was there! Ruth didn't mind:).
This is her "big gift" from them...a little "jungle gym/slide"!

Her own little tractor!

We went to see some Christmas lights at a local children's garden/park type place!
It was freezing but still fun!
I think she's "cheesing" it here, as well!

Grandma had bought stuff to make buckeyes (and Ohio specialty), so my sister-in-law, along with the guidance of my mother-in-law, tag-teamed making them. Not bad for amateurs:).

Out with the whole family for Christmas lunch at a local favorite restaurant!
I think she's "cheesing" it here, too!

"Official" Christmas (but still not Christmas day) at Grandma and Grandpa Cully's. 

Ruth got a John Deere camera from her aunt and uncle!

It's a "climbing wall", so it will take some practice before she can do it on her own.


CHRISTMAS DAY at our house....

Tom went into work on Christmas morning, and before he left for work, he made us cinnamon rolls and left us a sweet note!
YUM!

Santa ate his cookies and drank his milk (definitely one of the perks to being a parent around Christmas time:))!
(I think Tom also used this plate for his cinnamon rolls...can you tell?)

Ruth enjoyed the cinnamon rolls, too. Don't worry...she didn't eat all of it. I think her main goal was the icing on top (seems to be her favorite part on most things with icing:)). 

Once Tom got home around noon-ish, we did our advent candle lighting...

And Scripture reading...

And present opening...

From us, Ruth got a sled (which is how they get to the grocery store around here:)...kidding!) and a glass bowl for her new fish that she gets to pick out...her first pet!!
She also got some raisins, popcorn, ChapStick, and bubbles in her stocking:).

It was a special Christmas!
Note: Ruth is "cheesing" it again here:)

After gift opening, we got ready (Ruth and I had remained in our pj's...after all...it was Christmas!) and went to our friends' (our old neighbors) for "lunch" (a really late lunch). We joined them, as well as, some of their family members. It was fun, special, and Ruth loved being there as well!
We were in charge of dessert:). I'm a Cully...I can totally handle that task!

Merry Christmas!

Opening presents...again:).
They spoiled her like she was family...we had no idea there was going to be so much present opening!
It was special to us!
She got a "dog" like "her dog". 

And a doll

And some CAT equipment ("bobcats"), and some plastic food for her kitchen!
"Santa" is opening her food for her. 

Ruth had a cookie for dessert but enjoyed the fruit so much (especially the blueberries) that she just kept eating more and more! We got to see some interesting facial expressions when she ate the raspberries:).

Ruth loves their stairs (still haven't mastered going DOWN the stairs)!