Halloween 2016

We spent our Halloween doing some of our favorite traditions, making sugar cookies, having jack-o-latern shaped pepperoni pizza, and trick or treating our neighborhood with grandparents.

 Isabella had a costume change before we went out to the neighborhood.

Happy Halloween!!

Easter 2016

We enjoyed several activities in celebration of Easter and did our countdown resurrection eggs again this year to discuss Jesus' journey to the cross.

 Isabella went to the Day's Easter egg hunt again this year and was the winner in her age group for the most eggs collected.

We had our Mitchell egg dying night one night the week of Easter. Benjamin checking on his green egg.

Ta da!

I made pioneer woman's hot cross buns for the first time this year. 

Egg  hunting after church
After the egg hunt we headed to my parents house and spent the afternoon with our families. 

My mom's Easter cookie

 Isabella and Jillian in their matching Easter dresses

Confetti eggs!

He is risen indeed! :)

Christmas eve and Christmas

 Adding her last part of the beard on her countdown sheet Christmas eve morning.

We went to the movies that morning and saw The Peanuts Movie.

 Christmas treats

We came home for naps and that afternoon went to Mema's house for Christmas with any Mitchells that were in town. Then home for reading time together. They opened one of the last few Christmas books and we read the night before Christmas.

Some Christmas morning excitement!

Benjamin slept in longer than Isabella so she had finished opening her gifts and wanted to oversee him when he woke up and joined us.

Thomas books for the win! 

Playing away in her room Christmas morning and talking non stop.

Christmas breakfast and ornaments for the kids.
Isabella got a gymnast ornament for her first year of gymnastics. Benjamin got a Thomas train ornament that I forgot to take a picture of.

Our family Christmas morning.                                      And later at my Mom's house.

Christmas night we went on a walk in our neighborhood to burn off some energy and see Christmas lights up close. 

One of my favorite gifts! I had seen these snowman hot chocolate marshmallow toppers at sur la table that I really wanted. But when I went to order them, they had sold out. And for Christmas my sister made a box of them for me that she homemade peppermint vanilla marshmallows and made the snowman faces to look just like the ones from sur la table. And my mom got on an email list with the store to be notified if they came back in stock, so I had a box of them from her as well from the store. I felt special that they both worked hard to get something I'd really enjoy. How fun is it to see that happy snowman face in a warm cup!? :)
We had a wonderful Christmas season with lots of family time and fun traditions!

More December fun

 Christmas shopping and lunch before school while little brother was at MDO. 

 We made ornament bird seed feeders for our backyard trees. 

 Making a craft at her Christmas party

 Sara and I took some Christmas pictures of the kids one day after school. 

Peppermint hot chocolate making! We used a recipe from this post. It was so good!!!

 After great disappointment last year and very bad attitudes that the minivan express was not a real train...the minivan express ran again this year and with accurate expectations about what it was and what we would be doing we had a great time looking at Christmas lights.  :)

 Cinnamon rolls for the first day of Christmas break! After breakfast we went downtown to Downtown in December.

 Annual after church Christmas picture

Downtown canal and the Crystal bridge 

 Sugar cookie making

Isabella and I got hair cuts on Christmas eve eve. She loves getting her hair straightened when she gets it cut. She looks so big!!