Bits + Pieces

1. One of the restaurants in our town hosted Santa Clause on Friday, so after a day of errands we headed there.
2. He sat with us and chatted to Cody and I for like 15 mins. It was awesome! (Plus he excitedly agreed to attend our north pole party next year!)
3. A peaceful evening.
4. New pj's from a girlfriend
5. Mackynzie took a selfie.
6. Such a cuddly puppy lately! I don't mind at all :)
7. Playing in the snow!
11. I am loving candy cane hot chocolates this Christmas season! (My butt will definitely be back to clean eating/a good workout routine after Christmas...)
12. Christmas jammies ready and waiting for tonight!
13. Sometimes, grapes in a dog bed is just what you need.

 I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, filled with joy and laughter and love.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE 

Best wishes from the Miller family

Zoo Lights

Last night we packed our warm clothes, picked up Cody from work, and went to gaze at the beautiful lights the zoo puts up every year. Non of us have ever been (well, I went when I was something like 10 years old.) so it was the perfect opportunity to cross it off our list.

The weather was perfect (we thought it was going to be quite cold, but it turned out to be a nice -6C!) and paired with candy cane hot chocolates, it was a fantastic night.

A Cookie Party

We had a cookie decorating play date yesterday. It was super fun! It was short notice, so only a couple of her friends could make it, but it was just perfect. Mackynzie was excitedly chatting with me about how her friends were coming to decorate cookies with her, and all the fun things she wanted to do. She helped set up, picked up her toy area, and eagerly waited at the window.

They had a blast with decorating, and had fun playing together afterwards. Success :) And of course, they enjoyed eating their master pieces!

Cuddles and Cookies? You bet!

 It's getting closer! I can't believe this is the last week left until Christmas  Yesterday was my day at home, aka do everything I can that needs to be done before things get busy, so it was filled with the last of the baking, cleaning, visiting with my girlfriend, feeling overwhelmed around 1:30 as per usual, reading stories, giving kisses, and helping a little girl who was having a trying day.

 Today we are having a couple of Mackynzie's friends over to decorate cookies, drink non dairy hot chocolate and play. I hope they have lots of fun together, and I will be sure to share photos of messy hands and faces. Then we will probably snuggle up and watch one of my favorite Christmas movies.

 With this time of year being so busy, I am trying really hard to have lots of connecting moments with Mackynzie. Tune out the world and make sure she knows that she is safe, loved, and that she can relax. Yesterday told me that we have strayed too far from our normal diet for her to handle, and that mama has been too busy buzzing around. So I am making sure that we have some down time every day leading up to Christmas  while still having a fun outing every day.

 I just want to make sure I am as in touch with her as possible, especially right now. I want to see the wonder in her eyes as we look at twinkling lights and brightly colored bows. I want to feel her excitement and share it with her. I want to tell her stories of Santa clause and his reindeer, and see her listen with joy as I explain his trip around the world. I want to soak up every bit of this season and be still in it.

This sweet little girl brings us so much joy and happiness. And she has a fantastic sense of humor.

Here's to sweet cuddles, quiet moments, and happiness this holiday season. Cheers!

Old ST.Nick

Every family has their own take on Santa Clause. Whether or not they have him in their home, if they tell their kids he's real, if they don't, if they incorporate him to suit their religious beliefs, there are many different ways a family approaches the big red guy.

 For us, it was a tough decision for a while. Funny, I never thought Chris Cringle would make it to topics to seriously be discussed between Cody and I. We had an answer before she was born, when she was a baby, and now that she is a walking, talking, smart little person. 

The very sum of our decision, is no, we will not be telling her Santa is real. However, as you can see in this post, Santa is definitely part of our family's Christmas. We decided that we weren't personally comfortable with telling her that Santa is real. It just didn't sit right with our parenting philosophies, but lucky for us, there are lots of fun ways to still enjoy the jolly old soul!

What we have told (and will tell) Mackynzie that Santa is the spirit of Christmas. Right now, due to age appropriate information for her developmental stage, she just knows that Santa is like a fun game. He is pretend, like a character in her story books. As she gets older, we will explain to her that Santa exists in all of us, because he represents the warm, fuzzy feelings of the season. All the joys and excitements and games and songs. We use Santa as the face of the bubbly excitement and fun. We are only giving her bits of information at a time (I'm sure next year will be easier), because we really want her to understand what we mean. That way, Santa will always be 'real' for her, (we won't have to deal with the awkward moments of her telling friends he's not real haha) just like he is 'real' for me. :)

We are counting down the days and will be tracking santa's progress to our house this Christmas eve. I just can not wait to see her sweet little face light up!

Bits + Pieces

1. When the tree is the only light in the room.
2. Grocery store cookie munching
3. Getting my holiday treat making on!
4.After Cody and I were done with them, they look like they are made with lots of love. ;)
5. Papa hasn't decorated a ginger bread house in years. He was very happy to be able to build her first house with her.
8. Because every chihuahua needs a Harley hat.

Christmas Traditions

 Christmas really is a magical time. I wrap myself up in the warmth and happiness and I squeeze it tight. Something that I always love asking friends and family, is what traditions they grew up with. What made Christmas special to them? What will always stand out to them from their childhood? And what will/did they pass down to their own children? I really love to hear what they tell me. Partly because I am always open to incorporating new traditions into our family, and partly because I love to see their faces light up with the memories. To hear the silly things that they cherish most, despite them not really knowing why they hold it so dear.

 We have taken some traditions from our childhood, and also started new ones (and I can guarantee we will add more as Mackynzie gets older.). These are some of the things we do at Christmas time:

1. Christmas Eve PJ's

 Every year, we open one gift on Christmas eve. Eventually, like Cody and I, Mackynzie will know exactly what the gift will be, but it's still so exciting to get to open just one. It's always new jammies to wear to bed (and most of Christmas day!) and sometimes a pair of slippers or fuzzy socks to go along with them. Cody had never done this before, but it's something he really looks forward to every Christmas eve.

2. To Jamma's house we go!

Cody's family has made their own tradition, that came from busy and odd work schedules when Cody and his sister were kids. Every Christmas eve (evening), the whole family gathers at Jamma's house (Cody's grandma) and we have what's usually a non traditional dinner (last year was homemade Chinese food.) and then open gifts after. We open ALL the gifts to and from family members, but then gifts to and from Cody, Mackynzie and myself, are saved for Christmas morning. not one gets opened. Then on Christmas morning each family does their own thing, and we meet back up for a traditional turkey dinner in the afternoon.
 At first, it was really odd for me and definitely something to get used to! But I really enjoy it now. It divides up the stimulation of Christmas and makes the day much more calm.

3. Santa's cookies and a movie.

We watch the polar express every Christmas eve. I don't know why, but it always gets me really excited and super stoked for Christmas morning.
 We also have lots of fun baking Santa fresh Cookies.

4. Christmas Lights

It doesn't happen on the same day every year, but we always go  look at Christmas lights together. Right now, we go somewhere we can get out and walk around since Mackynzie can't really see out the windows from her carseat. This usually includes hot chocolates and fuzzy mittens.

5. Christmas Brunch

 Last year, we started hosting Christmas brunch. It was nice to have the family over for a bit in the late morning, and then break off again until dinner. We keep it simple, with cinnamon buns or something along those lines, and fruit and bacon and orange juice. I am really looking forward to it again this year!

 Traditions we are starting this year:

1. Reindeer Food

 we are making reindeer food this year! I have seen tons of cute variations, and I think Mackynzie will have so much fun doing this.

2. Visiting Santa

 Mackynzie was too young to understand anything about Santa Clause in previous years, but this year she has requested that we pay a visit to the man in red. If all goes well, we will see him every year.

3. Holiday Party

Okay, so this one isn't really starting this year. I am doing a minuscule version this year because of time crunch (I didn't really know about it before!), but I am going to start doing a north pole party for Mackynzie and her friends. If you haven't heard of them, seriously look it up. SO cute! This year we are only doing a small cookie decorating 'party', but it will still be really fun!

4. Tracking Santa

Mackynzie is old enough to understand the whole tracking Santa thing now. I am extremely excited about this one! How magical to know where he is!

What are your family's traditions? Are there some you always look back on from your childhood?