It's Santa!

Our new church has a group for families with kids under age 5. They host many social events throughout the year, including a family Christmas party. It was at this party where Owen met Santa for the first time!

Owen and Santa - ho ho ho!

Ainsley wasn't interested in sitting on Santa's lap, but she enjoyed many other activities offered. She was very festive wearing the jingle bell necklace that we each received as a take-home gift, and she also had fun playing with other kids.

Making an ornament

Playing a wreath bean bag game

This is fun!

She got one through the wreath!  Good job, Ainsley!

More Christmas Fun

Getting ready for Christmas is so much fun! Here are more of the activities that got us into the Christmas spirit.

Christmas concert at Notre Dame College

Baking Christmas cookies

Supervising the cookie baking

Pajama Day at school!

We also went to Glow at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens.

Riding the train

The Wishing Tree

Owen at Two Months

On December 11, sweet Owen turned two months old.  He still likes to be held upright, so he doesn't miss anything that's going on. He also started to coo and "talk" to us, which is so much fun!  

Owen likes to spend time in his swing, and he often falls asleep there. He also enjoys his crib mobile - his eyes light up when he watches the bears go around and around.

Ainsley continues to be a wonderful big sister, wanting to hold and play with Owen. She is beginning to distinguish between his cries, telling me, "Mommy, Owen needs a bottle - that's his hungry cry!"  And she's usually right.  She is very tuned in to her little brother, and it's so sweet to watch them together.

Tree Time

Picking out the perfect Christmas tree is serious business, much like picking the perfect pumpkin. We looked at tall ones & short ones, thin ones & fat ones, until we found just the right tree. It was the perfect tree for us and for Owen's first Christmas!

These trees are huge!

And these are Ainsley-sized trees!

Which one?
(We picked the one on the left.)

Heading home with the "one"

Time to decorate - putting the angel on top

Rapunzel adding ornaments

Adding a few candy canes

Having fun at the tree-trimming party

Ainsley & Owen

In front of our beautiful tree

Getting Ready for Christmas

Part of the excitement of Christmas is all the activities during the season. Even with little Owen this year, we wanted to make sure Ainsley got plenty of Christmas spirit leading up to the big day. Here are just a few of the fun things we did throughout December.

Tower City

We spent an afternoon at Tower City during Cleveland's WinterFest, where we saw two performances by local ballet troupes and viewed the store windows of the Higbee building, which were decorated to represent different scenes from The Nutcracker. A festive way to kick off the Christmas season!

Ainsley, Owen & Daddy in Tower City

"Wooden" soldier during one of the performances

Mommy & Ainsley with a Chrismas caroler

So many festive decorations

Kraynak's

It wouldn't be Christmas without a trip to Kraynak's Garden Center in Sharon, PA to see Santa Claus Land. The display this year did not disappoint!  We piled in the car with Great Grandma Shellhammer for the day's adventures. It's a good thing Daddy has narrow hips, because he was able to squeeze between the two car seats in the back so we only needed to take one car.

Frozen!!

Ainsley, Owen & Daddy

I loved this cozy living room scene.

Ainsley & Owen with Great Grandma

Legacy Village

One evening, we walked around Legacy Village to enjoy the beautiful lights and the Christmas music. Even without snow, the lights and tree created a splendid Christmas scene.

The huge tree in center of Legacy

Ainsley, Owen & Daddy

Ainsley & Mommy

Christmas magic