Christmas Sweets

So, December came and Christmas time was upon us.  I have always loved Christmas.  I love the spirit and happiness that Christmas brings.  It really brings out the best in all of us.  It also brings loads of opportunities to eat yummy Christmas sweets, and since all of us are sweet teeth (can you pluralize that?) in our household it is a plus.

Grant may have taken his sweet tooth to a whole new level this holiday season (yes that is pure sugar)

But even more special than the Christmas sweets was the chance to share this Christmas season with Pace.  It is the first Christmas that he has really experienced it.  He was too little to understand what was going on before.  This year everything was exciting and magical.  Christmas lights were awesome, he never even grew tired of the ones on our street.  So a special thanks to all out neighbors who let us go in and be right up close to their nativity scenes, Santa puppies, Christmas trees, Elmo lights, etc.  The drive through Christmas light park we went to was better than ever.  Pace also loved hearing the nativity story and it was a blessing to all of us that he kept asking to read it.  It really helped keep the Christmas spirit in our home.  This was probably my favorite Christmas ever just because I got to experience it through Pace's eyes, and he catches all the miracles of Christmas.
Fort Leonard Wood had a fun Christmas festival we went and checked out.  Pace's favorite part was the train, but he like Santa (especially because he gave out candy canes).

Sleigh Ride together

Choo-Choo

Frosty the Grant man

With a corn cob pipe and a cute Pace nose

This was the first year we had Christmas on our own.  We missed having family around, but it was fun choosing what traditions we wanted to keep and start for our own family.  We still got to skype with family, and that was great.  All in all we had a blast.  Plus who knew we would see Santa fly in on his bulldozer?!

The reindeer

We know Santa prefers construction equipment.  Look at him enjoying that 'dozer.

 The extra large painted Christmas cards on the fort are also fun to check out.

This is Jake's Battalion Christmas card.

We thought this one was pretty.

Someone was excited for the new movie :)

We thought it was funny that the Inspector General used an elf on the shelf (they're always watching)

 Christmas morning was pure magic.  Pace had so much fun opening presents and helping us open ours.  Even Grant enjoyed eating the paper.

Christmas morning

Yummy food!

New cars!

New hats!

 

Missouri had a flood this holiday season.  Luckily we live on a hill, so we were fin, but a lot of areas had it worse.  The hike we went on a week after the major flooding, surprised us just to see how much of the hike would have been under water a week earlier.  We love hiking so we were glad to be out there in the Missouri woods.

Trail head

For a few miles the trail had become a dry wash.

Pace found the prize leaf

We visited the natural tunnel at Bennett Springs

We were surprised to see winter around us (it has been pretty warm for December), look at all the ice in front of us!

In the tunnel

Ice cycles!

The other end of the tunnel (there is a part in the middle where it is almost pitch black)

Look at all the leaves and trees that got washed down in the flood 

A really deep section of the wash