Christmas Cookies and Other Sweets

Mara was a gingerbread cookie in the Nutcracker this year.

She was so cute. It was fun to watch her perform. The ballet was really well done. We all had a really good time. When it was over Alex said "that was awesome!" There were three performances. During the first two Mara was kind of stiff and dazed by the lights and audience (there were a lot of people there).
She started busting out with her own moves during the 3rd performance.
I love the look on her face in this picture. I know she's wondering why she doesn't get to wear one of those frilly pink dresses.
We said goodbye to our dog a few weeks ago. It was a hard decision to make. She was a good little dog and we miss her, but we think we made the right choice. There has been much less yelling, fighting, and mess at our house without her. A new baby and a dog are a little too much for me. She went to live with a nice little family. They were really excited for her and they love her so that makes me feel better. The boys were a little sad, but not too much. I think they never got over her reign of terror as a puppy. Mara was really sad. She loves that dog.
This is the only picture I could get of Alex. He is always on the go. He loves to play outside with his friends. This year for Christmas he wants; a compass, a magnifying glass, and binoculars. He loves exploring in the field across the street from our house.
Ashton has been such a good boy lately. He is sweet and kind and very obedient. I couldn't ask for a better boy! This year for Christmas he wants a yo-yo.
We never make it through the day without a tutu. This is the new double decker look she's been doing lately. A tutu on top for the "shirt" and one on the bottom for the skirt. Mara is a breath of fresh air in our house full of boys. We love this sweet little girl. We say that she is really girly, and she is, but underlying that is the fact that she loves everything to be pretty and sparkly. I love that about her. She wants a flower and a butterfly for Christmas.

Here is my sweet baby boy. We are just crazy about this little guy. He's gotten through the fussy newborn stage and now he is just a joy to our family. Ashton started calling him Smilo because of the constant grin on his face. It's caught on and now we all say it. The kids all love to make him smile and laugh. Ashton says that Milo wants lots of yummy breast milk for Christmas. That's probably true.