Merry Christmas 2014!

This year we got a Christmas tree for our house - the first in the new house - but spend actual Christmas in Virginia. Here's a shot of the girls decorating the tree.  Many ornaments, very low. 

The girls in a loving Christmas moment. Perhaps they were moved by the prospect of presents... 

The cousins Christmas morning. Poor Ariana was sick and very unhappy. 

Christmas Cookies

We had a Holiday-filled day today. This morning we made some Christmas cookies (some pics below), then went to Sophies very first Nutcracker, which she was very good for, and then watched Frosty the Snowman. We're ready for Christmas!

 Melting all of the ingredients together

 Rolling the dough

 Cutting out a Christmas tree

 Decorating (where more went in her mouth than on the cookies)

The final product! 

Merry Christmas!

This year we spent Christmas in New Jersey with the Sharps. We got to see a lot of family - and Sophie got a second round of presents (lucky baby!). 

 Here we are Christmas morning

 Sophie with her cousin Zoe (we really need to work on that smiling on demand thing...)

The day after Christmas Mayslanding, NJ got 18 inches of snow. We didn't venture out in it, but rather gazed on from the warmth of the house. 

An Early Christmas and The First Steps!

Nana, Pap Pap and Becky came up this weekend to celebrate an early Christmas. Sophie got everything that she asked Santa for (he can understand her language) as well as quite a few other things. She also took her first two steps! Aunt Becky is happy to say that they were toward her. Videos to follow.

She tasted each and every box. This one looks like it was especially good.

 Reading among the goods.

Sophie and Aunt Becky at Brad and Joan's annual tree decorating party.  Very color coordinated.