Twas the Night Before Christmas and All through the House,

Not a creature was stirring....

....because we were all outside enjoying a bonfire!   A recent windstorm had blown down a rather large branch from our Mesquite tree.  So what do you do with a large patch of dirt and lots of extra wood?  You build a fire, of course!  We enjoyed roasted hot dogs and s'mores, then Daddy read the Christmas story from the Bible.  It was a wonderful way to spend Christmas Eve and may even become a family tradition.

Our two little helpers take a break from feeding the flames to enjoy some liquid refreshment a la soda can and sippy cup.

And what do you know...Santa came the next day!  In addition to the big red guy, we'd like to thank all the very special Santas out there who provided us with so many fun surprises.

A. turns 5!!!  We celebrated by taking a family outing to the Arizona Museum for Youth and making a specially requested homemade pizza dinner.  Yummmm.

And don't forget the specially requested pink birthday cake with gumdrops.  No kidding, that's what she wanted.

The birthday girl generously allowed her little sister to open up some of her presents.  It was awfully nice of her and they both had a fabulous time playing with everything the next day. 

 

The temperature dropped to 50 degrees in early December.  Time to break out the cold weather gear!