This Christmas Eve, Mio got a big treat — she got to see snow for the first time in her life! She seemed really fascinated and curious. She wasn’t sure what to make of it, but she kept trying to grab at the snowflakes that swirled around us.
The snow didn’t stick and the flurries stopped after a while, so we won’t be getting the white Christmas we’d been hoping for, but it was still a memorable experience for Mio! We can’t wait until she can see enough snow to play in!
We were invited to our dear friend Hanna and her brothers’ annual Christmas party this past Saturday, and we were so excited we could make it this year! (We’ve only been able to attend once before because we were always in California until right before Christmas.) We put Mio to bed and left her with my parents in case she woke up, and got to have a fun evening celebrating the holidays with friends!
It was a potluck, and there was SO much amazing food! I ate so much, and it showed. haha* I should think twice before wearing a bandage skirt if I know I’m going to be stuffing my face…
The highlight of this annual Christmas party is always the White Elephant gift exchange! There’s always lots of laughs and interesting gifts, and this year was no exception! This year there was everything from a knockoff Snuggie to a Kindle up for grabs!
On Sunday, my best friend Debbie organized a gathering with some of my dearest girlfriends to celebrate my 30th birthday at Zen Tara Tea in Bethesday. She reserved a private tea room for us and we had a lovely, intimate tea time together with just us girls! Dan watched Mio at home so that I could have a couple hours of relaxed fun with everyone. (Thanks hubby!) Debbie did such an amazing job selecting a lovely location and preparing lots of treats and goodies for us to take home, and had encouraged several of my friends to donate to my charity: water campaign — I was so moved by all the thought and effort she put into it, and it made for a 30th birthday celebration I’ll never forget!
Last Saturday, we went to a holiday potluck party with friends. Everyone brought such delicious food, and we also had a Secret Santa gift exchange. It was great seeing a lot of my high school girlfriends again, even some I hadn’t seen in years! Special thanks to Lucy for hosting the fun gathering at her lovely home.
I was so surprised when in the middle of the party, my friends turned off some of the lights and started singing “Happy Birthday,” bringing over a birthday pie lit with candles! I was so touched. :’)
We had a wonderful time at the holiday party, and it didn’t go too late so we were able to get back in time for Mio’s bedtime!
My sister and I built a gingerbread house last night! We had made one last year for the first time in years, and it was so much fun that we had to do it again. This year, we decided to make a time-lapse video to document the process, because we had so much fun making the tree-trimming time-lapse the other week.
We bought the gingerbread house kit from Trader Joe’s, and we really liked it for its unique look, all the materials it came with, and its unbeatable price — only $7.99! It’s imported from Germany, and while we have yet to eat it, the gingerbread was pretty soft and thick coming out of the box, compared to the rock-hard gingerbread you find in most other kits. It looks and smells delicious! I just love everything Trader Joe’s sells, especially during the holidays!
Here is the time-lapse video of us assembling and decorating the gingerbread house! Special thanks to Dan for setting the camera up and editing the video for us. 🙂
Some additional photos…
And Mio’s reaction to the gingerbread house? She saw it this morning during breakfast and broke out into a huge smile!
Maybe next year, Mio will be able to help build one with us! 🙂