Red River, New Mexico!

this year we headed to Red River, NM with the Hinz family - 3 car loads to be exact! The drive was about 9 hours and Evie did unbelievably well - thank heavens! of course she had every movie under the sun - (thanks, Molly!) and was happy as a lark. the night we arrived, the snow started falling. it was so beautiful and added to the excitement of Christmas. the next morning, evie, her cousin, reese, and papa headed out to explore in all of their snow gear. many snow angels were made and we were lucky enough to borrow some sleds to pull the girls around. we spotted a hill not far from our condo and spent quite a bit of time there sledding down and climbing up. it was so fun to watch!

Christmas morning was quite a special time...seeing the kiddos with all of the treasures from Santa and watching evie play with her new toys - I mean, her cousin, davis' toys. she was definitely more into what he received. doodle read the story of Christmas as well as the traditional Right Family Christmas story...such fun!

It truly was a blessed Christmas and we are grateful for so much - especially the gift of Jesus.

the cutest little reindeer

Ah, a day I've looked forward to for a long time...Evie's school Christmas program. They wouldn't open the doors until 10:30 for the 10:45 performance, so I showed up at 10:25 only to realize that the doors had been opened since 9:15. UGH! I walked in feeling completely defeated, until my sweet friend, Zoe hollered to tell me she had saved seats. HALLELUJAH! Evie came out wearing brown antlers and a red dot on her nose. It was so sweet how she ran from her class line to come and give me a hug. I was so happy at how she sang the songs and didmost of the actions. Me-Maw, Aunt Dana and Hampton came to watch her big performance and then we headed to Olive Garden for a celebratory lunch. These are the days that couldn't get any better!

Hampie and Evie

baking Christmas cookies - 2010

Thus, another year of the wonderful day full of Christmas baking at my sister's house. Most definitely a day I look forward to every year and especially now that Evie can join in on the fun. This year I have to say, we totally figured it out... "pure pfeffernusse perfection". Those of you who have ever baked pfeffernusse know what a long process it can be. Anyway, after 15 years of baking with my sister for Christmas, we finally have it down! The girls enjoyed decorating the beloved snowman cookies and having a day together to play for a good 9 hours. Tradition is something I love about Christmas and I have to say, this is definitely one of my favorites.

christmas baking

every year evie's preschool hosts a baking day for all the kids and parents. it was so fun to be with her around her teachers and friends. the teachers spoke about how evie is so happy and pointed out how she constantly skips from place to place. we spent time in the kitchen making christmas cookies and then spent more time working on crafts together. it sure was a fun morning!

mom and evie

evie and her friend belle

the gingerbread house tradition continues...

hope & evie 2010

last week, meghan and hope came over for our annual gingerbread house building fun. this year, however, we not only built a gingerbread house but also a gingerbread train since evie is totally into the polar express. we have so much fun doing this together and always complain how the picture shown on the front of the box is definitely not possible. seriously! that icing is never easy to work with, let alone put those super cute polka dots on with. oh well, we gave it our best shot and i have to say, they always turn out super cute! and it's so fun to look back at the previous year pics to see the changes not only with our artistic abilities but how the girls have changed. traditions are what make the holidays so special!

evie & meghan hard at work

evie and hope 2009

dear santa...