Christmas 2011

 In the midst of moving, we took a break to spend Christmas with my family in Connecticut.  I love enjoying the traditions I was raised with and I love sharing them with my children. 

 First, there are my mom's traditional butter cookies.  They are so delicate and light, and my mom has the best collection of tiny cookie cutters so you feel like you could eat a million of these tasty little cookies.  It was such a pleasure to watch Liam make cookies for the first time with Grandma.  It brought back so many childhood memories of making those same cookies with my mom.

 Then, there is Christmas Eve dinner with our family friends, the Posners.  I can't remember how many years we've been doing it, but I can hardly remember a time when we didn't.  Over the years, it has evolved, with college, missions, marriages, and children being born.  This year, every family member was in attendance and that meant the party was up to 21 people!  It might be many years before we are all together again, and so I cherish the memory.  Here, Liam is enjoying the traditional Friendly's Jubilee ice cream roll.  Yum!

 And of course Christmas morning!

 Liam was finally at an age where he was excited about Christmas and that made it so much more fun.  Miss Amelie enjoyed her first Christmas about like any baby does: enjoying the wrapping more than the presents.

 Of course there were many Christmas stories read...

 And lots of time spent with family.  Amelie simply adores her Uncle Johnny and he could never fail to make her happy (or get her to sleep!). 

  I love the many traditions I grew up with, and now that we have a home and our family is growing, I look forward to starting our own traditions.  I'm sure there will be transplanted traditions that I will always treasure.