Cookies for Santa

We went ahead and made cookies for Santa since we'll be out of town til late Christmas Eve.  I got a new sugar cookie recipe that was simple and fun to make.  

Samuel did a really good job helping-he wasn't so impulsive that the flour went everywhere this year. :-) I hate that he's growing up so fast, but I love the way he continues to change and grow.  

Samuel's Christmas Party

I got to be a part of Samuel's Christmas party again this year.  While Ms. Faulkner was getting the snacks ready, I read a Christmas book to the kiddos.  They were REALLY good listeners.  

Yummy snacks!  They never get junk food, so they were just tickled!

While we got everything cleaned up, Ms. Faulkner did some fun dancing with them.  They were adorable!

Samuel and Mrs. Faulkner. We absolutely LOVE her!!

Their class is so blessed to have 2 para-pros to work with them everyday.  Ms. Forte had already gone for the day, so we got a picture of Samuel with Mr. Moore.  Mr. Moore is super with Samuel.

Some of My Kiddos at School

Keundra and Marc

Tia

Tierra

Samuel

Kelvin

Artenis

Bennesha

Just some of the sweet kiddos I get to work with every day.

Pajama Day

Thursday was Polar Express/Pajama Day at Samuel's school.  He was super excited about wearing his Buzz Lightyear pajamas.  

School Christmas Program 2012

Today was Samuel's class sing along.  It is a very fun day for everyone involved.  I got to be a little more involved this year.  His teacher, Mrs. Faulkner, had to be out today, so I volunteered to help with the class that morning before I went back to my school.  

It was so fun to watch other 3 year old kids acting like Samuel does.  Because we are just us, I can often feel bogged down with Samuel's actions and challenges.  I am no alone!  WooHoo!!! :-)

I got to watch Samuel play in his centers and interact with the other kids in the class.  He was one of the breakfast helpers and got to help set the table for his classmates.  

Before they went to the performance, Mr. Moore let them practice.  It was too cute!

And then the performance began....

In these next few, it kind of looks like he's covering his ears, but he's making reindeer antlers.

He had another dancing moment this year, but it didn't turn into a break dance like last year.  :-)

It was a wonderful performance.  We LOVE Rockefeller!!

Playing in the Mud

One evening after a good rain, Samuel had a blast being a true boy.  A muddy, wet, gross little boy.  

He had the best time "painting" the fence.  

Emily's Birthday/Mean Girls Christmas

One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season is the opportunity to pick out perfect gifts for my friends.  

We make a point to get together for everyone's birthdays and Emily's happens to be close enough to Christmas that we celebrate BIG!  We went to YaYa's for their delicious brunch this year.  

Christmas with My Mom's Family

This past Saturday, we had Christmas with my mom's family-her sisters and some of my cousins and their kids.  It's always fun to have that many family members all together.  We decided a LONG time ago-December 25 is just a date on the calendar.  Christmas is whenever you can all get together and spend time with each other.