It’s just December 22nd, and yet we have already completed Round One of our holiday season and have warmed up for Round two!

The start of our celebrating began on Monday, December 12th. Grandpa and Grandma Janes had prepared a set of gifts for the girls in “Twelve Days of Christmas” fashion. The gifts are hung in the kitchen, and each night after dinner the girls open a numbered sack with a small surprise as they count down to Christmas. Needless to say, Grace has been finishing her dinner much faster in the last week!

Our holiday warm-up picked up in intensity when we traveled to Guthrie Center on Friday, December 16th to celebrate the holiday with Jill’s family. Friday night meant time to play with the cousins and a few gifts with Jill’s sisters. It was early to bed that evening, though, as the festivities continued on Saturday. The girls enjoyed getting “all fancy” for the holiday! First came a family gathering with Bob and Bea and extended family. Saturday afternoon meant more fun as we celebrated Christmas with Ron and Donna and all siblings. Gourmet food, snacks, treats, spoils, (and some whiskey and wine!) kept us all merry! In the morning, we traveled to Peru to celebrate Christmas with Paul and Darla. The unseasonable weather proved to be the best gift of all that day as the kids enjoyed the playset, horse rides, and jumping on the trampoline!

As we approach the “big day”, both girls are good at ripping paper, and Madelyn can speak to the flavors of tissue paper, wrapping paper, and an assortment of ribbons! We look forward to sharing Round Two in a few days!

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For more pictures, be sure to check out the whole album on Flickr