Christmas 2015

Well, Christmas has come and gone.   We enjoyed a relaxing, restful and fun holiday week, despite Peter, Sarah Avery and I battling sinus/respiratory infections.   Lots of family time, lots of good food and lots of cold medicine were had by all.    Here are the pictures........

Peter's holiday party kicked off our vacation.   We had fun getting dressed up and going out together.  

The next day while Susannah was at school we took SA to the Christmas market to check out the live nativity.  

It was fun to see the sights without the crowds.  

SA was excited to drive the car on the carousel.   

It was so nice to have a nice long break from school and work and activities......lots of extra snuggle time with these two!

Susannah helped me make homemade cinnamon rolls.  I was nervous because I had never made them before and it was an all-day process.   But they turned out great and we ate way too many over the next few days.     

Cousin Nina sent the girls some new Frozen accessories including this awesome cape.  

Since we don't have a fireplace in our apartment, we spent lots of time by the Netflix fire......

And took lots of walks.    We were a little bummed with the lack of snow this year, but we enjoyed the mild playground weather and blue skies.  

One day, the girls and I went to a friend's house for an afternoon of crafting.   

Those of you that know me well know that crafting usually  makes me break out in hives, but I was determined to have some sweet family holiday decorations, so I put on my brave face.    

My friend, Sorina, is very crafty and helped keep me calm.  ;)

Susannah was a great sport about getting her hands and feet painted.  

And now we have two finished products hanging on our living room wall!

Christmas Eve morning was spent in the kitchen.   Susannah rolled all the sausage balls this year.  

We went to the Christmas Eve Nativity at the church across the street.   SA wasn't too keen on being quiet though, so she and I exited right after the first song.   Susannah and Peter stayed to watch some of Susannah's school friends in the play.  

Then we all gathered around for the ceremonial opening of the first gifts.

Matching Christmas pjs!    Big surprise!   

After dinner we set out our plate for Santa and his reindeer.    

Santa was faithful and delivered lots of items from the girls' lists.  

We were so excited to see their faces on Christmas morning!

Sarah Avery got really into the gift opening.  

Susannah was so excited about her presents, but her favorite moment was giving me and Sarah Avery the gifts she had gotten for us.   Sweet, sweet girl.   

SA loved her new riding toy.

Susannah was most excited about her Elsa doll I think.   Thanks Shoo Shoo!

"What else is in there?"

Sarah Avery wasn't the most agreeable baby all week since she was so congested.   So we saw our fair share of these faces when things didn't go her way.  

Funny girl.  

Checking out their books from Grammy.

SA was not shy with tearing the paper.  

After opening presents, we took the girls out for some fresh air.   Susannah tried out her new bike helmet that Santa brought.

Shoo Shoo brought this advent calendar to Susannah from Berlin and we had so much fun revealing a new piece of the Christmas scene everyday.   Here is Susannah showing off the finished product.

Shoo Shoo also sent us a fun white elephant game to play, which we did during SA's nap.   

These girls have had so much fun playing together while Susannah is out of school.

SA worships her big sis and follows her everywhere.

Santa brought "big girl legos".   Since SA tries to eat the tiny pieces, Susannah usually waits until after her bedtime to build with them. 

 On Sunday morning, we headed to the Black Forest village of Triberg to check out their world famous Christmas market and get out of the city for a couple of days.  We had fun, but the trip firmly confirmed our belief that SA's current age is the WORST age for travel.

Susannah was most excited about the hotel pool.

So we spent our first afternoon swimming. 

This little dare-devil enjoyed the pool and was putting her face in the water and jumping off the side.  After swimming we headed to the hotel restaurant for dinner, which was included in our stay.   It was waaaay too nice for our crowd.
 Sarah Avery + white table cloth + candle = fire hazard.   

The next morning we went to explore Triberg's famous landmark, Germany's largest waterfall.

It was beautiful.

And cooold.

So afterward we went to a cafe for coffee and cake and playtime in their awesome kid's area.  

It was the perfect place for the girls to get out some energy without being in the cold.

After naptime at the hotel, we headed back to town to check out the Christmas Market.   It boasts one million twinkle lights and is so fancy, you have to pay an entrance fee.    Our first stop was the ferris wheel.

It was Susannah's first ride and I was so excited to get to share it with my girl.

The mountain views were beautiful.

Fun memories.

The girls enjoyed all the activities at the kid's world section. 

Like these silly mirrors.  

And this donkey named Nina.

Germans don't roast marshmallows, they roast bread on a stick.    

The girls rode this little carousel at least 8 times.   Which was good because the market was packed and super hilly and very cold.   Not the best place for a toddler.   We headed back to the apartment early.   The twinkle lights were beautiful and we are glad we went, but we are also very happy to be home.    

And that was Mallory Family Christmas 2016.   Hope that all of your holidays were merry and bright!   Happy New Year!