Advent...Day 27...The End

Today we finish! And it's only appropriate that we finish with thank you's.

I think it's very important if people have taken the time and effort to buy us a present that we officially thank them for it.

Today we wrote out our thank you cards...most of them as its a little hard keeping her that interested for so long!

The cards were made by Holly and printed by her Kindy as a fundraiser. I think they look really cute. I wish I had ordered more!

Advent...Day 26...Boxing Day

So Christmas is officially over!

Today was great. Just relaxing and checking out new presents. It's been a busy month so it's nice to take some time out.

Today I sent an email to the kids from Santa. They were so excited to receive it. Attached to the email were four photos of Santa in the house!!

I wanted to do this for the kids as one of Holly's wishes in her letter to Santa was that he would come into her room while she was asleep and ding her Jingle Bells. So in her photo...that's what she thinks he's doing!

I took photos of he kids while they slept on Christmas Eve. Then this Morning I added Santa to the photos on the Capture the Magic website. Www.capturethemagic.com

I'm pretty pleased with the results...and the kids were blown away!!

Advent...Day 25...The Big Day

The food and drink left over form Santa and his reindeer

 

 

The Santa Sacks

 

 

Hunter loved all his cars from Santa

Phoebe with her presents from Santa

Holly opening her Santa sack

I love this photo...she just worked out what the present was

The "Pirate Chest" fu;; pf presents

Opening presents at Nanny and Poppas

Advent...Day 24...Christmas Eve

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

This evening we had our Christmas celebrations with Bain's family which is dinner with a visit from "Santa".

We were lucky as it was a beautiful day the kids managed to have a couple of swims.  They also all enjoyed a ride on the Gator with their big cousins.

We all had a great time and the kids came home absolutely shattered...Phoebe and Hunter asleep for the rest of the night.

Swimming on Christmas Eve

Cool rides on the Gator

Santa has been spotted!!

Santa handing out the presents

Holly's so funny...she likes to store her presents.

Waving good bye to Santa

Waving bye

PREPARATION FOR SANTA

By the time we got home from our family celebrations, Holly was the only one still awake.

I asked her what she would like to leave out for Santa and the reindeer.  She decided on Chocolate Milk (we never have this!!) and carrots. 

Then she hang the Santa Key (see previous post) outside...and reluctantly went off to bed.

Advent...Day 23...Mummy's Chores

Today was about getting ready for Christmas...and didn't involve the children.  We have a busy day planned for tomorrow so I had to be extra organised today.

So I prepared Nice List Certificates for each of the kids.  I got these from free templates off the Internet.

I prepared stickers for the kids presents from Santa.  Its great to do stickers with photos of each kid on them.  It means they don't recognise my handwriting and they can easily identify who each present is for. I also print them off in equal numbers...making it easy to ensure that each child has the same number of presents...very important.

And then I wrapped and sorted them all! I'm so excited...I don't know who's more excited - me or the kids.

Nice List Certificates

The kids Santa Sacks. I just ordered these this year.  They are awesome...I am very pleased with them.



The stickers I made for each child.

Advent...Day 22...The Nativity

As its getting close to Christmas, I decided to get out the Fisher Price Nativty Set and all our Nativitiy Books and explain the christmas story to the kids.

The girls loved playing with the figurines...I told the story by introducting the figuringes to them.

Holly enjoyed doing Puzzles in the Nativity book...she is much more patient than Phoebe.

Advent..Day 21...Waiuku Christmas Display

http://christmasdisplay.co.nz/

So today, Santa was going to be at the Waiuku Christmas Display.

Phoebe was actually taken to this a couple of weeks ago by her Nana and it was recommended that we take all the kids back.  So I waited to a do that Santa was going to be there (he is only there sometimes) and so off we went today.

It was great.  The hall is filled with Christmas decorations.

We went straight in and there was no queue for Santa.  The girls were very surprised to see him (I hadn't warned them just in case he wasn't there).  They were pretty keen to get up in the sleigh and have their photo taken too.

Phoebe asked for a damn trumpet again!!!

Hunter didn't say much during the whole visit...although he was very happy at the cafe when he got his mince pie!

Phoebe looking at the displays

Pretty pleased with the snacks at the cafe

Phoebe checking out the trains.

The kids have just seen Santa and his Elf!

Holly and Phoebe

The Main Man

Advent...Day 20...Feeding Santa's Reindeer

It's taken a while for me to get this activity to work. I had been planning it for a few days but couldn't quite pull it off.

There is an awesome website www.reindeercam.com in which you can watch Santa feed his reindeer live.  The problem, with the time zones, is actually working out when that is! I downloaded the App but unfurntely as I wasnt able to connect to wifi with it I couldn't see the camera working...however the great thing was it did tell me when Santa was feeding.

So the kids saw the reindeer a few times without Santa but today I managed to coordinate it so that Santa was in the picute!! I loved their surpise as they watched him entering the screen.  Phoebe even noticed that he had a DeWalt Drill just like Daddy!!

Holly showing Hunter Santa

Phoebe has just realised that Santa has a drill like Daddy.

The girls watching Santa feed his reindeer

Advent...Day 19...Letters from Santa

Yesterday we wrote our letters to Santa.  Magically, during the night, Santa's elves came and collected them and left the kids letters from Santa!!

The letters I had ordered several weeks before from NZ Post. 

The NZ Post Santa Letters

It was so funny to see the kids expressions as they woke up and realised that the elves had been.


Phoebe reading her letter from Santa

Holly showing off her letter from Santa.

Phoebe is pretty proud of her letter

The look of amazement as she sees the mailbox!

Holly checking out the elf dust



I'm so excited exclaimed Phoebe.



Phoebe realising the elves had been! Priceless!!

Phoebe waking up Holly to tell her the exciting news!



The kids discussing the nights events!