Our Christmas...

We tried to have an "Traditional" Christmas here in South Africa, and by all accounts I think we succeeded! Santa found us, and of course spoiled us! Here are a few of our new Christmas memories....
We started our Santa festivities by making and decorating cookies, and a visit to Santa!
Kiddos decorating cookies for Santa...

Claire, nervous to see Santa...

All three before Santa, thrilled with the camera :)!

Christmas Eve we left out our cookies and reindeer food!
Leaving out cookies for Santa...

Sprinkling Reindeer food...

Look what awaited us Christmas morning!
Taylor's stash...

Claire's Santa stash...

Hunter's stash...

After getting Santa's goodies we ripped through the gifts under the tree.

All presents were distributed into piles, here is one pile...

Claire playing with new castle

Hunter opening....

Claire riding new wheels(Thanks Mimi and Poppa)

Taylor opening new Puma golf shoes(Thanks Mimi and Poppa)

I picked one of these for my gifts from Mom and Dad, Thanks!

Pat surprised me with a painting of our very first house, made me cry!

All Christmas decor is down now,hoping for a good new year; and maybe we will be home this year!

Merry Christmas!

We have been very busy here...We have been to Cape Town, went to Cape Point(where two oceans meet), climbed Lions Head, seen the musical CATS, been to the wineries, stayed in the most beautiful old winery, been on a safari, and been to local game parks. Oh, and the things we have seen! Lions, Rhinos, Giraffe, Monkeys, Zebra, Elephants, Water buffalo, Penguins; all of which were in their natural environment. We are now home! Cooking, baking, wrapping, and all the other fun stuff we do to get ready for Santa Clause!

Baking, Praying & Wrapping...

The last few days in a nut shell!
Baking; I have been invited to a Cookie Exchange party tomorrow with 16 other eager (frustrated) bakers. I have had to bake 6 cookies for each person, resulting in a hell of a lot of cookies! Finally done! Unfortunately my cookie bars are a little too crisp-to late to start over (I am a baking disaster)!

Praying, Claire had some dental work done in the hospital today. She was put to sleep for the procedure, but sailed through with flying colors! Me..well, I was a nervous wreck; South African hospital, seeing your child fight to be put to sleep and then cry for 30 minutes as she came to! I said a lot of prayers before, during and after!
(Soundly sleeping after a tiring day!)

Wrapping; trying to get all of my Christmas shopping done and get everything all wrapped. Three teacher/tutor gifts done, seven to go!

Still loving Christmas!