Holly Wreaths/Christmas Eve

Every year my Grandma T. would invite all of her grandchildren over and we would make
Holly Wreaths out of Corn Flakes and marshmallows. The past 4 years I've been continuing this tradition, so this year we made them Christmas Eve day.

My brother Kyle stirring the marshmallow mixture

Buttering our hands to form the gooey cereal mixture into wreaths

It was Avery's first time making a wreath but she was a little hesitant about it - she didn't like the texture.

But she loved the sprinkles as you can see from the wreath she made

Enjoying her sprinkles

Sharing with Daddy


The end product

One of my favorite Christmas traditions!

Later that evening, we went over to my parents house for Christmas Eve to spend with the Hull family (my mother's side). We enjoyed eating pizza, yummy desserts like mint fudge brownies, and then enjoyed exchanging white elephant gifts. Some of the gifts included a flamingo pen, a weighted hula-hoop, a 2002 I Love Lucy calendar. I ended up with a 3 piece snowman with candy in each section, and Phillip ended up with a Snoopy toy that plays the drums. So much fun and laughter.

Zoo Lights

Phillip, Avery, and I went to the Denver Zoo lights with the Waken family.
The weather was 60 degrees and so nice. The lights were beautiful and they seem to add more lights each year.



Avery enjoyed looking at the lights,




drinking hot chocolate,


and seeing the animals. In the Pachyderm we saw a rhino, a hippo, and a tapir. The tapir walked towards us and lifted it's snout - scaring Avery, I don't think she realized there was a barrier between us and the tapir. Other than the tapir, she loved the sea lions, giraffes, and especially the bats in Tropical Discovery. She thought they were so funny she was in hysterics.



Avery also especially loved the carousel. It was her first time riding and she had so much fun she didn't want to get off. Luckily she's under 3 and rides for free. She rode the tiger, the rhino, and the zebra.




We had so much fun and really enjoyed the nice weather. Hopefully next year will be just as nice

It's the most wonderful time of the year!