Lots of anticipation this week as the BIG day approached. We prepared for Santa's arrival in many ways.
Sage had a short-lived fascination with Santa hats.
And he debuted his new Christmas jam jams from Grandma Carter.
He literally wore them for 10 minutes, because shortly after taking this picture, I found him elbow deep in the toilet. He does this a lot. Can't take your eye off him for a second!!!
We watched all the classic Christmas movies.
My personal favorite is Chevy Chase's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation!!!
We did some Christmas crafts.
And on Saturday evening we went to the Gardens on Spring Creek for the Garden of Lights display.
Each light display mimics plants that normally grow in the garden. Pictured above are Sage and Matt standing in front of tomato plants. And below, they are standing in front of grape vines.
Water pouring from a giant watering can.
And then it was time to meet the big man himself.
Look at us. Together we are Christmas! Green and red. I swear we didn't plan it.
On Sunday I did some baking. While I worked on cranberry pistachio biscotti, Sage had his own unique baking experience. I gave him a cup of flour and a variety of colored sprinkles. Quite the sensory experience. And quite the mess!
Biscotti pre-baking.
The finished product.
Matt and I both worked Monday and Tuesday. But we both ended the workday early on Christmas Eve. Thank goodness! I was home shortly after noon. And that's exactly why I didn't request it off. It would have been a waste of a vacation day. I knew they couldn't keep us until 5pm!
I picked up some to-go food at our favorite restaurant, Mt Everest Cafe. The tradition is to eat out on Christmas Eve. But since Sage isn't restaurant-friendly right now, we opted for take-out. And it was a wonderful decision.
We had a relaxing evening. Cleaning, prepping food, and wrapping last-minute gifts. We bought ourselves some time by giving Sage playdough and cookie cutters. Just when I think I'm out of ideas...I stumble across something new.
About an hour before Sage's bedtime, we thought it best to let him open one present. The first gift of Christmas!! He had plenty to open the next day.... and I was desperate to entertain him, as we had already tucked away all the old toys in preparation for the new ones.
He got a puzzle!
Hours later, Santa arrived and filled the living room with presents, 3/4 of which were for Sage. I could barely sleep the night of Christmas Eve. I was so excited for the next day.
