Creating Christmas

As you all know that the Christmas decorating starts really early at our house. Every year there is some new creative idea that comes—it is really fun, but we run out of places to put it all! I guess the good part about that is that we can rotate it through year after year and it feels like there is more…who am I kidding here is way too much! Haha

We had fun the last few weeks we have filled our time with projects—actually, makes us realize how special our church congregation is to us in Falls Church. So many of our Christmas traditions have evolved from their ideas—the sugar cookie recipe from Amy, the caramel popcorn from Jamie, Lasagna recipe from Shenney, door decorating for the neighbors from Erica, David and their boys, and of course, all of the fun experiences while making them.

We shopped at EuroFlora and then went to Bauhau (a German version of Home Depot) and bought items for our projects. (those stores are not good for us to enter…kind of like a bookstore what we think is an innocent shopping experience, however we always leave with plenty of creative ideas abounding!)

The Living room makes a great shop

Helping

Lady made Christmas stockings for her kids in her Sunday School class and I made a tower for Tau’aho. He loves to see what we are doing in the kitchen, so we took the idea of some friends and built one. Good idea because he can now participate and we do not have to hold him and cook one handed or worry he will fall off the chair. The bad thing is that he now has learned how to climb and Lady Hiva found the Lucky Dragon standing on top of the dining room table the other day! YIKES!

Watching Polar Express together

Our week also included plenty of cupcakes, food and Cricut creations! It has been cold the last few days (although cold in Istanbul is kind of mild) so we have spent time at the nearby mall with a playground set up in the center. Tau’aho loves it. He even goes down all the slides now by himself.

Spaghetti makes the best gel!

 In the afternoon we decided to enjoy all of the sunshine down on the Bosphorus. There were some women there with all their dogs—8 of them. You would have thought that Lucky guy was in HEAVEN. He laughed and ran and laughed some more. This little guy loves life so much and that makes me love life too.

He sat there and insisted that I sit across from him and talk...for nearly 10 minutes. (he NEVER sits that long)

Animals!