To finish up 2015...

A new year which means another year is come and gone. I want to wrap up what the Simpson Family did at the end of 2015 before I start into 2016.

Thanksgiving this year was spent with my parents. It was a nice low key day. I made the apple pie this year and to make it look snazzy I used two star cookie cutters on the top crust. I even made it sugar free for my mom. It wasn't bad, but I think I should have used a juicier apple variety since there wasn't good old of sugar to help make the sauce. We just hung out at my old house while my dad entertained my girls. They seriously can't get enough of Papa. We also got a snow storm right before Thanksgiving. It was the first significant snow storm that Lilybelle has seen so I bundled both girls up and we went to the park to play in the snow. It didn't last long though because it was bitterly cold.

Swim lessons continue to go well. Both girls look forward to going and I look forward to taking them. It will be sad to give them up during tax season. Or at least Tim will be the one who has to take them since I will go back to full time starting in February.

This was the first year that Lilybelle really understood who Santa Claus was. She kept talking about him and how he was going to come to her house to bring her a toy. Yes, that was all she asked Santa Claus for this year, and he yes he brought her a toy. Some magnet building blocks that both Lilybelle and Claire like to play with.

Santa Claus came to Lilybelle and Claire's school so we got the annual picture. Lilybelle smiled her cheesy smile and Claire screamed. I felt bad for the poor girl. We also took the girls to a Breakfast with Santa event at a local restaurant. It was fun. Lilybelle gave Santa a hug; she was so excited that he was there, and Claire shook his hand. She seemed a little cautious about it, but no crying.

I also turned another year older, and I swear my biological clock is getting louder. I'm not sure exactly what to do about it. That's a discussion that I've forced myself to think about later. I celebrated with two birthday dinners, because when your birthday is close to Christmas you got to make a production out of it. My mom made me homemade eggrolls that were super yummy and my sister introduced Claire to whip cream in a can. The next night my friends threw me a nice birthday dinner with ham, potatoes, rolls, salad, and brussel sprouts.

We stayed home for Christmas morning and my parents and little sister came up to open presents at 6 am. Yes I made everyone get up super early and drive to my house to be here at 6 am. To thank them for coming to our house so early I made overnight waffles, fruit, and bacon for breakfast. We had a White Christmas this year which the girls enjoyed. Later that night we went over to Tim's brother's house and had Christmas Dinner with his family. It was a lovely time and we stayed much later than I thought. It was way past the girls' bedtime!

The Christmas Eve Jammie picture. Man was it hard to get.

I finally made Claire and Tim's stockings. Everyone now has a homemade stocking

Christmas Eve snow

Christmas morning hot cocoa station

We rang in the new year with sleep. No one in our house stayed up past 10 pm. And that's the way I wanted it. I did take the girls to the Discovery Museum with my dad, and we convinced Lilybelle to climb up in the clouds finally. Claire ever the adventurer followed her sister.