Of course, we had to make some gingerbread cookies. The boys helped me mix roll out the dough and cut out the shapes. Then, we made some frosting, got together with our neighbors Izzy and Carolyn, and made some beautiful cookie art. Well, actually, there was some cookie art that was done, but it ended up in their mouth so quickly we really didn't see much. Evan especially enjoyed dumping as much frosting and as many sprinkles as he could on each cookie.
(happy cookie bakers)
(our crew of cookie decorators)
(yummy!)
(Cookies are delicious!)
We also had to check out Lights on the Neuse again this year. Last year, we had headed on down and had a great time, but had waited in lines that were at least a mile long! This year, we were determined to not have to wait, so we got there soon after they opened. We waited in line for probably 10 minutes and still got to enjoy all of the hayride fun. Evan really enjoyed the 3D barn that we went in after the hayride. Last year, they wouldn't even wear the glasses, but this year they loved seeing the 3D shapes pop out of the walls (even though Ian was not very impressed).
(Waiting for the lights--We promise, Evan was really having fun!)
(Ben excitedly watches the lights.)
(Evan loved the fake snow falling!)
(lots of lights)
(our little family having fun)
There were also some new attractions we just had to check out. Since the boys were older, I really wanted them to go see a show. I always had fond memories of going to see The Christmas Carol and the symphony, so I wanted the boys to have the same experiences. However, a lot of the shows said that the kids had to be at least 4 to attend or their dates were while we were busy. So, I didn't quite know where to go. However, there was a local dance studio that always puts on a version of The Nutcracker on Duke's campus, so that seemed like the level of show that we were up for. While the boys got very twitchy by the end, they still enjoyed seeing all of the dancers. Benny especially enjoyed the girls in the fluffy dresses while Evan favored the little mischievous boy. I can't wait until they get a little older and are a little more able to sit through other shows.
That weekend we also had to go check out a holiday parade. The neighborhood just next door to ours has the biggest holiday parade in Durham. So, we met some friends and headed out to see the parade. While it didn't start until an hour after it was supposed to because of a late bus driver, once it started we all had fun. The kids, of course, liked the fact that most people in the parade were throwing candy. I think they might have gotten almost as much candy as they did at Halloween! There were fire trucks, police cars, every high school band in Durham, the Durham Bulls mascot, and even Santa Claus himself riding a fire truck at the end. Ben and Evan were pretty amazed that he was actually there.
(parading boy scouts)
(You can't have a parade without a band-and Santa following behind.)
Our little family always has a great time around the holidays, and now we are ready to enjoy the actual event!
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