Happy "Hall"-a-days!

We haven't been total scrooges this year, so here's a little of our Christmas festivities. Beware of picture overload (there's going to be a ton and this might not be the most entertaining post ever)....

Baylee (with the help of my sister Annie and myself) decorated her very first gingerbread house. I think she enjoyed eating the candy the best.

Baylee also enjoyed reading to her baby doll (I just thought this picture was too cute).

We went to part of church on Sunday before leaving for our Christmas vacation. Baylee loved her Christmas dress, and we actually got a quick family picture (although not the best one).

After sitting in church for a few minutes Baylee kept yelling that her dress was itchy. So, after a few mintues we went into the bathroom so I could put her button up sweater underneath. It didn't look the best, but at least it worked and got her to stop complaining.

This year we spent Christmas with Ben's family in Oceanside (minus Ryan and Anna and kids), where his parents rented a beach house. Baylee loved being around her cousins, and she especially loved her newest cousin, Cambri. She loved holding her and is going to be a great big sister. Cambri is the best baby ever, and I think we all wanted to take her home with us.  We hope our baby is just as mellow.

One of my favorite things we did with Ben's family was Christmas lights. I dragged everyone down to San Diego to Christmas Card Lane, a neighborhood in the area I lived in growing up. A bunch of the houses make these big wood cutouts of different characters and scenes. It was so fun to go back after about 14 years and take my family to.  The kids all loved posing with their favorite ones, although I'm not sure if the owners like all the kids trampling their lawns....  And thank you everyone for being good sports and coming!

Christmas Eve our sister-in-law, Laura, organized for all the kids to act out the Christmas story.
Baylee decided to just pop into the play whenever she felt like it (like just to see Cambri/when she thought Cambri aka Baby Jesus, needed a pacifier).
I think Baylee may have been the one who caused the outbreak of craziness from the 2 and under club.  It was great to see the Christmas story acted out by all the kids though, and very entertaining.

And of course, what is Christmas Eve without the matching pjs, and kids that won't cooperate to take a picture in them?

Of course on Christmas Baylee opened all her presents that Santa brought.  Ben and I didn't get any presents, we are going to do a trip instead.  I wasn't very on top of Christmas this year.  :(

Ben's parents gave us a baby blanket for our baby, but Baylee decided it would be better used for wrapping her Belle doll that Santa brought her.

Ben reading to Baylee and Belle.

Friday each couple took one of Jenny and Andre's kids for a scavenger hunt.  We had to drive through Oceanside and take pictures of certain items.  We were lucky to have Maddy on our team, and she was great (even if we did come in third out of five).  Here are just a few pictures of our scavenger hunt.  The last one is my favorite, and the people in the background couldn't stop laughing.

We decided to stay an extra day and go to Sea World.  One great thing is that for the one day admission price, we can return as many times as we want through the end of 2009.  We had a great time, even though it was a pretty crowded.  We touched starfish, fed the dolphins, ate funnel cake, Ben and Baylee went on Abby's Seastar Spin, Baylee got a little penguin and of all things picked a giraffe to make (like build-a-bear, they had sea animals too though), and saw penguins and the Budweiser horses.

We also stopped to see the San Diego temple.  It is so beautiful, and Baylee kept asking whose castle it was.

When we got home on Sunday, Baylee had a surprise from Grandma and Grandpa Higgins waiting for her.  She loves her new kitchen!

Yesterday I also noticed a surprise someone left for us.  We need to do a little weeding, but someone decided to decorate our "weed tree" in the backyard.

We had a great Christmas, and hope everyone else did as well.  And Happy New Year as well!