1 Family x 12 (Dec)

 

It's that time of year where I try to squeeze in all the holiday posts onto the blog so that they're inside my yearly printed books.  While 2020 was the year of change, the year of doing things a little differently, for the most part, our Christmas day looked much like it typically does.  Our family together in PJ's...opening presents, hanging out, eating and drinking and playing with the kids.  This year we just added matching family jammies!

Painted Pottery Christmas Trees

 

Way back in Feb...before the world became crazy - Erin and I took the girls to one of those cute little pottery painting places.  It's the first time the girls and I had done anything like it, and I blogged about it back earlier this year.  So, fast forward to October when the store started emailing out about Christmas merchandise and Erin and I immediately knew we had a holiday project on the books.  She and I both wanted to paint one of these vintage pottery trees and I picked two smaller items for the girls to paint too.

You guys - these trees are probably 12, maybe 15 inches tall - they took us THREE days to paint.  Of course the girls were done with their trees in an hour and moved onto other projects...Erin and I were still working on our ribbons.  LOL!

Each piece needs three coats of pain to get full coverage and bright colors that pop once they go through the kiln.  We debated how to start and both decided to paint the ribbons first, then the ornaments and finally the green parts of the tree...oh, and also the bases!  Those went fast though.

We started these one Sunday afternoon and picked them back up the following weekend.  We finished them just before Thanksgiving which was perfect timing.  I dropped them off to be fired and picked them up the week after Thanksgiving - just in time to get them displayed for the holiday season!

We even had the forethought to paint the date on the bottom.  Here's to hoping these become family heirlooms down the road....displayed in the kids someday houses with their little kids helping to put in the bulbs each year.  

Operation Christmas Cheer

 

The first Christmas we spent in this house Ryan started plotting how he could Clark Griswold the outside of the house for the kids (but really, for himself).  We have three huge pine trees in the front yard near the driveway when you pull in and he's been wanting to rent a big lift so that he could decorate them from top to bottom in lights.

I've admittedly been the one resisting the extra expense of having to rent something but if there was ever a year that needed some extra holiday magic, it's 2020.  Of course, we weren't the only ones thinking that...and it's a good thing I swung through Menards a few days before Thanksgiving and grabbed 6 extra sets of lights, because we had enough to do one of the big pine trees in the front and a slightly smaller one that's nearer the shop.

In a moment of last minute inspiration we decided we wanted to do one more of the big trees in front, but we needed more sets of lights.  Early Sunday morning Ryan went to three stores looking for more light sets but they were all sold out...wah wah!  Oh well, we'll know for next year.  Which, means this is probably an annual decoration at this point.  It really is pretty when you drive up the drive.  I'm glad we did it!

Gingerbread Houses

 

Tablecloth aside, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around the McGrath house.  Over Thanksgiving weekend we did all of our indoor and outdoor holiday decorating and it is really festive around here.

Each year right after the holiday I check the local stores for discounted gingerbread houses for the next year.  We've always done them Thanksgiving weekend at Mom's house with Kayden and Lincoln so I typically buy four kits and squirrel them away until the following year.

So, this year we had a few extra houses (which was good because one was really broken and one needed some hot glue to do a quick repair) so Erin got in on the fun with the girls and now we have three cute gingerbread houses decorating our dining room table.

This year was the first year that both girls were old enough to run the piping bags themselves (not without messes!).  And, while it killed me on the inside a little bit, it's also the first year that I didn't try to "help" them do their houses.  They look nothing like I'd have decorated them, but that's the fun of it right?  COVID is teaching me to let some things go :)

Christmas Tree Cutting

 

This year we decided to cut our Christmas trees on Thanksgiving morning.  We were all feeling a little nervous about how busy the tree farms get, and we all really liked cutting them a week early last year.  Ryan was in Cali the weekend before Thanksgiving, so Thanksgiving day was just as good a day as any!  And, this year we had some new friends along for the tradition!

Jamie and family typically spend Thanksgiving with Zach's parents and cut their tree with them, but as is the way with 2020, traditions are a little in flux and they opted to stay home this year, so they joined us at Williams Tree Farm and boy oh boy were the girls happy to have Stella and Lucy along for the trip.

I think this might be the first "whine-free" Christmas tree cutting we've done since the kids were old enough to talk, so what, a solid 6 years?!  They really did do a great job this year and they were excited to be a part of the process.  The girls even pulled the tree carts for awhile (albeit, a very SHORT while).  

Couldn't resist a good old, group picture!  2020 masks and all!  What a world....what a world!

With the larger group this year we ended up split up and I didn't actually see Dan or Erin cut their trees, actually, now that I think about it, did I even see ANY trees cut down!?!  Hum!  Well, in any case, we're pretty happy with our tree for this year.  The last two years haven't been ideal (mostly my fault) so I let Ryan take the lead and give the final approval on when to "cut it!".  This year it's the perfect height!  I think we both wish it was a little fatter - seems like they trim their trees pretty skinny at Williams.  But, this is how it goes when you opt for live trees!  Every year is slightly different and I suppose that's part of the charm of it.

Thanksgiving Cookies

 Before we get into 100% Christmas over here, I thought I'd round out the posts with the last of our fall activities.  If you remember back to the early days of COVID quarantine, a friend of Erin's, a baker who lives in North Carolina, started doing adorable cookie kits to help fill up her time (and also her bank account) since events like weddings and big group birthday parties were canceled.  We ordered a few kits from her back in the spring and the kids loved them so much it didn't take me long to decide if we should order her latest, Thanksgiving themed cookie kits.

Of course Erin's cookies turned out beautiful, the girls and I were not so talented, but thanks to Patty, the cookies still tasted delicious, and, the girls had fun...which was the whole point.  Like in the spring, we sent a box to Mom's house too and she joined in on the decorating from afar.  Her cookies turned out pretty too, like Erin's.  My talents come in the form on quilting and knitting - I'll leave the cookies and cakes to these other ladies in my life.

Abby/Hazel/Sadie's cookies...vs Erin's cookies below.  Think anyone else can tell the difference!?  LOL!

1 Family x 12 (November)

 

I have SO many posts to share with you over the next few days, but first, our monthly family photo - at Williams Tree Farm on Thanksgiving morning. 

Halloween

Just taking a minute to get our Halloween post up on the blog.  This year looked very different for Halloween, but, in the end, I think the kids still had fun and that's all that really matters, right?  We didn't feel totally comfortable doing the full on trick or treating so instead, Jamie and I planned a scavenger hunt for the girls around their small neighborhood.  

You'll have to zoom in on the first picture because there's a special someone hiding in the photo....as Waldo does!

We wore our family costumes, the kids got candy, we made lemonade out of lemons and we'll call it another 2020 holiday in the books!

Waldo makes an appearance in this one too!  Don't miss her!

 

1 Family x 12 (October)

 

Well, like with everything in 2020, Halloween looked a little different than usual this year.  But, one thing that didn't change - family Halloween costumes.  This year Abby wanted to go as Mario Kart (2020 was the year she picked up gaming, thanks COVID).  But, honestly, it worked out great because back when Abby was 2, Ellyn made us the Princess Peach, Mario and toadstool costumes.  So, all I had to do was dig them out of the box and figure out a way for Abby to be Baby Peach.  Worked out great!

Zoo's, Museums....how have we been keeping busy?

Over the past few months we've been able to do a few activities making life feel more normal than it has in a long time.  This post is just a collection of those photos and memories from the past few months.  First, the girls and I met Erin in the city one day and explored the Field Museum.  Our original plan was to take the girls to an outdoor circus show in the city, but the weather proved rainy and the event was canceled, so we changed our plans and booked ourselves a time slot at the Field Museum.  

One thing that's been super interesting about living during COVID is that the social distancing efforts put in places like the Field Museum and the zoo and other places where people gather actually mean that if you are willing to spend the effort to organize something, your time there is SO much more pleasant because the crowds just aren't there anymore.

Both Erin and I weren't totally sure how the Field Museum would be...it was our first fully inside event since before COVID happened, but honestly, we got there right when it opened and we had a lovely time and we felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.  Of course we saw other people, but there was plenty of space for us to feel safe.  

Up next....Brookfield Zoo.  Can you believe that I'd never been there before?  We planned a date with Jenny and Jack and the kids and the weather literally could not have been better.  AND!  Ryan was home to join us as well.

The dinosaurs were so cool at the zoo.  They were sprinkled around everywhere and once Hazel and Dax got over being scared of them, they really enjoyed themselves.  Its so nice to have Jenny and Jack living in Naperville now!  I'm so looking forward to a time when we can plan more and more things together.  The kids play so well, and we're always so thankful when we can find a time to get them all together.  I can't wait until camping with cuzzies in 2021!

 

Finally - cookie decorating with the kids!  If I'm honest, this was batch #2 in which I tried very hard to replicate batch #1 that Erin coordinated.  Her cookies were much better, her frosting tasted better, the cookies were moister and the decorating was much more professional.  But, the point of the activity was the give the kids something festive to do...and they loved round 1 and 2 so we'll call this one a win too.  And, well, since this batch didn't turn out to be my favorite, I can easily pass up the container sitting on the counter.  I'm pretty sure I ate 2/3 of the cookies from batch #1.  

Erin - I think we should start planning a Thanksgiving batch.  And by that I mean, can we!?  I need some sugar cookies in my breakfast menu.  

Carving Pumpkins

We McGrath's carved pumpkins last weekend when Ryan was home.  It was nice to do them a little early so that we could enjoy them for a few weeks before Halloween gets here.

This year each of the girls drew their own faces and they even did most of the carving themselves.  Though the gut scooping fell squarely on Ryan this year - but he had a power tool to support the job.  There is not a single job at our house that doesn't involve a Dewalt tool these days.  

OH!  The new technique of the year was shaving the pumpkin down to make transparent skin for the light to shine through.  Over the last week or so the girls have been very into a pumpkin carving competition on the food network so I'm certain they are learning lots of new things to incorporate for next year.

From left to right the pumpkins are Hazel's, Ryan's, Abby's and Erin's.  Erin and I were meant to co-carve this year, but I took up clean up responsibilities early and she did the hard work on the pumpkin.