Let the Birthday Dash Begin...

Happy Birthday Larry! Looking forward to some yummy birthday desserts tonight! Have a great day.

Videos of the Girls

MAKE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN AND PAUSE THE MUSIC ON THE RIGHT BEFORE VIEWING!! Here are the girls in our day to day routine. Just double click and enjoy...

Taking a Stroll

The Pragers

Always on the Move

Christmas Lights

13 Days Till Christmas

One of my favorite things at Christmas....beautiful, sparkling Christmas lights! Jeff, Lily and Emma love them too. We have driven through local neighborhoods to show Lily all the festive lights. She gets so excited when we spot a house all lit up. Here is a picture of some of our lights this year. I'll have to post another picture once it's completed. We noticed the gap in the front that needs to be fixed. We also have a big tree on the left that's lit and Jeff is going to do the second story this weekend. More pics soon....

Christmas Crafts

14 Days Till Christmas
Another one of my favorite things at Christmas.....Christmas Crafts!! Lily and I have done a few fun crafts and have more planned for the coming weeks. The crafts include a foam Christmas tree, making ornaments and a gingerbread house. It's so fun to to share activities with Lily as she is filled with excitement and Christmas spirit!

Little hands hard at work!

Our First Family Pics

Arlington at Christmas

" Rest easy, sleep well my brothers. Know the line has held, your job is done. Rest easy, sleep well. Others have taken up where you fell, the line has held. Peace, peace, and farewell... "

"Readers may be interested to know that these wreaths -- some 5,000 -- are donated by the Worcester Wreath Co. of Harrington , Maine. The owner, Merrill Worcester, not only provides the wreaths, but covers the trucking expense as well. He's done this since 1992. A wonderful guy. Also, most years, groups of Maine school kids combine an educational trip to DC with this event to help out. Making this even more remarkable is the fact that Harrington is in one the poorest parts of the state."

Click the links below for more information about the Arlington Wreath Project

http://www.wreaths-across-america.org/about-arlington-wreaths.html

http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/wreaths.asp

Here is a video about the project, just pause the Christmas music on the right:

Coutdown to Christmas

From my friend and fellow blogger, Bernie:


"Starting now (Dawn, Mauri, Robin, Tracy,Monica, Jacquie/John, DEBORAH and Irene), you've been tagged to make a 'holidaily' post (by writing or attaching a simple photo), counting down the days until Christmas...GOTCHA!"


So, here begins my "holidaily" countdown to Christmas. I think I'll do a daily post about my favorite things at Christmas.

15 Days Until Christmas

One of my favorite things at Christmas is..... kids in cute Christmas jammy's by the tree

Here are our little elves:

Sitting Up

Look who is sitting up like a champ now!! She started about a week or so ago and loves the view from the upright position. Not to mention, it is really helping with the reflux. Time is flying...

Mornings at Our House

One of my favorite parts of being a Stay at Home Mom is our morning pj time. The girls and I have breakfast, watch the Disney Channel and just play together. Seeing these two laugh and crawl around the room is a great way to start any day. I am truly blessed! I love these pics of the girls in their super cute polka dot jammys. Makes me want to stay in my pj's all day!!

Our Happy Girl

Does it get any better than this?

Kastor and Kody...

Who says they can't be friends?

New Ornaments

As much as we cherish our old, family ornaments, we love getting new ones too. Here are some additions to the Prager family Christmas tree this year. The last one is a traditional German pickle ornament. Read the story below.

Legendary Pickle Ornament

A pickle used as an ornament on the Christmas tree seems odd at first, but this is an old German tradition. When decorating the Christmas tree, it was a practice to hang the pickle ornament last, hidden among the twigs. The first child on Christmas Eve to find the Christmas pickle ornament would receive an extra gift.

Decorating our Tree

It was a hectic tree decorating this year. Lily was so excited she pulled every ornament out of it's box and just went crazy. Emma was of course trying to put everything in her mouth. Since letting a 6 month old chew on ornaments is a bit of a choking hazard, we decided to put her in the exersaucer. She wasn't thrilled to be trapped, so we heard lots of ranting while putting on the decorations. Although it was hectic, it was still a wonderful memory. We hung Emma's first ornament and Lily was happy and singing the entire time. She tried to put ALL the ornaments on one branch but figured out quickly they wouldn't all stay. Just like her cousin Bre, she rehung the same few ornaments over and over again. It was so sweet to watch her decorate the tree. Jeff and I are so excited for Christmas this year. Our girls have changed our lives and we feel blessed to be sharing this special time of year with two amazing little angels. Enjoy the pics...

Some Progress

We are still working hard decorating, painting and doing projects. However, it's finally starting to come together and feel like a home. We are going to tile and paint the upstairs bathrooms over Christmas break. I guess a home is never truly finished. Here are some shots of our progress...

The dining room





The entry way and family room















The kitchen...a work in progress!

The formal living room and hall way

Our Master Bedroom

The girl's rooms

Letter to Santa

Here is Lily's letter to Santa Claus, per her own words....

German Christmas Cookies

Thanks for the recipe Diana!

Cinnamon Stars: Zimtsterne

These are a classic German Christmas cookie; you'll find them in most every household as soon as St. Nicholas' Day (December 6) rolls around. These gluten-free cookies are kind of like a cross between a macaroon and a meringue, with a hint of nutty spiciness. They're designed to keep for a long time; they'll get chewier as time passes.

2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more for rolling
15 ounces sliced almonds, with skin (about 4 1/2 cups)
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Sift the confectioners' sugar. Put 1/2 cup of the sifted confectioners' sugar, 10 ounces (3 heaping cups) of the almonds and all the cinnamon in a food processor. Process until the nuts are finely ground, with just a few larger pieces. Whip the egg whites in a large, clean bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until they hold soft peaks, about 1 minute. Gradually add the remaining confectioners' sugar while whipping, until the whites are thick, creamy and somewhat stiff, about 2 minutes more. Set aside 2/3 cup of this meringue for topping the cookies. Fold the ground almond mixture and the lemon zest into the remaining meringue to make a stiff dough. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Lay a sheet of parchment or waxed paper on the work surface and lightly dust with confectioners' sugar. Turn the dough out onto the dusted paper, flatten and dust with more sugar as needed, and then lay another sheet of parchment or waxed paper on top. Roll the dough between the papers until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Flip the dough over and gently peel off a sheet of the paper. For ease when cutting, lay the paper back on the dough, flip again and gently pull off the other side of the paper so that the dough is fully released from it. Cut cookies with a 3-inch star cutter and place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. (Excess dough can be rerolled.) Use a small spoon, brush or offset spatula to spread the reserved meringue over the top of each cookie, taking care not to let the meringue drip over the sides. Press or sprinkle remaining sliced almonds in a decorative pattern into the meringue. Bake cookies until bottoms are light golden brown and meringue is set and crisp, about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door to release heat and dry cookies out in the oven for 10 more minutes.

Busy baker's tips: The dough can be frozen between the sheets of paper for up to 2 weeks. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

Congratulations Linda!

From Jeff's Mom who participates nationally in dog showing and dog agility:

Hi!
Just thought you’d all like to know that Tucker finished his AKC Championship today at the Fitchburg show. He is now AKC Champion Buff Cap Sterling…. We’re SO proud.
Love,
US

Congratulations Linda, we know how hard you've been working!!