We’ve been having a very relaxed holiday season! This Christmas, we decided to simplify and cut back, focusing more on connecting with our friends and family through time spent together, phone calls and heartfelt notes. It’s been a wonderful balance for me and a way to focus on the things that are really important!
I’ve been having so much fun decorating the tree with Malia, singing Christmas songs, reading the Christmas story, and baking Christmas cookies of course 
We are both so excited to make a plate of cookies for Santa tonight, along with carrots for the reindeer. These moments are so precious to me!
She’s getting her very own baking set complete with kid-sized rolling pin, measuring cups, and bowls for Christmas! Can’t wait to see my little baker’s face when she opens it!
Here she is writing her note to Santa. Every time someone asks her what she asked Santa to bring her for Christmas, she says that she already has lots of presents…love this age, haha!
Yes, barefoot and all
Wishing you a blessed and peaceful Christmas – Mele Kalikimaka from our ‘ohana to yours!
Maura
If you’re looking for some Christmas morning breakfast/brunch ideas, here are some of my favorites:
Hawaiian Sweet Bread Pudding - we’ll call it a very decadent baked french toast
Whole Wheat Banana Bread Waffles
100 calorie egg cups - perfect little bites for a holiday brunch
Lemon Blueberry Cake – just like Starbucks’ lemon blueberry pound cake!
Merry Christmas! Your kids are so adorable, glad you are enjoying your holiday season with your family! I have my eye on those banana bread waffles…
Thanks! Hope you had a very merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to your family Maura. What beautiful holiday pictures and memories.
Merry Christmas, Liz! Hope you all enjoyed your first Christmas as a family of four! Penelope is just beautiful
What fantastic pictures of your children. Absolutely precious!!!!! Thank you for the Christmas wishes and let me wish you and your entire family a very merry one and and healthy, happy new year. God bless you all.
Thank you so much, Carol. Hope you had a blessed Christmas, and a very happy new year!
Merry Christmas! Lovely post!
Merry Christmas, jill! Hope you and your family had a wonderful holidays
Merry Christmas, Maura! How wonderful your table looks! I sure could use some of those egg cups
Hope you had a wonderful Christmas, Pauline! Those egg cups are so easy and delicious, hope you give them a try sometime
Your kids are so cute and so smiling ! you have a wonderful family.
Thank you so much, what a sweet thing to say
Hope you had a merry Christmas, Maura!! It must be so fun to experience Christmas through your children’s eyes! I have a feeling that Malia’s going to become a fantastic baker, just like her mama
. She’s been exposed to so many scrumptious treats at such a young age. And she sure looks like a hands-on kind of a gal 
.
LOL, you got that right, Min
She keeps begging me to bake cookies every night, because that’s what we did during the holidays. So sad to hear that you were very sick recently, praying that you will make a very speedy recovery!!
Hope you had a lovely Christmas, Maura! Your kids look so adorable and so happy! All the best in the new year!
Thank you so much, Joan! Hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas
Beautiful pictures and story… though I do have to say that now I have the “Mele Kalikimaka” song from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation stuck in my head.
LOL, I am sorry about that
Hope you all are doing well now!
I loved reading about your baking traditions with Malia! What a sweetheart! I bet her eyes lit up Christmas morning when she opened her own personal chef set.
The Apple Dutch Pancake recipe you shared reminds me of one I ate growing up, except we called it “Dutch Baby.” What a delicious treat!
I hope you had a joyous holiday with your family, Maura! <3
Sara, she was SO excited when she saw her own baking set….she wanted to make something right away, so we made banana bread for breakfast
And someone gave her a monogrammed apron and chef’s hat too!
Yes, Dutch baby…that’s essentially what it is! I love those pancakes…aren’t they just so comforting?
Hope you had a blessed Christmas, Sara! Happy New Year…can’t wait to see what 2013 will bring for you
Ahhh you have to stop–your kids are TOO cute!!! And can I please come brunch at your place sometime? I’d love to try your caramel apple dutch pancake!!! And 100 cal egg cups are such a cute idea for brunch. Definitely putting it on my brunch to-make list!
LOL, Erika you are too sweet!! You are welcome at our table anytime…just have to make the flight to Hawaii
Merry Christmas albeit belatedly and happy new year!
Merry Christmas to you too! Hope you had a lovely holidays
Must. Make. Waffles. Now! Serious obsession haha.
You have a lovely family – wishing you well in the new year
LOL, Kailey I love those waffles! Hope you had a wonderful holiday