Christmas morning

I wasn't quite sure what Eliza was expecting to happen on Christmas morning.  On Christmas Eve, she told me that she had to clean her room so that she could show Santa how clean her room was.  I was happy that she wanted to clean her room, but I wasn't sure if she was expecting to actually see Santa Claus in our house and talk to him.  She also mentioned that she was going to pick some Christmas books for Santa to read to her.  I hoped that she wouldn't be either confused or disappointed when a man in a red suit wouldn't see her clean room or read to her (although "Santa" actually did both).  

On Christmas morning, the kids slept in until 8:00.  I was excited about Christmas this year, since Eliza actually had some kind of understanding of it, so when I heard Eliza singing to herself in bed, I went in to see if she was ready to open presents.  I asked her if she wanted to go to the living room and look at the Christmas tree.  "No, I want you to read me three Christmas stories."  She either didn't  understand Christmas as much as I thought she did, or else she knew the truth about Santa already.  I vote for the earlier one, but I guess you never know.  After reading "The Night Before Christmas", "Frosty the snowman", and "The Polar express'" I convinced both her and Zaby to go to the living room and sit under the tree.

As they walked in the room, I asked each one of them to show me their excited about Christmas face.  Who looks more excited?

 

When she saw the presents, her eyes got wide and she exclaimed, "Presents all for me."  She was a bit distraught when we we told her that they were for everyone in our family, but quickly forgot about that when we let her choose and deliver the gifts to the correct recipient.  

Zaby didn't care too much about the presents, he was not surprisingly mostly fascinated by the lights and music coming from our tree.  (We have a string of musical bells that sing Christmas carols when we plug the tree in).  I managed to get a picture of both kids under the tree before the unwrapping began.  

 

Eliza was very good at spotting her own presents (perhaps because they were mostly wrapped in red), because the first three presents she chose were for her.  I love her smile after opening this Minnie Mouse sleeping bag.

 

I'm not sure who was more excited about this Sesame Street train, Eliza or Zabien.  Zaby loves it because it plays music and he can push the car around.  Eliza loves it simply because it is Elmo.  She's a Sesame Street girl through and through.

 

It wasn't until the kids found the stockings and started shoving all the contents in their mouths (including a small box of crackers) that I realized in all of my excitement, I hadn't fed them anything - poor children were starving to death.  In all fairness, we were going to attend an amazing brunch at  our Stake Presidents house at 10.  Since we weren't planning on eating until we arrived, I forgot that the kids probably wouldn't make it that long and needed something before that.  Perhaps next year, I won't be such a lame mom and make them some breakfast before we open presents.

 

After a small detour to feed the kids something, the present opening resumed.  At first she wasn't too sure about this high chair and pack-n-play for her dolls, but by the end of the day, they became a regular part of her baby doll routine.  In fact, she tucks her dolls and "friends" into their beds each night and twice during the day for naps.  Different dolls and different figures eat various snacks and meals, prepared by Eliza, throughout the day from the high chair.  My mom gave her a baby swing, car seat carrier, and diaper bag accessories which fit right in with her collection.  

 

Zaby had lots of help from his sister opening presents, but he didn't seem to mind.  We are excited to use his Cars sleeping bag along with his sisters camping this summer.

 

These train blocks were a hit, he loves pushing them around the house, and Eliza is quite good at assembling some awesome looking trains.

 

Bruce got a nice collection of shirts to wear to work and some awesome shoes. I got him some Vans this year, and every time he wears them, he gets a compliment of some time.  I bought those shoes at a Famous Footwear outlet for $5.00; probably the best bargain I have ever found.  

By far Eliza's favorite gifts were this Bert and Ernie (garage sale for .50 a piece), and this Minnie Mouse from Aunt Kendra.  When asked what she got for Christmas, these are the three gifts she mentioned, and these are the three gifts she plays with all day everyday.  Bert and Ernie were the perfect addition to her collection.  Although she still plays with dolls on occasion, her Sesame Street figures and Minnie Mouse have taken priority even over her dolls.  She uses all of her doll accessories for Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Bert, and Ernie.  It is adorable.

 Later that afternoon, I found her reading Bert and Ernie a book entitled "Bert and Ernie go Camping."  She told me very excitedly that she had to read Bert and Ernie to Bert and Ernie - Hilarious! 

 

It's hard to know for sure what present Zaby liked the most (because he plays with all of them).

  However, after he opened this John Deere tractor from Aunt Kendra, he had absolutely no interest in anything else. He wanted that tractor out of the package immediately. Once it was free, he took that tractor to the tiled entrance by the door and pushed it back and forth over and over again, all the while smiling while he pushed the sound buttons. So cute!! We discovered that he enjoys anything that he can push around. Be it a truck, train, tractor, or my bowls, pots, or lids - if it slides across the floor, it's the best toy!

 

 And this pictures was just too cute not to take and post. 

 

This year, I got an IPAD!  Yes!!  It was a combination birthday/Christmas gift, but I am totally in love with it.  An Ipad is probably the coolest thing I have.  I absolutely love it, and the euphoria of owning one hasn't worn off yet.  Merry Christmas to me!!  (Eliza took this picture).

 

 

We stuffed ourselves at the a fore mentioned brunch.  The kids fell asleep on the way home, and Bruce took a nap when we got home.  That left me all afternoon to explore my Ipad without interruption.  It was great!! 

We had a great Christmas this year.  We spent a lot of time together and played together as a family.  You can't ask for more than that!  Merry Christmas to all!

 

Christmas 2013 Part 2

On Monday December 23, we invited some friends from our ward over for Ableskiever and a special Christmas family night.  The lesson was good, the company better, and the food best of all.  I did well at making the Ableskeiver this year.

Zaby is always ready to eat!

  

 We drew different pieces of our Little People Nativity set out of a bag and found some scriptures to support their role in the Savior's birth.

Everyone participated, even the missionaries who mentioned that Ableskeiver was the best meal they've had on their mission to date.  If that isn't a complement, then I don't know what is.  

Eliza enjoyed sharing her toys and dolls with her friend Sadie.  Aren't they so cute togther.  Before everyone left, we had to get someone to take our family picture next to our tree in our matching jammies.  Eliza chose the fabric this year, and I think she did a great job!  Lucky her, she aready chose the fabric for next year too because we happened to be at Joannes when they put their Christmas fabric on clerance for 75% off.  With my coupon (because I always shop with coupons), I got our Christmas fabric for very little.  Score!

I made both pairs of jammies for the kids a couple sizes too big (because it was easier), so they will be able to wear this pair for awhile.  

As per tradition, we slept in the family room together on December 23rd.  We normally sleep under the tree, but since there isn't enough space in that room anymore, we had to make a minor change.  Besides that, we spend the evening watching Christmas movies and eating treats, and the tree and TV/DVD player isn't in the same room, we had to adjust accordingly.  At the beginning, the kids were estatic.  The novelty of sleeping anywhere but alone in your bed was almost too much. 

It took a long time for the excitement to wear off, and for sleepiness to set in. 

 They wrestled with dad on the bed for a while.  Finally, exhastion overcame Zaby and he zonked out on the twin air mattress.    Eliza was not quite as fortunate.  I fell asleep before she did. 

She tossed and turned for another hour.  After one more trip to the bathroom, she nestled in for some pre-Santa sleep - or so we thought.  Within a half hour, she was awake and crying.  Her crying woke Zaby up.  At this point, I started to wonder why we thought this was a fun tradition.  I was having anything but fun. 

As cool as it is to sleep together in the family room; Eliza loves the comfort of her own bed. I ended up tucking her into her own bed where she slept peacefully the rest of the night.  I eventually got Zaby back to sleep between Bruce and I.  However, Zaby is a wild sleeper - moving every which way in his sleep.  I soon found myself kicked off the mattress.  I moved to the couch.  It didn't take long for my absence to go unnoticed.  In a semi-conscious state, Zaby crawled over to the couch and climbed up to me.  As soon as his head hit my stomach, he was asleep again.  And that's how we spent the night.   

In the morning, when all was said and done, I decided to stick with this tradition.  We may not get much sleep (espeically the parents), but we are bonding together.  I get lots of snuggle time, and we are making fun memories to last forever. 

Ward Christmas Party

Our Ward Christmas Party, which took place on December 21, this year was amazing.  The young men were in charge, and they decided to make the evening and night of service.  After the traditional ham dinner, we worked together to complete two different service projects.  We put together over 200 care packages for the homeless - complete with hand written cards.  The second project was Project Linus.  We made blankets for children of all ages who are hospitalized.  The goal is to make sure that every child has a blanket.  I thought this was the perfect activity for a Christmas party.  Even the children made Christmas decorations/crafts to give to the local nursing home.  I'm really happy that our entire family got involved.  Zaby even helped me stuff a couple care packages. 

Before dinner, Santa Claus was seated in the lobby to welcome the children.  No matter how much Eliza talked about Santa Claus, she wouldn't talk to him when she first walked in.  We couldn't even get her to sit on his lap. 

Zaby had no problem with Santa.  In fact, he almost looks bored sitting on his lap. 

 

 

After much coaxing, and as long as Zaby sat with her, Eliza finally made it onto Santa's lap.  True to her wishes, she told Santa exactly what she wanted for Christmas

Santa:  What do you want for Christmas?

Eliza:  Presents

Me:  What kind of presents? 

Eliza:  Red ones

Me:  What do you want in the present?

Eliza:  Toys.

Me:  What kind of toys?

Eliza:  Red and Yellow ones.

Santa:  I'll see what I can do.

Eliza:  And Zaby wants yellow toys too and red ones too.  

  It's what she said every time I asked her. 

 

Zaby is trying to decide whether this beard is real or not

 

 

When it came down to it, Eliza was easy to please in regards to Christmas shopping this year.  I tried to wrap most of her gifts in red wrapping paper.  I'm curious to see if she develops more specific opinions in the future.  

Playgroup Christmas party

As I have mentioned before, I am in charge of our ward playgroup.  Around Christmas time, I decided to plan a fun and simple Christmas party.  We had a good turnout, considering the time of year.  After about 10 minutes of free play, we started out the party, by cutting out sugar cookies.  Everyone got to cut the one they wanted to eat.  There were some we couldn't get to stop cutting out cookies, even when there wasn't any more dough to cut. 

My friend Jen helping her daughter Mattie with the last of the dough

 

 

While the cookies were baking, we watched Frosty the Snowman and ate popcorn. This was a hit!

 Even Zaby enjoyed this activity

 

The cookies were the perfect temperature for eating by the time the movie was over. We didn't bother frosting them because frankly they didn't last long enough to warrant making frosting.

 

 

After indulging in cookie goodness, we made Santa Clauses out of paper plates, cotton balls, and red construction paper.  I was surprised at how long the children concentrated on this particular craft.  One of the little girls insisted on making 2 Santa Clauses (she needed one for her 1 week old brother - Sweet!)

Eliza hard at work - creating her masterpiece!

 Finally, we ended with a gift exchange.  This went surprisingly well considering half of the participants were under 2.  Some children wanted to open the present they brought, not realizing the point was to exchange.  I'm sure everyone had fun, but Eliza absolutely loves playgroup.  As a mother, it is fun to watch her interact with other children, and my heart always melts when I hear her sweet giggle. 

Christmas 2013 - Tree lighting ceremony

This Christmas season was super fun.  Eliza was the perfect age to catch onto the magic of Santa Clause.  She talked about him everyday; she joyfully learned and sang Christmas carol after Christmas carol, and she completely tore into the presents.  Last night I heard her exclaim (while holding one of the Sesame street books my sister gave her, "Zaby, this is my favorite Christmas book ever in the whole world.  It is MY Christmas book I got last night on Christmas Eve, last year."  She still goes around the house singing "Jingle Bells" "Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer" "Santa Claus is coming to town" and "We wish you a Merry Christmas."  On a daily basis she asks to watch Rudolph and Santa Claus is coming to town.  She is full of the Christmas spirit. 


Our Christmas celebrations started the first week in December when we attended the tree lighting ceremony in both our town Perkasie, and the neighboring town Sellersville.  We had a camera malfunction during the Sellersville celebration, so there are very few pictures to show for it.  After enjoying some free food, we took a free trolley ride through historic Sellersville.  Eliza enjoyed the ride so much, we had to carry her off the trolley amongst kicking and screaming.  We grabbed a cup of hot cocoa, ate a bowl of chili and cake, then stood in line to see Santa and Mrs. Claus.  This is the only tangible evidence we have of attending the celebration.

The whole evening she talked about what she was going to tell Santa Claus and what she was going to ask for.  When it came time to actually talk to him, she didn't want anything to do with it.  It took the candy cane bribe for her to pose for this photo.  She did say goodbye to both of them when it was time to go. 

 

 

A few days later, we hit the Perkasie Christmas celebration.  Early in the afternoon, the historic Perkasie carousel was open offering free rides with Santa Claus to everyone. 

At first, Eliza was a bit unsure if she wanted to join the fun, but as soon as we got going, the smiles and giggles didn't stop.  

 

 

We rode the carousel three times (by then I was feeling a bit queasy).  Each time, she was happily rewarded with a candy cane from Santa Claus, and a small toy.  We collected quite the stash of mini holiday decorated yellow rubber ducks.   I figured I would put a string on them and hang them on the tree as ornaments.   

 

Later that evening, we gathered around the gigantic Christmas tree in the middle of Perkasie town square.  After singing a few carols, we were ready for Santa's arrival in a power truck.  Sitting in the bucket seat, he was raised to light the tree.  At this point in the evening, both kids were getting a bit tired.  Eliza almost fell asleep on my shoulder.  But when Santa started throwing candy canes to the spectators, Eliza instantly perked up.  It's a good thing, my army crawling skills paid off - I was able to squeeze through a small opening and retrieve her a candy cane.  

 

Watching the Model train display

 

Standing in front of Santa's house

Of all the things we did that day, Eliza was the most impressed by Santa throwing candy canes.  It was all she talked about for days after.  Every day in December, she told me that Santa was going to come to her house and give her a candy cane.  That really got her into the Christmas spirit.  



Some Christmas poses

 Better late than never!

The beautiful princess.  Yes, she does have a bit of a black eye.  She decided to try some acrobatics in the bath tub - it didn't end well. 

The handsome little man.  He is always so dapper. 

 

My pride and joy!

 

Thanks Grandma Richards for the adorable Christmas outfits for the children.  They sure are cute!