Christmas

Let me break it down for you, real easy like.

Christmas Eve:

• open one present
• said present was pajamas
• take picture in pajamas
• read Christmas story and Jesus' birth out of the Bible
• Steal some of Santa's cookies on the not so sly.
  
  • 
• Go to bed dreaming of sugarplums.

Christmas Morning:

• Wake up to quite possibly the "best day ever."
• Notice that Santa has stuffed the stockings (including Penny's Addidas sock. Don't judge.)
• Santa had also eaten some cookies (or what was left over after Penny) and left a note
• Left some bikes for the older kids...
• and a spray bottle for Penny (once again, don't judge. She thinks it is the best ever.)
• Practical presents from Dad and Mom were open mostly including shoes, clothes, underwear, etc.
• Princess dolls that were intended for Laney but profited all.
• Blake got some Oakley's to replace some lost a while ago.The real treasures where left for me. Sure I got slippers, shoes, some new perfume but the real treasure was from the kids. They picked it up on our family shopping trip to the Dollar Store. Canon originally told me that he was going to get me a "milk mustache" for Christmas, but that seemed to fall through. So imagine my surprise when I got this beauty for Christmas.
  The snowman is from Gavin, Laney got me the base. And....wait for it...It changes colors. Shazam. Plus I got a bird one from Canon so that I could switch it up if I wanted to.
  

It's Begining To Look A Lot Like Something

I had good intentions of posting prior to Christmas. It didn't happen so now I am playing catch up. Such is life.

On our tree some of my favorite decorations are the old vintage ones. Every time I look at them I smile. Nothing says Merry Christmas like Kermit the Frog a la 1980. Last year my Mom gave us a bunch of Santas that she had collected over the years. I like seeing them all lined up on the shelf. They bring back good memories. The kids decorated their own tree this year. They did pretty good although, the ornaments have migrated as the month went along.

Advent Adventures

This year we decided to do an Advent Calender with the kids. Normally we spring for the chocolate ones that you open the little doors on but then they don't open. You know, the ones where you try to get the chocolate piece that isn't really chocolate out of the packaging only to have it not come out so you chisel it out with a knife which in turn makes the kids cry because their little not chocolate shaped as a Christmas ornament is now a pile of not chocolate dust? Not this year. This year we went big. Big meaning that we plan the days as we go and normally do stuff that we would normally do but now it is written on a card so that makes it more fun. That kind of big.

Some days included:

Making gingerbread houses out of graham crackers.

The color on the picture is not wrong. We used brown frosting. Blake asked if we should use white so that it looked like snow. I said "this is what we got." To which Blake responded with "I guess it will just be brown snow." Kind of gross but whatever. I knew that there was going to be more consuming of candy then actually decorating anyways. And, let me tell you Penny is bossy when it comes to the sweets. Canon tested the structural integrity of his house. Gavin took his decorating very seriously. He pulled a classic first child maneuver and asked me to judge who made the best house. I did a classic Mom and told him I liked them all. Even this one. We also made snow globes. I hate to say this was an epic fail so...I will go with, these are most definitely going to get "lost" when the Christmas stuff gets put away. The glitter floated. Laney burnt her finger and her water turned pink because of the glitter. Canon's also leaks.Went to get pictures with Santa.The wait wasn't too bad although these pictures would lead you to believe otherwise. The picture turned out good. One baby crying. Just how I like it. I didn't even have to pinch one. The kids requested of Santa the following:
Gavin: Ipad
Laney: Pink sparkly shoes with straps
Canon: Leapster Explorer
Penny couldn't get out of his lap fast enough.

Other things the kids liked:
Going to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner.
Handing out treats.
and going to see the Christmas Utah lights. (surprisingly their favorite.)

Week In Wear

Christmas is coming with a vengeance.
I feel like we are on top of our game.
Then it occurred to me the other day that I am, for the most part, really good at accomplishing half of a project and then moving on to a new project that sounds more fun.
I am a fair weather completer.
For instance:
Half of the treats to give to people are made.
Half of an advent calender is made.
3/4 of a stocking for Penny and 1/5 of a stocking for Canon are done.
I could go on...but now it is just getting embarrassing.

So I decided instead of starting a new project (that was going to be totally awesome...) I would finish some of the things I had started.
Remember that I had bought some material (gasp. I just noticed that post was from June. I think I am worse then I originally thought I was.) to make a new dress?
Finished. My mom said adding a ribbon to the slip was silly because no one would see it. I disagree. I kind of love the little things. Even if no one sees it. Some other outfits I wore while accomplishing things:
I wore this to watch Laney's Ballet class. This was my outfit for going to Blake's work Christmas party. This is what I wore today. While I typed out this blog post and while I finished the candy and sugar scrubs we are giving away as gifts. Laney asked this morning if I had toilet paper on my shirt.
No. It is material.
Are those jewels on your shirt?
Yep.
OK. I like that shirt. But the most effective outfit of the week goes to Penny.
Effective at:

• looking cute.
• showing everybody how to properly work a cast.
• how to coordinate both your dress shoes.
• how to look mischievous and girly all at the same time.

Freezing For Fun

For part of our Advent Calender we went to see the lights at Temple Square one night.

We all bundled up in our warm clothes. Boarded Trax. Then we proceeded to pretend that we weren't cold. Never mind the fact that my nose and face appear to be pink. That doesn't prove anything. Smile and act like your face isn't frozen that way. They say if you get cold enough your face might freeze. We should have warned Laney. Perhaps had she been wearing pants she may have not gotten so cold. We sped though the lights at record speed. We knew there was going to be hot chocolate at the end. Trust me when I say it has never tasted so good. The only problem was by the time we were done our bodies had used so much energy trying to keep warm that I think we were just spent. On a super random note:
While looking at the nativity in the middle of the reflection pool Gavin asked
"So when is the water going to go?" It took me a second and then I got it.
Vegas kind of sticks with you.