Here Come's Santa Clause

It's CHRISTMAS!!!! Can you tell we are a little all over excited!? We had a wonderful Christmas. We had a lot of family in town, so there was a lot of events, and activities going on every day. It was a whirlwind few days.

Christmas Eve we went to my parents house, and Matt's parents came with, and we played games, and opened presents. We got a lot of really nice things, and the kids loved their gifts. Adam who had been asking for 3 years, finally got his Christmas Train that you set up around the tree from my parents, he was beyond excited. Its a huge set! He and Matt were excited to get home and set it up around our tree right away. Hallie didn't quite get that there wre still presents to unwrap and kept sneaking downstairs to watch Charlie Brown Christmas. We kept telling her she had another present to open and she would say "Another one, you've got to be kidding"!. It was so funny.

Christmas morning came early, and we stayed up late for Santa but the kids fell asleep before they could catch him in the act. I think he came pretty late, he almost forgot to eat the cookies we left out for him. Silly Santa!

The kids loved their gifts, and Grammy and Grandpa came over with even more presents! It was such a fun morning, and for two hours we took toys out of their packages. I think you need a engineering degree to open them, it is ridiculous how much packaging toys have. And the older the kids get, the more their toys need batteries. I am going to buy stock in Energizer.

We went to lunch at Grammy and Grandpa's, whre Matt and I were completley spoiled with gifts from them, and had a nice fun relaxing day, playing with all of our fun new presents.

Trail of Lights

We decided to try something new this year, and went to the Trail of Lights with our good friends, the Benik's. It was fun to see something different than the Zoo or Botanical Gardens. The kids had a great time, and there were a lot of fun things to climb on, or into. They had a warming house where the kids got to make little tree ornaments.

Afterwards, we went to dinner at a yummy Mexican restaurant. The girls got really giggly during the 30 minute wait, and Adam couldn't figure out what was so funny. I told him he better get use to it, from this age until late teens they are nothing but giggle machines. He rolled his eyes and said "oh great".

Zoo Lights 2012

We once again make the trek to the Zoo Lights, with some good friends. The kids had a blast. It was a little cold out, but once they started running around they didn't notice it at all. I was prepped this year, and had bought the glow necklasses from the dollar section at Target, instead of paying $3.00 for one at the Zoo! The kids loved it, and for some reason kept pretending they were braces.

Kayla and I had the song "Dominic the Donkey" stuck in our heads from it playing at one of the exhibits, and we sang it repeatedly all night, even at dinner. If you haven't heard it, google it. Be prepared to sing it over and over and over. Especially when you are trying to sleep.

Hallie had a minor melt down when it was time to go, but when she realized we were all going to dinner together, she perked back up. She loves being with the "big girls" and didn't want the fun to end.

Amateur Photographer

December was a very crazy month, so we did not have time to get to a actual portrait studio to get pictures done, so yours truly took the Christmas photos of the kids this year :) Trying to get both of them to smile at the same time with out really crazy fake smiles, is quite the task LOL. I have a new found respect for all photographers, they have more patience then I have ever given them credit for! :)

Disney on Ice

We took the kids to see Disney on Ice. It was so much fun! Hallie wore her Princess costume, and we dressed Adam up like Flynn rider, horse and all. I was a little dissapointed in Disney, because when you arrive they give every little girl a crown with jewels that you can decorate, but nothing for the boys?! Why not a crown? Or a foam sword?

Regardless, our night was a blast. We had yummy treats, pretty good seats and best of all there was a scene from the kids current favorite movie, "Tangled". Hallie was in awe. Adam loved when they "flew". We had so much fun, and can't wait to go to another one.
Tip - Most of the food stands only take cash, and the cash machine is on the first floor.

Magic Snowmen

Adam and Hallie were baffled when I told them we were going to make snowmen. They kept sayng "but there is no snow". I told them I had magic snow, and had the table ready with the magic ingredients. We do a lot of family crafts and we had a blast making indoor magic-snow snowmen :) I taught Adam the fun trick with Elmer's glue where you put some on your hand, spread it out, wait for it to dry and peel it off. He thought that was so neat, and was convincing Hallie it was his skin.

Also, there is this really cool Christmas house by my parents house, and the lights play to music. We drive that way home at night whenever possible, its so fun to watch! All I can think of when I see it is how much code they must have to do for it! That's the nerd in me.

There is also a picture of the kids dressed up like turtles. We have a lot of costumes here (thanks to Garage Sales and clearance after Halloween) and quite often Adam and Hallie will dissapear and in their place is a turtle, a mouse, a princess, a prince..... We let them wear their costumes any time of year, I love their imagination, and we love to encourage it.

If you click on the slideshow below, and go to the last picture of the holiday house, there is a brief video you can watch!

A Visit from the Tooth Fairy

Well, Mr. Adam has lost his very first tooth! It was very wiggly for quite some time, and finally after a good few wiggles it came right out! Adam was so excited! We called everyone he knew so he could share his news. We got his tooth ready for the visit from the Tooth Fairy, and although he tried to stay awake so he could get a glimps of the fairy, he fell asleep. When he woke up he found that the Tooth Fairy had left $5.00 under his pillow! Must have been a very special tooth! :)