Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was pretty low key. We spent the day delivering caramels to friends and doing projects around the house to get ready for baby. (Something we've been doing a lot of lately!) When Chris got home from work we got ready and headed over to Grandpa Ed and Tanya's to spend the evening. We exchanged gifts and went to dinner. It was great to spend time with Family. The kids love their cousins Jake, Halli and Hannah. We didn't get home until after 10 so we quickly read the Christmas story and Twas the Night Before Christmas and the kids were off to bed. They went to bed very quickly and easily. I was very proud that Chris and I went to bed just after midnight. Most the gifts were wrapped and I had things organized so it made it a lot easier!

A Yummy Gift Basket

A few days before Christmas we got a surprise delivery from a co-worker of Chris'. His family had sent us an Edible arrangement. It was adorable and tasted wonderful. The kids got a kick out of pulling out the pieces of fruit and eating them. It didn't last very long!

Gingerbread House

The past few years we have made it a tradition to decorate a Gingerbread house before Christmas. Sawyer was especially excited about this and would mention it every time we went to Costco and he'd see the gingerbread houses there. Of course they start selling them before Halloween so I would always put it off thinking I'd get it next time. So I waited a little long and with just 2 weeks til Christmas I made a special trip to Costco just to get one. With my luck they were still in stock! We had a great and messy time putting it together and the kids didn't even pick the candy off. After throwing it out the other day Carter did get pretty upset that he didn't get to eat it! Sorry Carter!

Christmas with Grammy and Grampy

December has been a very busy month! A couple weeks ago we got together with Grammy and Grampy Jones for a lovely brunch and a little Christmas celebration. My parents went to Texas for Christmas so we had Christmas a little early with my side of the family. I didn't take too many pictures but here's a couple of the kids. We had delicious ham and aebleskivers along with potatoes, fruit and eggs. It was a wonderful meal. It was wonderful having an early Christmas as we sang carols and got into the Christmas spirit. Afterwards we went and saw "The Princess and the Frog". Sawyer has yet to sit through a movie and he's well over 3! Hopefully by the time Toy Story 3 comes out he'll have a better attention span.

I don't need anything but you...

At Arcadia High where my dad teaches, every year they do a Christmas Dance show that benefits a chosen charity. My dad has been the M.C. for the event for the past 12 years. I have enjoyed attending these shows and this year was especially fun because he and Maddie performed in it. It is in the Gymnasium so the sound isn't very good but you can hear how adorable they sound. Chris and I were so shocked that Maddie wasn't even nervous and the crowd had 1,000 people in it! That's our Maddie!

Giving Thanks

Before we get too far into the Christmas season I need to post our Thanksgiving pictures. I didn't take too many pictures this year but I got a few. We had a nice quiet Thanksgiving dinner at my parents house with Grammy and Grampy and Chris and Amanda. Maddie was very proud of her place cards that she made. It was absolutely delicious and I enjoyed every bite! It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed spending time together as a family. After dinner, and pumpkin pie of course, Chris went to see The Blind Side with the rest of the adults. I was too exhausted and wanted to get home and put the kids to bed. I had to get some sleep since I was getting up early the next morning!

The next morning I got up at 4:30 and headed to Wal-mart. It was absolutely crazy. Apparently they had an episode with some crowd control before I got there so there were police there and news cameras. I waited 2 hours in line just to get in the store! The store didn't open the doors until 6 (they were supposed to open at 5) and once I got inside it was more waiting. It was worth it cause I got what I wanted. I then headed over to Target and that was a much more pleasant experience. I don't think I'll ever do Walmart on Black Friday again. Next time I think I'll bring a buddy it was a little boring standing in line alone although in that amount of time you start making friends with people around you! I came home tired but not too tired to put up the Christmas tree and decorations after a little nap!