Christmas 2009

Christmas Eve 2009, new pjs

Christmas Eve day was spent at home, enjoying being together. Erik, Lily and I built this block city using every block we have. Drew didn't even knock it over when he saw it, even though destroying things is his favorite thing to do!

Christmas Eve the kids got to open one present... a new pair of fleece pjs. These were one of three things that got me out of bed at 4:30am on Black Friday. I braved the crowds at Walmart and stood in line for about 45 minutes for these $3 pjs. It was worth it though because the kids loved them. Erik LOVES Wii Mario Kart and Lily LOVES Spongebob. Drew looks like such a little boy, not a baby, in his pjs. Too cute!

So excited to finally open a present. They did good not bothering them for the week and a half before Christmas.


Drew wanted in, but he wanted me to open it.


This smile says it all!


What a cute girl!


Big boy

This year we had a very quiet Christmas. We stayed home, opened presents, played with toys and stayed in our pjs until 3:00. It was nice to have such a relaxed day together, but we missed seeing family as well. Christmas was a low-key affair for us this year, but all three kids had a great day. They all loved the presents they received, but I think Drew liked climbing on all the boxes even more. Here are some pictures from Christmas morning.

He likes climbing up on the couch.

What is this thing?


Thanks Dub and Grandma Dub.


Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Dub, again.


I think he did this on almost every box he saw.


Thanks Grandma Janet. It was a big hit!


It's cereal from Jennifer! haha The kids really thought that's what she gave them, and they were ok with it. Good to know for next year.

He's having a blast!


That's great Dad, it's a book. Now get it outta my way! He really does like this book.


The aftermath


Erik with his spoils of the day.


Lily's loot, which she thought was fantastic!


Drew's collection. They all loved T-Rex mountain. Now if we could just figure out how to keep the pieces of each level from coming apart it would be great!


Merry Christmas everyone!

Erik's Birthday Party

The birthday boy, with the crown he made all by himself.

This year Erik had his friend birthday party a week early so that we could invite some friends that would be out of town after Christmas. He decided he wanted a Transformers birthday. He invited a few friends from church and a few from school. A few kids from church were able to make it. (I think as he gets older we might need to have half-birthday parties since Christmas vacation is a difficult and crazy time for people.)
Erik handed out Transformers invitations, we colored Transformers pictures, played a few Transformers themed games and decorated using streamers the same colors as a few of the Transformers. Very easy and low-key, but all the kids had a good time. Erik kept telling me how much fun he had. That made me feel good.

Some of the decorations, and Daniel being weird. :)

Games

- Optimus Prime says: variation of Simon says. We took turns being Optimus Prime and ended up having a lot of fun. Haley won a few times. Lily kept trying to play even after she was out, but nobody minded.

- Decepticon bowling: I found this idea online. I put decepticon logos on water bottles and the kids got three turns to try to knock down all of the "pins". We went through the line twice and they would have kept playing if I would've let them.

Decepticon bowling. Sorry...too bright to see the pins because it was snowing outside.

- Scavenger Hunt for the Allspark: another idea I found online. I hid clues around the house that led them to the Allspark. They had to find it before Megatron in order to save the planet. Tristan, a second grader, read the clues and the other kids helped him search for the clues. The reward for finding the Allspark were the treat bags. This went over much better than I thought it would.

Where is that clue??

On to the next clue.

The reward

- Decorating cupcakes: Instead of buying a big, elaborate cake this year for his friend party, I decided to just make cupcakes. Then the kids frosted and decorated their own. They loved this too! I know we'll be doing this activity at future birthdays!

Waiting to decorate cupcakes.

Blowing out the candle.

Lily and Haley decorating.

- We also colored Transformers coloring pages that I printed from a free site online. The kids also completed a maze that helped Optimus Prime transform from a robot into a truck. This was a bit difficult, but it kept them busy for a few minutes.

Emily helping Carson through the maze. She did it!

Erik got some miniature Transformers (they don't actually change, which is fantastic!) and a Bumblebee Mr. Potato Head called Bumblespud. Too cute!

Nice smile kiddo!

I loved having such a low-key party and am so happy that all the kids had such a good time. I wasn't stressed about anything, which made me enjoy the day as well. We'll have another family party on his actual birthday and spend the day doing things Erik wants to do. I can't believe Erik is almost 6!!! Where does the time go?

Drew just after his nap. Nice and happy now.

December Happenings

A quick update on our December activities.

- GeoEye Christmas Party at Wings Over the Rockies Museum. Wonderful food and fun games (it was a casino theme). We watched a lot because I do NOT understand the gambling part of craps, poker or roulette. We waited for a blackjack table to open up so that I didn't have to play with "pros." We ended up at a table with grandma dealer. She was great to explain things to me. I know how to play, I've just never had to bet. It was fun because she would cheat for us..."No, you don't want to hit," or "You don't want that card, or that one, or that one. Oh look! You win again!" She was awesome. Thanks to Scott and Debbie for watching the kids for us.

- Broomfield 1st ward Christmas party. Yummy soups, breads, salads and desserts. Plus, a visit from Santa. This was the first year any of our kids have sat with Santa. I don't like the mall, especially at Christmas. I hate waiting in long lines, plus I never wanted to pay for those mall Santa photos. I'm not one of those "mean mommies" that makes their kids sit with Santa whether they like it or not. :) Erik and Lily did ok, but Drew wanted nothing to do with him. He looked concerned for about a minute, then I took him before he got too upset. Fun evening filled with service.

- Village Square Apartment Christmas party. Always a fun time visiting and eating good food. The managers are great because they always buy presents for the kids as well. This year each kid got two presents. We were one of the last to leave, so we ended up with about 5 extra presents, not to mention Parmesan Spinach artichoke dip plus some yummy wraps. The kids had a great time and I enjoyed meeting new neighbors and visiting with "old" ones.

He loves these big dump trucks. He pushes them all over the house. I think these really helped him start walking on his own. Too cute!

- Drew's 15 month check-up. He's doing well... he just has a big head. :) His height and weight dropped to about the 25th or 30th percentile, which is normal for my kids. However, his head was up around the 90th percentile. :) He looks proportional though, he's eating well and he's developing well so they weren't worried. Drew started walking last week (a week ago today actually) and is doing well. He still crawls about 50% of the time, but he went from only walking a step or two, which he could do for about a month, to walking halfway across the room quickly. Last Thursday he not only started walking more than a few steps, but he was walking across the room, stopping to pick something up and turning around to come back. (Video to come soon.) Such a talented kid. He still doesn't talk though. FYI: Drew did NOT like the doctor. He would cry if she even looked at him. She was great though.

Silly boy!


He's just too funny.

We're doing well and enjoying the Christmas season. The kids are excited, but haven't been bugging us to open presents. In fact, none of them really even messed with the presents, and they've been out for almost a week. They'll be excited tomorrow when we tell them they actually get to open the presents....finally. May you all have a Merry Christmas and remember our Savior's love at this wonderful time of year.

Blossoms of Light

The first weekend in December we drove down into Denver to go to the Botanic Gardens Blossoms of Light. This is similar to Zoo Lights, but we were able to go for free on opening weekend since we are members. We had to drive around for 20 minutes before we found a place to park a few blocks away. Then we had to wait in line for tickets for about 20 minutes. It was in the low 20s, but after 40 minutes standing around, we were all very cold, even though we were bundled up in hats and gloves.

However, when we finally got inside the gardens I decided it was worth it. Everything was beautiful. There were tons of lights, snow on the ground, and ice in the fountains and pond. It looked very magical. The kids loved it!

We had these glasses, similar to 3D glasses, that made all the lights look like snowmen. Erik and Lily thought these were great. Erik and Lily kept oohing and aahing at all the lights and Drew copied them a few times. I was worried Drew would get upset and want out of the stroller, but he did awesome. I think he likes looking at lights just as much as the other kids. He points and says "ooohhhh" whenever he sees Christmas lights. It's pretty cute. It took about an hour to go through the gardens, and we got home late, but we had a nice time together. It's just too bad they don't do this in July when it's warmer. They could change it to a Christmas in Summer event. :)

We could see this tree from the neighborhood we parked in.


One of the ice sculptures. They also had a sleigh and a snowman.






View across the pond.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Well, I haven't been able to post as often as I'd like because for the past two weeks I have been subbing almost every day. I subbed as an aide the day before and the day after Thanksgiving break in the preschool class next to Lily's. They have preschool Tuesdays-Fridays. So, on Tuesday Lily's teacher came in and asked if I wanted to sub in Lily's class the next two days as an aide. I did and had a great time. Friday morning, 20 minutes before school started, Lily's school called and asked if I could come in and sub for Kim (Lily's teacher) because she was in a car accident. (She's ok, just has some whiplash.) I said yes, but I was sitting in sweats and hadn't showered for the day. I made it to school right as the bell rang. This past week I've been subbing as an aide in Lily's class and I'm doing it again next week. It's been tough working almost full time again. Drew's getting used to it, but he's used to me being home all day. I only wanted to work a few days a week. But, since I'm an aide it's easier because the teacher is in the room, so I'm not really the one in charge. I just play with the kids and help get things ready for centers. I'm working as much as I can because there haven't been a whole lot of sub jobs, other than ESL at high schools, which I don't really want to do. If the aide in Lily's class isn't better after Christmas her teacher's going to call me and I'll continue working in Lily's class. I enjoy it because I get to see Lily in a different environment, which helps me appreciate her more when I'm home.

This year we're starting a new Christmas tradition in our family. Even before we had kids I always wanted the Christmas season to focus more on Christ, family and service. I never wanted it to be about how much stuff we get. We don't have a lot of money to spend on presents, and the kids have tons of toys anyway...we're running out of space for them. In the December 2008 friend I found an activity that lists 25 stories about Jesus in the scriptures. Most days we only read about 5 verses, but the stories start with his birth and continue through his life. The kids enjoy reading about Jesus and seeing the accompanying picture. Then, after we read the little story, we turn over an activity for that day. It's like a homemade advent calendar. The activities listed on the cards are easy and free, but it allows us to spend time together. The kids love it! Some of the things we've done so far: play doh, watching a Christmas parade on tv, going to the Botanic Gardens, decorating cookies, coloring, playing games and going to the library. Each day Erik will ask if we can read the story from the scriptures. One day he was so excited he got out the Friend and the scriptures and tried to look up the day's verse. So cute. This is something I'd love to do each year. I don't have any pictures because Daniel's usually at work and I'm playing with the kids.

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you are able to enjoy the season, remember the Savior, spend time with family and keep the stress levels to a minimum. We love you all and wish we could see you more often.

Thanksgiving

This year we went to Utah for Thanksgiving since my family and Daniel's family were there. We stayed with Janet for a week, but were able to spend a few days with my family, which was nice. Here's a quick rundown of some of our activities.

Monday: Went down to Provo to see my family. Took the kids to lunch at McDonald's so they could play on the toys. It was a bit chilly to play outside.

Tuesday: Went to Kangaroo with Jennifer, Stanton and my family. Erik, Lily, Stanton, Corbin, Malea and Nathan all had fun. Drew had fun going down some of the slides with Jennifer. He just wanted to crawl around.

Wednesday: Hung around the house, then fed the ducks and looked at the animals at Wheeler Farm. It was soooo cold! Drew wasn't too fond of the ducks. He liked them from a distance.

Thursday: Ate yummy food with the Astle clan. All the food was fantastic! It was great seeing so much family as well.

Friday: Got up WAAAAY too early to go to the stores for some Black Friday deals. I normally do NOT do this sort of thing, but I decided to go with Jennifer and Heather to Walmart, Target and Old Navy. Well, to be honest, I went to Walmart but waited in the car at the other stores. Got home about 6:45am, just in time for the kids to get up. Got everything I wanted!! Friday evening the kids and I went down to my aunt and uncle's house in Mapleton for the Asay family, after Thanksgiving leftover party. Erik and Lily had fun playing with the other kids and I had a great time visiting with family.

Saturday: Ate cheese pull-aparts from The Pie. This is something we do every time we visit Salt Lake. Nobody beats The Pie!!

Sunday: Drove home, stopping a few times to make the car ride more enjoyable. Drew slept a little, but Erik and Lily stayed awake all the way until we got into Colorado. Of course.... they slept just long enough at the END of the trip to not go to bed for a few hours after we got home. Geez! They did great in the car though.

We had a great time! We miss you guys and can't wait until our next visit. Of course, you're always welcome to visit us in Colorado as well!