Christmas 2011

Tomorrow is the day that I take the tree down.  I hate that day!  Taking down the tree is no fun.  I can't believe that Christmastime is over already.  It doesn't seem fair how Christmastime lasts like a month before the actual Christmas Day, but then it ends so abruptly afterwards.  Oh well...we had a great Christmas.  Here are some of the highlights (sorry so many pictures.  Preston finally figured out a way for the portrait-style ones to work!  Yay Preston!)

Arden's wintertime gymnastics show:  Check.  (She is doing great!)

Sitting on Santa's lap at Christmas parties...three times.  Check!  The kids got to sit on the big guy's lap at the ward Christmas party, the Haun family Christmas party (see below) and the Zaugg family party too.  This Santa is the one from the Haun party, and the kids were all so excited to see him!  This is the first year that I got smiles out of all three kids.  Here is Corbie and her new best friend:

 And smiley little Arden:

And Dax, who has always either cried or at least looked really concerned while sitting on Santa's knee, finally figured out who is in charge of the presents, and was more than willing to play ball this year.

Some other things that were accomplished before the big day (no pictures). 

• One zillion presents wrapped:  Check. 
• Helping with my very first school Christmas party in Arden's kindergarten class:  Check. 
• Going to see the Christmas lights:  Check.  We drove through the "Lights Before Christmas" in Layton with my Grandma one night, and then we went to Christmas Village in downtown Ogden with my parents.  It.  Was.  Cold!  The kids enjoyed looking through the windows of the little houses there, until they got too cold to enjoy much of anything. 
• Watching the essential Christmas shows (It's a Wonderful Life, Charlie Brown Christmas, Elf, The Muppets Christmas Carol, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (cartoon version), The Christmas Devotional, etc.)  Check! We all have our own essential Christmas shows. Daxton's essential Christmas show was the Kung Fu Panda Holiday show.  Corbie's favorite was, of course, Team Umizoomi Christmas special.  Arden liked "Search for Santa Paws" which is about Santa's dog, and "The Happy Elf," which was based on a song by Harry Connick Jr.  (Love me some Harry Connick Jr.  HATE the Happy Elf.  So glad that one is off my DVR.)  And Preston's favorite is the Johnny Bravo Christmas special.  Does anyone else know who Johnny Bravo is?  Just curious.
• Spreading reindeer food on the lawn on Christmas Eve:  Check.
• Making cookies and leaving them out for Santa:  Check.

Finally, the big day arrived.  Here is Cora opening a present from Santa:  A toy puppy!  (She started the season out asking for a real puppy, but I talked her down to this.  Hopefully it will do for a while.



Dax was so excited to get a Kung Fu Panda toy.  This toy is made to be Kung Fu-ed.  When you punch it or throw it, it says things like, "Ow!  Have you been practicing?"  and "Ohhh, my tenders!"  Dax loves it and has been using up a lot of the Kung Fu moves that used to be directed at his sisters on this toy, which was what Santa was hoping for.  Good job, Santa!

One of Arden's favorite gifts was the $5 little fluffy unicorn her dad got her (well, that I bought and put his name on the tag.  But somehow, he is taking all the credit.

Right about here I unwrapped a new camera!  Yay!  You should hopefully notice that the pictures are slightly less crappy from here on out.  Preston got Hungry Hungry Hippos from Cora!  So excited!  (We have already lost one marble, and I fear that it will be the first of many.  How on earth do they not include extra marbles in this thing???)

My parents and sibs came over to open some more presents and we all had Preston's famous french toast for breakfast.  Then we quickly headed over to church.  Arden sang a couple of songs with the primary...or at least I think she did.  She must have been standing behind a tall kid because no one could see her up on the stage.  Oh well.  After church we headed over to my Grandma Wilson's house.  Here is Corbie with one of her favorite Christmas decorations.  These little guys each ring a bell and play Christmas songs. 

 And here is me with my cute Grandma in one of her festive Christmas sweaters:

After Grandma's we headed over to Preston's mom's house, but I guess I was tired of taking pictures because I don't have any!  The kids had fun playing with their cousins and comparing what they got from Santa.  After that it was past bedtime and we had to go home and put the tired little Christmas elves to bed.  It was a very fun, very busy, very wonderful day!  Hope all of your Christmases were wonderful too!