Christmas 2012

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year.  It is so fun to have two little girls who get so excited about everything that goes along with the holiday.  Grace has really taken off with the idea of Santa and teaches Lilly everything she learns at school about him.  I've always told her about him, but they seem to do a much better job at preschool of teaching kids that they have to be good, and that Santa knows if they aren't!

We started out Christmas Eve earlier than we ever have before.  Lilly didn't take a nap, so we knew she wouldn't last long.  We read the story of Jesus' birth and then talked about the real reason we celebrate Christmas.  Then we opened our Christmas pj's.

We also opened Brave and our individual Popcorn cups I picked up at Target.

 Lilly is very determined to get herself dressed recently and she does a pretty good job, except that everything is backwards!

 The "front" view!

After we opened our gifts I gave the girls a bath while Sam picked up Chinese food. We spread out a blanket in the family room and had a picnic while we watched Brave.  And then we had popcorn in our cups.

Grace and Sam put out cookies for Santa and the girls went to bed remarkably fast so that Santa could come!

Two not so happy story to our Christmas Eve.  I experienced my first panic attack...not really, but almost!  Sam and I were in the basement assembling some toys when I saw a shadow flying around out of the corner of my eye.  With further investigation I realized it was a BAT!  I freaked out.  Sam had to guard me all the way to the stairs so I could escape to safety, then he tried to catch the bat.  He never saw it again, and it has been 2 days since so we are guessing it few out the doors Sam left open for an hour or so....
I don't really go in the basement anymore.
The second story, Lilly woke up in the middle of the night throwing up.  She threw up twice and she hasn't again, but she had a fever for the rest of the day.  She would just sit on my lap and make me open her presents for her, but once her Tylenol would kick in she was happy again and ready to play with her new toys.

Christmas Morning
Grace woke up at 7.  I told her we couldn't open presents until Lilly woke up too, so she needed to lay down in her bed and wait.  I then heard her waking up Lilly, telling her, "Hurry Lilly, you have to wake up!  Santa came!" I couldn't even be upset at all, she was too excited.

The first thing the girls noticed was the snow!  It had snowed through the night and they were able to wake up to a white Christmas.

Then we checked Santa's cookies, and they were gone...and we learned he is a pretty messy eater!

Then the girls got to check their stockings.

Grace was ecstatic to get play-dough!

In the middle of the room we found these 3 presents with a note.

 It explained the Grandma Wendy and Grandpa Harold asked Santa to deliver these presents from Boise for them.  Grace thought that was amazing!

The girls got a princess castle from Grandma Wendy and Grandpa Harold

This is the face I make when Sam pleasantly surprises me.  We had been in a home decor shop here in Elysburg together and I told him that I loved these two wood carved reindeer.  He went back and bought them, and I had no idea!  I was shocked when I opened the gift and realized what he did.

Sam also picked out this duck towel for Lilly from that same shop.  We are hoping it gets her out of the bath tub a little easier, because as of now she stays in till the water is cold and she is shivering!

When the girls opened their gifts from Santa they found a note telling them to they had to hunt for their presents because they were too big to put under the tree.  They went to the garage and found two new bikes!

After we finished opening presents we bundled up and went out to test the new bikes.

This was probably Lilly's happiest time of the day.  She was feeling great, and loving her new bike!

and play in the snow

Sam enjoying the snow more than anyone else!

We even made our first snowman of the winter.  We had pretty good timing too, because a couple hours later all the snow was gone!

We had made plans with friends to go over to their house for Christmas dinner, but because Lilly was sick we decided it was better to stay home.  We make pizza instead and it was delicious!  

We really had a wonderful Christmas.  It was so nice to spend the whole day together as a family. play games and never change out of our Christmas pajamas!