Pre-Christmas activities

Parker had his darling Preschool Christmas Program on the 6th of December. All of his in-town grandparents attended so he had a good little fan-base going for him in the audience.

He once again did great and sang his little heart out. He also (once again) refused to wear his hat.

See him in the big group picture? He's on the far right... not hard to pick out. Yep, the only one without his Santa cap. Oh well, we were just glad to see him up there participating. :)
Afterwards we took advantage of one of Chris' scarce nights off and headed over to Thanksgiving Point with Grandma and Grandpa Hansen to see the Thanksgiving Point lights and Santa's Reindeer. Always a fun outting - especially when Grandma treats to yummy cookies inside the Emporium!

In going down our list of "Must Do's" for Christmas we also of course hit the mall for a visit with Santa...My kids have never cried for their annual lap sitting with the Big Man. I thought this year would be the year that Emmie might freak, but she not only willingly but happily sat on his lap and let him know that she wants a kitty for Christmas (not a real kitty, Santa).

& Parker was all smiles and proudly let Santa know that he would like "one of those vidoe game thingy's that you hold"...(aka a Leapster, please, Santa).

& they walked away with candy canes... Oh wait --no-- big chocolate suckers. Apparently Santa gave up the candy canes for large, messy brown suckers that drip brown goup all over visitor's carefully chosen Santa outfits....but in exchange for those big grins what mom could mind? (As long as she's armed with a plethora of wipes that is...)

...& these two (three I should say) have been loving the build up to Christmas. A few activities included have been: tearing apart the Christmas trees to which I have given up on fixing, singing "Jeen-ju-bells" as Emmie calls it & "Once there was a Snowman", watching the old-school version of the "Grinch" and "Rudolph" and never missing a day of their much anticipated chocolate advent calendars (thanks Gpa Todd).

Merry Christmas!

Get your Lemon Poppy Goodness

I don't know about you but I actually get really excited about cooking when I have a great recipe to create from! I was thrilled to find out a few months back that my cute friend Ali whom I know from my historic high school days (12 years ago if you can believe it!) was publishing some cook books. If you know Ali you know that anything she is involved in is done amazingly well and with impecable detail. She comes from a long line of artistic and talented women and it shows in everything she puts her hand at. She is such a hard worker and just has a way of making dreams come to fruition. She was that way back in high school as our Senior Class President and I am not surprised at all that she is still creating magic at her every turn. She is truly an inspiration! I recently bought her THREE fabulous recipe books (at great prices!) & I just love them! I have made a bunch of her recipes including THESE delicious soft molasses ginger cookies last week and her recipes never disappoint! I was really excited to see that another option to ordering her books online is to purchase them at TAIPAN TRADING - one of Utah's most fabulous stores! Way to go Ali! How EXCITING! If you can't get to the store then you can purchase her books online HERE for a beyond reasonable price (under $9) and shipping is only $1! Perfect Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, wedding gifts, shower gifts... you can't go wrong!

I apologize - I know I tend to sound like an informercial but when I come across something great I like to shout it from the rooftops. These books are definitely worthy of the rooftop holla! You can read Ali's inspiring story as to how she made her dream her reality HERE (it's a great read--she is also a very talented writer!) and check her yummy blog HERE.

HAPPY COOKING!

Christmas Trees, Gymnastics and Twilight all in one post...

Missy Em has been dazzled by the Christmas buildup this last few weeks and was excited to go and see all the "Kin-kuss" trees as she calls them.

I have to say, The Festival is fantastic. The trees are always amazing, and I especially love to read the touching stories behind them, which are donated in behalf of lost loved ones and whose proceeds go to benefit Primary Childrens Hospital.

Unfortunately, this year I wasn't able to do much reading....

I was too busy chasing a couple of unruly blonde-haired munchkins...

Yep. Popcorn again. We had to give in and purchase some right away. Why is it that my kids only seem to be well-behaved when food is at hand? This bought us about 10 minutes of peace....which was well worth the cost of the popcorn...and Chris' annoyance in having to get it for them. :)

Not too long after they finished their finger-lickin' eats I found myself bounding into some sweet gymnastics moves from back in the day to prevent complete destruction of beautiful trees and displays not to mention in effort of preventing horrifying and utter embarrassment. With the KSL radio booth just feet away, news headlines of a 2-year-old terror who 'ruined the Festival of Trees' were filing through my head as I contorted into moves I didn't know I was still capable of in order to save the eye-catching presentations that took countless hours, much hard work and creativity beyond my comprehension from crashing down at the hand of my little one.

I do suppose it's too much to expect a two-year-old to restrain herself with eye candy and plethoras of toys such as this right at her fingertips:

But why does it always seem to be my kids who are the only ones not sitting nicely enjoying the sites at such establishments? I am trying to decide whether we need counseling or The Nanny or both. I will let you know. :)

Welcome to my life.

Note to self: Get a babysitter next year and leave the kids at home. :)

Back to the festival... the trees were stunning as usual....

...& creative as always. This surfer Santa was one of my favorites. Three trees shaped into waves...GENIUS! As my good old High School American History teacher, Mr. Gillen, would say, "Way to use that Yankee Ingenuity!".

Love it. :)

In honor of one of Emmie's favorite songs these days... 'Once There Was a Snowman', this was another deserving of some creative props...

& yes, you are looking at a Twilight tree. One of many at the Festival this year. I heard the words "completely obsessive" muttered by a woman and her daughter in observance of this tree. Maybe so.

But I'm not gonna lie. I didn't mind the Jacob and Edward adorned trees.

...& in case you wondered, I am Team Edward.

No really I am. :)

A few things I forgot to mention....

It seemed to be love at first sight for these two....

I could tell that from first glance my little guy was quite smitten with Cinderella and right away they hit if off. He gazed into her sparkling eyes and pulled out his best charm & for a moment they seemed to be a match made in heaven.

...Until that is the princess asked P-Man how old he was... then things went a little down hill....

"FOUR", he answered proudly.

"Ohhh MYYYY", she replied as dramatically as a good princess would. "You are just growing us SO FAAAST, aren't you?".

"YES", he proudly answered. And without missing a beat went on to tell her,

*(here is the kicker:)*

"And do you know what? My FINGERNAILS are growing s0 fast, TOO!".

What?! What kind of a line was that?!

(Oh no. Please don't show her the ridiculously fast growing nails that I meant to trim before the trip but didn't trim before the trip.)

Trying her darndest to not bust up laughing, she managed a "Hmmm... let me see"... I winced as she turned his little hand over in hers to examine the claws that I knew she would find...

I was too embarrassed to hear what she responded with next, but thankfully I think the princess was more humored than disgusted with this proud confession. In fact, the adoration that she went on to pour upon our matter-of-fact little guy seemed to indicate that maybe, just maybe he had made the comment of the day.

Phew. She must have been swindled by the dimples. Those things are going to come in quite handy for him with the ladies down the road.

I always knew Cinderella was my favorite princess. :)

*

Another chart-topping comment Parker made was when we were in line for the Matterhorn for the second time. As nicely as he could, he said,

"Mom? Could you please try your hardest to not scream on this ride? It REALLY hurt my ears last time."

Did my four year old just tell me not to scream on one of the scariest rides in the park?

Uh, okay buddy. I couldn't make the promise because I knew I probably wouldn't keep it.

What can I say except that I guess this means that my 4-year-old is braver than his Mom....:) As Chris would say, I suppose I need to, "toughen up".

Oh, and the last and not nearly as entertaining detail I forgot to mention was that we hit the beach on our last day in Cali. It was cold (it being November), stinky and ridden with hooligans but still gotta love the beach. The kiddos were in heaven. A smelly one that made them shiver but still pure bliss.

Who is their mother?!?!

Uh, that would be me.

And no, I can't control them.

Especially during Sacrament Meeting.

Or any public place for that matter.

So get over it. :)

You have to admit that they are pretty darn cute though.

Even with their cheese grins on.;)

xoxo

My tip this holiday season: Amazon Amazon Amazon!

Yesterday the doorbell rang during naptime. Not something I love. Am I the only one out there who suddenly after having kids finds the act of ringing the doorbell highly offensive? Rude and inconsiderate are also words that come to mind.

Don't they know that I have KIDS?

& don't they know what hard work it takes to put them down for naps only to have it all sabotaged by a ring of that darn button? It can take a whole hour to get my little ones to fall asleep, darnit! How dare they!! :) :) (notice the smiley faces insinuating a tiny bit of sarcasm)

(Meanwhile all those who don't have kids or at least ones with sleeping issues are thinking I am a total nut. It's alright. Think away. I was once an ignorant doorbell ringer too. :) Yes, it may be my fault. Normally I do have a "don't ring" sign but depending on the weather they tend to fly away.

Anyhow, with "napping" Emmie now screaming in her room and the dog barking, I was not thrilled to answer the door. In these moments all I can think of is that it BETTER BE GOOD!

Well, I am happy to inform that yesterday, it was.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the offender had been the good old UPS man.

Who had left a package.

From Amazon.

One of the greatest retailers I know.

Suddenly my irritation dissipated and the offense was forgiven.

Inside was a slew of Christmas presents for my kids that I had just ordered on Saturday. & it was Tuesday. & I had used the "free shipping" option as always.

THREE DAYS from ordering to my doorstep!

All I can say is that I. HEART. AMAZON.

It is the way to Christmas shop.

What's not to love?!

Delivered to your doorstep, for FREE (I only buy the things that qualify for free shipping which are the majority), all from the convenience of HOME.

FYI to those of you with no kiddos : as with the doorbell phenomenon, what was once a simple act of going to the store and BROWSING in peace is no longer a reality post kids. You now have to go armed with sippy cups, baggies full of snacks that inevitably leave an embarrassing trail through the store corridors, accompanied by more often than not whiney and uncooperative children. (or is this just mine?) All the while trying to maneuver a double stroller that filled with kids weighs more than you through too small isles while trying to make sure your rugrats don't swipe everything you walk by off the displays is HARD WORK! The result: Very little or no time to thoughtfully pick out gifts for your loved ones - the whole purpose of your outing!

COMPLETE FIASCO sums it up!!!

I think that makes for great explanation as to why AMAZON has become a happy place in my home.

No, I don't buy all my gifts there. I definitely always compare their prices to those of Target and Walmart. (Amazon prices can change daily) Except for their books. They are almost always cheaper at Amazon. A good tip? Check a site like this for great childrens books and then find them on Amazon and read the reviews. That way you know you are ordering something good! (If you can't tell, I think that reading is one of the most valuable activities for children in their development... hence why mine always have some books as birthday, Christmas and Easter gifts). A few that my kids are getting this year are: Alexander and the Terrible Horrible no Good very Bad Day, Martha Blah Blah, & Harold and the Purple Crayon. (Click to check them out)

Also I have found some AMAZING deals on DVDs and Blurays! Some of the big name toys like Zhu Zhu, Little People and Legos are usually not hot deals, but I did find this DARLING pink (they have red too) Radio Flyer hotwheels bike for only $39. Target's price is $79. Great savings, right? Check HERE if Santa is considering something similar for your 3-5 year old cutie! (But you have to hurry when you find a great deal... yesterday the red one was $39 too and today it's $49...as of today, pink is still $39 though).

Super cute, ay?

To wrap it up I think Amazon is the greatest. I get at least 50% of my Christmas shopping done through them every year, saving me from hours of driving time, crowds, and mainly my sanity from hitting the stores with the babies in tow.

LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

Try it out for yourself, HERE !

DISCLAIMER: Author has no affilitation with Amazon and did not get paid for this advertisement. But she probably should. :)

HAPPY SHOPPING! :)

Disneyland Trip TAKE 2

WE MADE IT!!!

After our failed attempt at Disneyland in September due to P's accident (en route), we finally made it onto our much anticipated and long-awaited

California Vacation 2010!!!

We spent 5 days, exploring the sights and wonders of Disneyland & CA Adventure Park.

(Yes, 5, and yes, we might be crazy.:)

But truth be told, we (mostly) loved it!

One of the greatest things about this trip was our hotel. I found a smokin' deal last spring to stay at the Grand Californian Resort and Spa which connects and has a private entrance into CA Adventure Park. Being just steps away from the parks was AMAZING and beyond convenient! To be able to pop in for a quick nap for Emmie without any hassle, have the ability to grab a healthy lunch from the fridge in our room mid-day, grab a jacket, and be just steps (literally 5 minutes)from our bed both nights that we saw World of Color - we were in love this place! Not to mention that the name is beyond accurate - this hotel is GRAND! I've never stayed in such a nice place. We LOVED it! Aren't those Mickey and Minnie PJ bottoms the cutest? My sweet friend, neighbor and amazing seamstress Hollie made them after our first attempt at the trip. My kids love them and some mornings Emmie refuses to take them off and wears them all day. I highly recommend checking out Hollie's super impressive sewing skills HERE.

P-Man (& sis) did a lot of riding around in the stroller. We found it quite amusing that people kept asking us if they are twins. Really? I guess they do look more alike these days but they are 2 years apart! I should have lived vicariously through the moment and started saying yes...once upon a time I really did want twins. Two kids later however, I've come to my senses. (Although I do still think it's cool. For other people. :)

Parker finally made it on his much-awaited, self-professed favorite ride - The Matterhorn(height requirement is only 36 inches so he experienced it last year)! This year he was over 40 inches which qualified him for even "bigger" rides. So yes, he picked up a few new faves - Splash Mountain and Big Thunder. Isn't the huge hill on on Splash Mountain (which he named the "Peter Rabbit" ride) a little much for a four year old, you ask? Uh, not this one. Looks like we have a thrill seeker on our hands. I think I was more nervous than him. We elected to keep him off of Space Mountain due to risk of bonking his head on the side, but I'm sure he would have loved that one, too. Emmie made friends with the ducks while she waited for her big brother on the Matterhorn.

One of our favorite moments of the trip was watching Emmie meet the princesses, or "Pimpesses" as she calls them. The huge grins that came over her face were beyond well-worth the 25 minutes waiting in line (our longest wait btw) to meet them. She wasn't the only one enraptured with these beauties. Parker was pretty impressed with them himself! Cinderella was such a doll with the kids and took so much time with them. What a fun moment!!!

Another experience we loved was the Character Dining breakfast we went to at Goofy's Kitchen in the Disneyland Hotel. The characters come and interact with you at your table so the kids got some great one on one time with them. Emmie kept giving her blankie to Goofy which was definitely a sign of affection as it's her most prized possession & he was really cute with her, wrapping her up in it. The kids had a great time and even got to have icecream at 8 in the morning (after their breakfast), and got their groove on at a dance party in the middle of the restaurant with the characters and other kids. It was such a fun morning!

Disney Parades are the best! Always so magical and the smiles that light up on the kiddos faces are priceless. The Pixar Parade at CA Adventure is my absolute favorite but we also saw several in D-Land including the opening Christmas Parade the last day that we were there.

Along with the "Pimpesses", Emmie has been talking about going to Disneyland and meeting "Meenie" and "Jassie" for months now and loved interacting with her friends.

Unfortunately we never saw Buzz except in a parade, but Parker was looking forward to seeing his pal, Mickey and was very excited to get his autograph. Too bad the only picture I got with him alone he's doing this:

And it wasn't just him. That's right. BOTH of my kids are picking their noses in front of the Big Man at Disneyland. Really!?! Couldn't they have 'picked' a better time? Sick, I know. Sorry Mickey (& anyone who just got completely grossed out by my kiddos). I'm not even sure what else to say about that except that apparently we need to learn how to make good first impressions - not to mention we may be in need of some serious nose picking intervention. If anyone has any advice I am open. :) CA Adventure Park has lots of fun things... The Pixar Parade, Playhouse Disney, Soarin' Over CA, the Buzz and Woody ride, & the"It's Tough to be a Bug" show are some of our favorites... but hands down our most loved attraction was the new "World of Color" show! It was amazing! We loved it so much the first night that we dragged our tired kids to it again the next. That show alone is worth the price of admission to the park! We highly recommend it!

I know that there are lots out there who don't love Disneyland....but seriously what's not to love about a place that puts smiles like these on your kids faces?
There is such a magical feeling there! (Okay, unless it's hot and crowded - then it's comparable to torture). We loved it and are thankful that we were able to make it on this trip after our September chaos!!!

Little Bug

I was putting this little cutie to bed last night and told her, "Goodnight Little Bug, I love you". She looked up at me, her eyes got wide, and very seriously she informed me,

"I not a BUG, Mom. I a GIRL!".

Made me laugh. Apparently my newest chatterbox is very clear on her gender.

I love this age. Such a handful but I love watching them blossom. :) Chris-- he's not such a fan of the 2's. He told me the other day (probably as Emmie was screaming on the floor) that he'd like to just adopt a 4-year-old for our next child. Ha! :)

Who says you have to go to Hawaii for an awesome sunset?

How about the backyard ?

Love it. :)

Baby steps

(These pics were taken in September - a week before Parker's accident)

This last five weeks our P-Man hasn't been able to participate in some of his favorite activities....

Like play on his scooter...

...or run around the backyard with his sis....

or play with his friends and participate in playgroup each week.

Well this last week is worth noting! We allowed him go outside in the backyard (above) last Monday for the first time since the accident. Bubbles were the chosen safe activity since climbing, running, jumping, & scootering are still out. I think he was just happy to enjoy the crisp fresh air for a minute while Chris mowed the lawn. (No worries - we went for a haircut about an hour later to cut off that shab)...

Parker also had his little playgroup over on Wednesday for the first time since September. The strategic "activity" was a movie (Wall-E) and popcorn in hopes of keeping everyone stationery and to avoid any rough housing or potential head bonks. It was good to see Parker with his buddies again (minus Addi and Nate). He always looks forward to seeing friends especially after such a long house arrest, so it was lot of fun!

HOORAY for a little bit of normalcy!

Trick or Treat

Halloween.... Cute costumes, cute kids, too much candy, too much time spent in the kitchen making yummy chili and cornbread and homemade pizza for the kiddos while Chris worked (well worth it for the best new chili recipe!), a tiny bit of rain, surprise guests, patient Lady Bug dog... LOTS OF FUN!!!

The Special Guest...
My kids adore their Uncle Zach. You can see why... what kids wouldn't love an Uncle who would go to such extremes for their niece and nephew's entertainment?

'Nough said. Thanks Zach. They loved it! :)

"Jessie" was a trooper and went out Trick or Treating just as long as her sidekick Buzz. I have to interject that I don't know how fair it is that the Mom's have to stay home and give out candy while the Dad's get to go out for all the Trick or Treat excitement with the kids. I ended up ditching my door duties so I could tag along for the first few houses & witness some of my kiddo's Trick or Treating fun firsthand. When I came back, half our candy bucket I left abondened on the step was gone but it was all worth it to follow these little Toy Story characters around for a minute.

When the candy seekers got back I remembered an old Halloween costume that we had bought for Roxy back when we lived in Arizona, before we had kids when she was the Center of our Universe. (oh how things have changed!) I thought the kids would love seeing their pup dressed up so I dusted it off - and - well, have a look yourself:

LOVE - Parker and Emmie DID! Roxy -- not so much!

Just look at her pained little face.

Our kids have never tried to pick up the dog before. But apparently this costume had a "CARRY ME" sign on it invisible to adults, because for some reason when this Lady of a Dog was transformed into a Lady BUG, Parker and Emmie suddenly thought they needed to carry her around the kitchen.

This is some serious teamwork here.

Emmie pulled out her high shrieking shrills of laughter and she and P were laughing HYSTERICALLY as they tried to tote the dog around together. Roxy on the other hand did not find it nearly as humorous but nontheless was patient in their antics. What a good dog. I would have bitten them for sure. :)

What a fun night and what a crack up! Well, maybe not to Roxy. :)

HaPpY HaLlOwEeN!

& thanks again Grandma J for making Buzz and Jessie come to life by getting their costumes for them!