Christmas 2012

December 25th 2012

So the kids got spoiled again this year at Christmas.  Presents from Santa, mom and dad, each other, grandparents, and cousins.  Wow.  It was a lot, but it was fun.  Here are some pictures.

 

The before picture.

 

Brynn got a little play house, princess doll and a new dress.

 

Kason got a motorcycle.  He kept asking and asking and asking for one.  I'm so glad he wasn't disappointed!

 

 

Makenna got art stuff and a LeapPad2.

 

 

Brynn's First Christmas!!!  She got to come down the stairs first.

 

Then Makenna

 

And Kason!

 

They all loved their stuff and were so excited to see that Santa found their house this year.  I really didn't think he would find us because Makenna was going to get a lump of coal.  But I guess Santa changed his mind.



They all fit!

 

She loved her first Christmas!  And she did awesome unwrapping presents and just kept wanting more!  

My parents always had the tradition of saving one last present tell Christmas night.  That way you still get something to look forward to all day.  So this is there last present that night.

 

Makenna got Tinkerbell and Periwinkle dolls and they new movie.

 

Kason got a really cool Tonka Fire Truck.

We had a million pictures like usual and this was just a few of them.  It was a great Christmas and everyone had so much fun.  Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve Traditions

December 24th 2012

Every Christmas Eve we go to a Christmas Eve party with my moms family the Bullocks.  We do dinner and white elephant gifts and play around in the gym.  It is always so much fun.  Then we usually head to the Southwick's and read the Christmas story.  Then it's home to our house to prepare for Santa.  The kids were so cute doing everything and they had so much fun.  Here they are getting everything ready!

Cookies for Santa!

 

Hanging the key on the front door so Santa can come in.

 

Writing their note for Santa.

 

Makenna did this all by her self.  She did an awesome job!

 

Hanging their stockings.

 

We didn't have enough stocking hangings so Brynn just laid by hers.  Her stocking is almost as big as her!

 

Our Christmas lights!  Wes does such an awesome job every year!

Christmas Party

December 15th 2012

These are the pictures from the annual Peel Christmas Party. The kids did so good and went right up and sat on Santa's lap. I wish I'd gotten a better picture of Brynn since it was her first Christmas and first time with Santa but oh well. You get what you get, right?
 

 

Decorating Gingerbread Houses

December 14th 2012

Since Makenna and Kason are both allergic to eggs we rarely get to do fun things like go to breakfast at IHOP, decorate Easter eggs or decorate gingerbread houses.  But this year (well last year at Christmas) we were invited to a neighbor's house to decorate gingerbread houses with them.  I really wanted to go so I rationalized in my head that if the kids just put candy (that didn't contain eggs) on frosting that touched the gingerbread (that contained eggs) then they would be fine.  So we went and started decorating.  It was so much fun!  We were out enjoying company and doing something that I'd always wanted to do with the kids.  Then Kason started whining.  And crying.  And saying he wanted to go home and lay on the couch cuz he didn't feel good.  So we started packing up to go.  We were going to go see the lights at Thanksgiving Point but as we made it to the car we realized he had been rubbing his eyes.  They were all red and swollen and his hands and face where breaking out in a rash.  He and I were both in tears.  We rushed him home, gave him some benadryl and a bath and sat on the couch.  I couldn't believe I had selfishly taken him to do something I knew we shouldn't have done.  I totally put him in danger with the eggs and I knowingly did it anyways.  I felt awful.  It was all my fault and it could have been prevented but I thought they'd be fine but they weren't.  Luckily it wasn't as severe as it could have been and it was definitely a reminder that we need to be careful.  Even if it means making certain sacrifices.  My kids are worth all the sacrifices in the world.

I did get some pics of the kids while they were decorating before Kason got sick.  And they were all having so much fun. 

You can even see in the middle picture that Kason has his hands in his mouth!  I should have known better!  And you better believe that I learned my lesson!

Elf on the Shelf

December 2012

I thought for Christmas it would be fun to do the whole Elf on a Shelf thing.  It was lots of fun but we had a really rough December so it was hard to keep up with him.  Wes was in Vegas so I was doing it by myself during the week and we were lucky enough to get the rota virus.  Yuck!  So every Friday for 3 weeks in a row I had a puking kid.  And it would continue for about 5-7 days until the next one came down with it.  It.  Was.  Awful.  But we survived (barely).  So back to the Elf, he came to our house on December 1st and the kids had so much fun when they saw him.  They gave him his name and would talk to him occasionally.  I wish I could remember his name right now but since it is now May, I have forgotten.  (When he comes back in December I will have to come back and write down his name). 

It was lots of fun seeing where he would be the next morning after he reported to Santa at the North Pole.  Since Wes was out of town I wanted him to see some of the crazy things he was doing so I took a few pictures when I could remember.  Here are some of the pics of our Elf.

This is when he showed up in our family room

He toilet papered our tree!

He hung out with Kason!

 

 

 He got into our cookies and Kason was VERY upset about it!  He was in tears when he found our Elf.

Hanging out watching tv with us

Taking a bubble bath at Barbie's house

 

Sliding down our banister.  He was being kind of naughty!

Makenna really wanted a star on top of our tree and our Elf found out so he made us one and put it up for us.  He was a very nice Elf.  :)

Riding Cinderella's horse

Sliding down a zip line with a candy cane

 

 

I had a diet coke left out on the kitchen table and he decided to go and sneak a drink but I caught him!  The kids really loved that one and thought it was funny. 

 

So it was something fun to do and I don't know if he will come every year but it was fun to have him come and keep his eyes on the kids.  I really think it helped the kids behave and I really needed that extra help!

Update:  Makenna said to me the other day, "I sure miss Rex.  I can't wait tell he comes back again."  So now I know his name!  It's Rex!

It's Christmas Time!

November 23rd 2012

I love Christmas and I love putting up all our cute Christmas decorations.  Putting up and decorating the Christmas tree is one of my favorite traditions.  Weston puts the tree up, the kids decorate it and I sit back and watch and take pictures!  It is so much fun!  I love how excited the kids get and how much fun they have.  So here are some pictures of the kids decorating.

Aren't they so cute!  And I just love how the top half is so sparse!  I did go around and move a few ornaments up and then we actually ended up moving more of them so Brynn couldn't get them!