Traditions + Holiday Decor

Ooooh la la!  It's Christmas EVE!!  And, what better time than now to talk about some of our Christmas traditions.  I love having our own little family to begin new traditions with and to continue some of our old ones.  

In addition to making Olivia cry at Santa, here are some of our other holiday traditions:

+ Each year I've purchased Olivia a new set of pajamas as her first present to open up.  And so far, they've been footed pajamas.  I continued that this year and even got Olivia and Sydney matching outfits.  So excited for them to open them up and wear them together.  Since we'll be going to church on Sunday before opening our stockings, I'm not sure if I'll put them back in the pajamas for opening the stockings or not.  {I think I will though...}

+ I have also ordered Olivia a pewter ornament each year from Shutterfly with her picture on it.  I ordered one for her again and one for Sydney and they both turned out SO cute!  I hope Shutterfly continues to make these ornaments because I plan on getting the same style every year.  I can just imagine a small tree when they get older with only these ornaments on them.  My goal is to get them engraved with their names and the year as well.

2009

2010

2011

(Excuse the crappy phone picture of these two)

+ Growing up, my parents gave my brother and I our own ornaments and now I have my own collection that I put on our tree.  In addition to the picture ornaments, I've gotten the girls their own ornaments this year (and Olivia in years past).  This year I went with two different Elf on the Shelf ornaments to signify the first year that we brought him into our home.  

+ And, speaking of the Elf on the Shelf, obviously he's a new tradition for us.  I'm so excited to bring him out again next year - he's been so much fun.  I'd love to continue the Elf on the Shelf breakfast like I did this year and plan on having the girls write letters to Santa Claus each year.

I framed Olivia's letter this year.  It says, "Dear Santa, We listen to Christmas music in the car.  Thank you Santa for getting me Bunky the Elf!  I want a pink dinosaur, please.  Are you going to bring Mrs. Claus?  Please tell Mrs. Claus that I am going to be a good girl.  Love, Olivia"

+ I'm really loving doing the advent with the Christmas books and will continue to do that each year, but will more than likely change out some of the books as the girls get older.

+ I don't know that this is necessarily a tradition, but we've all got matching stockings from Pottery Barn Kids.  We all have our names embroidered on them except for Sydney.  I figured it was more important to have it hung than have it away for a week or so to get her name on it.  I'll have hers embroidered after Christmas.


+ For as long as I can remember, we have watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation in the days leading up to Christmas.  I actually have it on right now as I finish up this post.  

Favorite line:  If I woke up with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now.

Second favorite line:  Shitter's full!

+ I know some people do this, but we always open our Christmas presents on Christmas Eve.  All the presents that are from our family get opened after we go to Christmas Eve service and our gifts from Santa and our stockings are opened on Christmas morning.  I should note that it's also tradition for my mom to to suggest we wait until Christmas day to open up all of the presents, but it always gets vetoed!

+ Like I mentioned above, we go to Christmas Eve service every year.  The last two years have been the only exception with us being in Hawaii last year and having a new baby the year before.  But, that's not stopping us this year and we are going to take the whole family to the clubhouse to watch my uncle lead the service and my aunt sing a solo.

+ We may be starting a new tradition this year - we'll see if it sticks - but we will be having my mom's chili for supper after Christmas Eve service {and my dad's amazing toasted cheese sandwiches}.  When I was in high school and college, we would pick up take-out from Mark Pi's and take it back to our house after church and hang out with our good friends the Caldwells before opening our gifts.  {That gives me warm fuzzies thinking about that...}  My mom always makes a different punch for us to drik while we eat cookies and open presents.  So excited for that this year as I've made some yummy Oreo cookie truffles.

+ Growing up, my grandparents would always get a Bartles & Jaymes wine cooler in their stockings.  They weren't drinkers at all, but I think they would sometimes partake in these drinks just once a year.  A couple of years ago, I started the tradition for my parents and have a 4 pack in the fridge just waiting to be stuffed in their stockings.  {Hope this doesn't spoil the "surprise."}

+ David and I have sent out picture Christmas cards since our first Christmas together as a couple. Each year I keep a copy of the cards and have kept the ones with Olivia in them in a special box for her full of her keepsakes.  I'll do the same for Sydney this year as well.  I've also decided to hang onto all of the Christmas cards we've received from year to year and pull them out at Christmas.  It will be neat to see how the families have changed over the years!

We have some beautiful friends and family!

I'm sure I'm missing some, but I'm glad to have these down for us.  What are some of your holiday traditions?  Anybody bake Jesus a birthday cake?  I was thinking we may do that too.  (As if we need more sweets in the house!)

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Keep In Mind That I Wrote This Last Night

Ahhh!  Christmas is getting SO close!!  There are so many things to get done and I'm always thisclose to finishing things up and then something {like a fit-throwing toddler or a diaper-pooping baby} comes up.  And, then, you know, I decide I'm going to throw in some extra crafts along the way.  Just for giggles and all.

Olivia and I decorated a few "Christmas trees" Wednesday evening and it was such a quick, fun activity.  I turned four ice cream cones upside down and covered them with green frosting and let Olivia decorate them with various toppings.  We used crushed up candy canes, Nerds and two different types of sprinkles.  They look super cute on our kitchen island.

I've also wanted to make some salt dough homemade ornaments and have seen tons of cute ones on Pinterest, but you know my stuff never turns out quite like what I see on the computer!  We succeeded in making a mess, but we did have some fun too.  They've been baked, but we haven't had a chance to paint them.  I don't think Olivia will care if that happens after Christmas.

She helped out by blowing a spit bubble!  (Her new favorite thing)

We have done really well with our Christmas book advent calendar and have failed miserably at our little trinket one.  We have opened every book each night, but I don't think we've checked the pocket on our advent tree since the last time I blogged.  A few of the books that Olivia has opened recently are I've Seen Santa, Gingerbread Mouse, Corduroy's Christmas Surprise, The Biggest Christmas Tree Ever, The Christmas Story, Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman (narrated by my parents).  

Bunky has been flying all over the place and Olivia still talks about him all the time.  I've seen so many hilarious places online of where the frisky little elves end up each morning - many of which are getting into trouble.  David and I decided that our little elf wasn't going to be a trouble maker...sort of defeats the purpose if he is supposed to be watching HER behavior and reporting back to Santa.

Inside a gorgeous boxwood planter our friends sent us as a sweet surprise!

In our advent calendar.

In between Olivia & Kendall in the cute BFF frame Kendall sent her for Christmas.

I love that Olivia talks about Baby Jesus just about as much, if not more, than Santa.  We got into a little discussion yesterday about where Baby Jesus lives and I said he lives in her heart.  Then she wanted to know when he would come out.  I told her that whenever she was sweet and loving and kind, Baby Jesus came out.  Mom and Dad brought over the creche that we had growing up (so special that she has it in her room right now) and she has been playing with the little figurines non-stop.  She calls Mary "Mary mild" because one of the books we read says Mary the mother mild....  She has been singing Christmas carols like CRAZY lately and I've gotten a few cute little videos.  {See here} Some nights she will just lay in her crib singing them.  I'm not sure how she's done so well learning the words because it's not like we've sat down and tried to teach her the lyrics, but that girl is like a sponge.

Today I was telling David about telling another friend of mine how Olivia likes to hold my "you-know-whats" and Olivia chimed in and said, "They're your boobs, Mom."  Yep, they are.  Emphasis on the YOUR, please.  

Ahhh, I know this is such a random post, but it is MIDNIGHT and I am writing this as a draft email because our internet isn't working, but I know I have to get this down so I can post it in the morning.  Sydney is snoozing and I was able to get some wrapping done.  It's so hard to find the spare time in the evenings because Sydney stays up later than Olivia and usually falls asleep in the bed with me.  She is such a Mama's girl and sometimes I am the only one who can hold her.  Me & Poppy, actually.  She will usually let him hold her the longest.  

My brother flies in tomorrow and Olivia is so excited to pick him up from the airport.  My brother wants to take her to see Santa again, but she is NOT having it.  

Happy Thursday Night/Friday from the Valley of the Sun!

Catching Up on our ADVENTures

I'm typing this post on my iPhone while snuggled up with my baby girl in bed. It's 6:50 in the morning - entirely too early to be awake, but in all honesty I'm still half asleep.

I wanted to do this post last night, but the same bedmate I'm currently snuggling with had other plans for me. Sorry load of laundry that's been waiting five days to be folded and put away, I was going to get to you too.

I wish I could say that every advent activity is a mini party, but that's not always the case! Sometimes it's an, "Oops, we forgot to get our treat out of the calendar yesterday," OR an, "Oliivvviiaaa, hurry up and open your book" kind of night as we rush to get her ready for bed.

She has finally realized that she can choose any of the books from the stack and after choosing the three musical ones in the first four days, I've finally figured out what she did after the first one - the thicker books are more appealing because they may play music! She has moved on from Silent Night in her crib to Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem and played it at least 25 times last night before falling asleep. Y'all, buy stock in 1130 batteries.  (Because by the time I was done typing this, she had run the battery down.)

So far she has opened up the following books: Silent Night, Christmas in the Manger, Oh Little Town of Bethlehem, Snow Shakers Snowman, Jingle Bells, Olive the Other Reindeer and a Treasury of Christmas stories.  She got a real kick out of last night's book because it was the 'Twas the Night Before Christmas that my parents got her for her first Christmas where they narrate the story. She was totally captivated by it!

From our advent calendar she has gotten another mini stamper, a Hello Kitty ponytail holder and barrette, a mini candy cane, a Frosty Chapstick, and she pulled out a note last Saturday letting her know we were going to a Christmas parade and tree lighting.

Which brings me to last Saturday...we've had a bit of a cold spell around here, but we all bundled up Saturday evening to head to downtown Chandler for the Christmas parade and lighting of the tumbleweed tree. Olivia got front and center for the parade and was loving it, but unfortunately about 30 minutes into it we had a downpour of rain and had to call it a night.

Speaking of parades, Wednesday night I took the girls to Mom and Dad's so we could ride with Dad in their annual Holiday Golf Cart Parade! A lot of his friends and neighbors decorated their carts with lights and bows and once it got dark, we paraded through the community and the golf course. Olivia had a blast wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and she even through in quite a few Ho Ho Ho shouts as well! Sydney was as good as gold and about ten minutes in, fell right to sleep all bundled up in my lap. Such a fun night for us.

And, finally, Bunky has made his way all around the house (which reminds me I need to move him before she wakes up this morning). Her two favorite things to say about Bunky are, "Bunky sure has magic!" and "That Bunky sure is a great watcher!" So great, in fact, that she has either napped or played quietly in her crib every day during nap time!! Thank you, Bunky!

{From this morning...}

Now if only that elf could fold the laundry!

Happy Friday from the Valley of the Sun!

Advent Calendar: Days 1 & 2

Yesterday was the first day of our advent calendar and after Olivia woke up from her nap, she was able to check what was inside the Day 1 pocket. It was a little Hello Kitty stamper. She loves the little stampers and already has several so this was nice to add to her collection. And, of course she had to get right to it!

Before bed she selected her book (the one on top, the one she had been trying to open all week) and it was Silent Night...that's not so silent since it plays music. I'm not even sure I was able to read it without her hitting the button and hearing the music over and over.

Hello my name is Amanda and I'm addicted to Instagram photos.

David let her sleep with the book and, no joke, she played it over and over for at least 30 minutes. In fact, this morning the battery was dead. David just replaced the batteries so I have a feeling she'll do the same again tonight.

This morning, she pulled out a little note out of the advent calendar that said we would be decorating a gingerbread house at Nana's. So after a quick stop at the store for some supplies, we were off to decorate (and eat).

(I have better pictures from my phone that I hope to post tomorrow, but I wrote this post from my phone if you can believe it and am just on my computer adding the pictures before I go to bed.)

Tonight's book was Christmas in the Manger. I don't think she gets that she can choose any book she wants because she went for the very next one in the stack. Luckily, this one doesn't play music!

Our elf has been very busy today and has made an appearance all over the house. She napped again with him in her room so I have a feeling he will be there every day until Christmas!

This morning we did have an incident where she got a little carried away and touched him. He was in her toy car and she was rolling him back and forth and just went for it. The second she did it she ran to me in the kitchen sobbing!

We watched the show again tonight and there is a part where the older boy in the family touches the elf and he falls to the ground. As the scene was beginning, Olivia shot up from her little chair and ran to the hallway where she couldn't see the tv and didn't come back out until he was flying back to the North Pole. Such a sensitive little thing.

Oh, and another funny elf story... In the book it says that you may hear a bell when he flies back home at night. So while David was putting her to bed, I grabbed her jingle bells from her music kit and gave them a ring. David said she moved so fast and ran out the door chasing after me. Yeah, I totally got busted!

We have big holiday plans for the weekend with a parade and the lighting of the tumbleweed tree. And if we are lucky, we will get our tree decorated and our lights up outside!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Friday from the Valley of the Sun!