Christmas Day 2013

Christmas morning was a success!  The girls were really excited to see if Santa Claus had visited our house.  They were happy to see the Big Guy in the Red Suit enjoyed the cookies they left out for him.  Santa Claus left Gracie the ever popular 'Rainbow Dash' Costume - made custom by Mrs. Claus.  Gracie put the costume on and didn't take it off for days.  Come July - she still wore it occasionally.  And in October 2014 - she chose to wear it as her Halloween Costume.  It was a big hit.  Santa also left Gracie a Rainbow Dash Equestrian Girl Doll and a kid snow shovel.

Santa brought Sienna lots of My Little Pony toys including Princess Celestia who talks and a Fluttershy Equestrian Girl.
Santa Claus brought mom and dad a nice print of an oil painting, which we hung in our living room.
 

True JOY!  Gracie loves her Rainbow Dash Costume.

Santa brought Jody some Jazz tickets to watch the team play against Blake Griffin and the Clippers.  

After the Christmas Morning Rush, the girls played with their new toys.  Grandpa & Grandma Wiscombe & Michael came over and brought gifts.  Then we took a housewarming gift to Jeff and Lacey at their new home in Lehi.  Grandpa & Grandma Tait were there, and we enjoyed some soup together.

And then, just like that, it is all over.  And what?!?!?  We have to wait until next year for Christmas to come again? 

It's so easy for me to get lost in the craziness and commotion of Christmas.  Children make the season more magical...but they can also get caught up on what they are getting for Christmas.  And as parents, it's hard to not shower them with the toys they want.   Because you know they will be so excited in that moment.

We participate in Sub for Santa each year - this year we had the girls pick children, who were their same ages, off of the Angel Tree.  We took a special night in December to shop for these children and talk about them.  We hope it makes our kids think of others and the season, which is truly all about giving.  

I think many of us are like the Innkeeper in the story of the First Christmas.  Although we don't know specifics about the Innkeeper because the Bible doesn't say anything about him.....we do know that he turned away Mary and Joseph in their time of need.  I do not think the Innkeeper was necessarily hostile or cruel - but I do believe - he was busy.  Too busy to recognize the most incredible event was knocking at his door.

His inn was full because a census was being held in Bethlehem. The city was bulging with people whose ancestors came from there. Since Bethlehem was the city of David, all those who were in the line of David were there, including Joseph and Mary.  Many people are like the innkeeper.  The chambers of their souls are filled with needless things--with stuff that doesn't matter. As a result, they miss Christ. Our society is filled with the unnecessary, the insignificant, and the meaningless. We spend a fortune to amass things so we can let our children fight over them when we die. And our time is eaten away by the demands our things place on us.  -- John MacArthur, "Grace to You"

So hold your loved ones closely.  Embrace your family - not things - not stuff.  Let Christ in.  In every aspect of your life - Let Him In.  Our Savior, Jesus Christ came into this world in the humblest of circumstances.  

He is the perfect example.  He Lives....and He Loves Us.  

Haul out the Holly...

We need a little Christmas.

Right this very minute.

Candles in the Window.

Carols at the Spinet. 

Christmas Morning is something special.  But the events and traditions leading up to the 25th of December create memories that will last forever.  Here is what we did in December of 2013.  

We picked out a Christmas Tree.  A real tree - something Jody and I started doing on our first humble Christmas in Butte, Montana.  There is something fun about seeing those evergreens strapped to the top of vehicles during the holidays.  The night we found our tree was FREEZING - a whopping 7 degrees outside.  BRRRRR.  The girls were still all smiles and super excited.  

I always love how the freshly cut trees smell...however this year...once inside our house, our tree smelled like marijuana or body odor...or something not good.  Remember, I was pregnant and smells were not my friend during this time.  

Nonetheless - it was a nice tree - a nice, stinky (to me, at least) tree.  

Gracie had her Christmas Dance Recital.  She was great!  As she walked off the stage at the Legacy Center, a lady on the tech-crew said, "Wow she really likes to shake it!"  Yes - she's not messing around with those hip shakes.  Both sets of grandparents came to watch her.  She had a big fan base in the audience. 

Before I had to go into work on a Saturday, we visited Thanksgiving Point to see the Reindeer and get a sweet treat at the malt shoppe.

There was Gracie's School Christmas Program.  ((Insanity))  Because there was nowhere to park, I parked in a neighborhood forever away...Sienna was with me and walking the speed of molasses.  I carried her blocks, and then we entered the completely full gym.  We went into the back of the lunchroom.  I zoomed my camera lens out as far as it would go...and this is the best picture I got.  

No face.  Some paper antlers.  Ha Ha!  

Just know I was there Gracie.  And that one song the Kindergarten classes sang... it was great!  

Then there were the parties.  While at Papa and Grandma Tait's house, there was a knock at the door.  What do you know?!?!  It was the Jolly Old Elf, himself.

Gracie collapsed from excitement when she heard the bells and saw Santa Claus.  She was REALLY excited. 

 Aunt Kylene and Uncle Greg gave Gracie this awesome craft/art set for Christmas.  

 Next up: a Christmas Party at Uncle Reed and Aunt Sandy's house.  Grandma Wiscombe organized a short nativity program for the kids.  Every family brought a soup to share. Jody made our soup.  It's one of my favorite tortilla soup recipes.  He totally helped me out by picking up a few ingredients I needed and then...he put it together.  He's awesome and such a huge help!   When I took a big slurp at the party - my mouth was instantly on fire.  Turns out, he didn't realize taco seasoning packets come in either mild or Super Hot...he grabbed the Super Hot one.    

And Christmas Eve....so magical.  We spent the evening making Grandma Wiscombe's delicious sugar cookies for Santa.

Gracie - Age 6

Sienna - Age 3

Holiday Kick-Off

We spent Thanksgiving with the Tait Side of the family in 2013.  As always, the food was a feast.  And this year, Grandma and Papa Tait treated us to a fun holiday kick-off weekend.  All of the Utah Taits stayed at the Little America in downtown Salt Lake.  The kids enjoyed swimming in the pool and going on a scavenger hunt that Papa Tait had set up for them in the lobby.   

 We enjoyed seeing the lights at Temple Square, which are always stunning.  Gracie and Sienna loved riding TRAX around town and looking at the Macy's Christmas Candy Windows.  Downtown Salt Lake City at Christmas Time is a beautiful place.  Papa and Grandma treated us to a yummy dinner and breakfast at the newly remodeled Coffee Shop at the Little America.

Saturday morning, we walked around the City Creek Shopping Center.  I was reporting that day...so I stayed downtown to head into KUTV.

But not before, one last ride on TRAX...which the girls LOVED!  

Cousins - Gracie and Nahla seeing the sights downtown.
Gracie carried her Tinker Bell doll with her during the entire getaway. I thought, for sure, Tinker Bell would get lost in the crowds, but Gracie held tight to her new birthday gift.  

North Pole Express

DECEMBER 2013

There are so many fun Christmas Activities - it's impossible to fit them all into *one* holiday season.  I like to try one new activity each year.  This season it was THE POLAR EXPRESS.  It had all the elements our girls love: trains, hot chocolate, reindeer and a visit from Santa Claus. 

It was lightly snowing as we arrived at the Heber Valley Station; So pretty with the snow falling on the light posts and train as passengers loaded.   

We boarded the train, and the elves in our car, turned our seats so our family was facing each other.  As we started inching along (there's a reason it's called the Heber CREEPER) Gracie spotted a deer out the window.  She saw it long before the elf who was holding the microphone, announced it to everyone in the car.  She was elated.  I whispered to her that we must be getting close to the North Pole if we were seeing reindeer.  Her face!  She was awestruck and had that sparkle in her eyes!  Her expression made the whole evening worth it.

The elves handed out cookies made by Mrs. Claus.  We sipped on hot cocoa.  The historic train car was decorated with garland and lights.  The girls enjoyed making a human train and dancing with the other kids on the North Pole Express. 

The elves sang songs and told jokes.  One elf held mistletoe over Gracie's head...so Gracie gave her sister a kiss.  Sienna got mad and tried to bite Gracie.  (Sigh)  The outing wouldn't be complete without some bad behavior.

Pouty Little Miss

 

Dad knows how to make everything better.

As we got closer to the North Pole, they told us Santa makes the North Pole invisible, so the fisherman & boaters won't see the magical town, from the lake.   The only way the North Pole appears,  is if the elves can feel the spirit of Christmas by hearing loud singing.  We were singing 'jingle bells' LOUD.  Suddenly, hundreds of lights turned on - illuminating village homes...Santa's Workshop...an entire magic city...and the Big Guy in red waving!  All the children squealed and clapped.  It was really surprising!
Santa Claus worked his way through each car.  He scooped both Sienna and Gracie up and held them, while they told him their Christmas Wishes.  (Gracie asked for a Rainbow Dash Pony Costume and Equestrian Girls Doll.  Sienna asked for Princess Cadance, also from 'My Little Pony'.)  This was the best picture we got....Sienna looks unimpressed.

Santa gave the girls a bell.  One of the elves came up to Gracie after, and asked if she could take a look at her bell.  The elf rang the bell.

"You are special,"  the elf said.  "I brush the reindeer everyday.  And I know the sound of their bells.  This bell comes from Rudolph."

Gracie's eyes lit up!  The elf could not have said anything better than that. Gracie is borderline obsessed with Rudolph...her fascination with the deer with the red nose started when she was three.  It was really cute!  She went right home and hung her bell on our Christmas Tree.    It was a fun night for our family. 

All I Want for Christmas...

...is a Hippopotamus! 

Gracie wanted the game -- Hungry, Hungry Hippos for Christmas.  To our delight, she learned the song, "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" in her preschool class.  She sang that song and other Christmas hits and hymns for us this season. 

Gracie gets really excited about doing the "actions" when she sings.  I hope she never loses that enthusiasm. 

I really love her little singing voice.   

Merry & Bright

The Christmas Season 2012

 was filled with so many fun events and memories. 

*We did some Holiday Shopping at the new outlets.

*We made lots and lots of Rudolph Cupcakes. 


*The girls looked sweet in their matching Christmas Dresses the Sunday before Christmas. 

*I helped with Gracie's Pajama Christmas Party at her Preschool.

Jody and I had the opportunity to attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert featuring Alfie Boe and Tom Brokaw.  Our friends the Jensens invited us, and it was an amazing night.  The Conference Center is always exquisitely decorated for Christmas, and the orchestra and choir sounded beyond perfect.  

We enjoyed Christmas Parties with Family.  Gracie adores my cousins Natalie and Courtney.  They are so sweet to her every time we get together.



Gracie and Courtney

Something I really like, that my side of the family does each year, is choosing some names off of the  2News Angel Tree.  A few years back, among my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins, we decided rather than buy gifts for each other, we would spend that money on families who really could use some support during the Christmas Season.  During our Family Christmas Party, the kids get to share their experiences about shopping for and helping other children.  It's always really special to hear.  This year Gracie chose a little boy -- her same age -- off of the tree.  We picked him because he has some of the same interests as her.  She helped us pick out a blue (Gracie's favorite color and his too) coat, three shirts, some pants, underwear, a Thomas the Train set and some puzzles.   She told us she was happy she could help and that she thinks he would want to be her friend.  I bet so too.  I'm sure they would be great friends!  We also adopted an older gentleman this year from the Angel Tree.  It was really nice to shop for him and know he wouldn't be overlooked on Christmas Morning.

Christmas Eve was super magical.  We spent the evening at Grandma and Papa Tait's house.  We had a delicious dinner and enjoyed a visit from Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.  How cool is that?  Santa had both Gracie and Nahla come up and help him sing some songs.  When it was time to sing  Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer, Santa had some plastic antlers for the girls to wear.  However, Gracie came prepared.  She stuck with her trusty pair of antlers from home -- the ones she has been wearing all Christmas season since July.  Gracie even got to wear a red blinking nose -- talk about a dream come true for a kid who LOVES Rudolph!!

Both Gracie and Sienna were fine to sit on Santa's lap.  Santa shared some notes from his "Nice List Book" about each of the girls...things that the elves had written down.  He reminded Sienna to work on her "inside voice" and Gracie to be extra kind to her younger sister.



Cousins: Nahla and Gracie in their New Christmas Slippers

Sienna loves the "Rocking Moose" at Grandma & Papa Tait's house.

On Christmas Morning the girls were excited to see that Santa had brought treasures while they slept.  Gracie wouldn't come out of her room until she got the "ok" from us...because in her words, "I don't want to ruin the surprise!"  How sweet is she!? The girls had so much fun going through their stockings. Grandma and Papa Tait came over to visit while the girls opened a few presents from under the tree.

Santa brought Sienna a plush "Lambie" from Disney Junior's Doc McStuffins. That is Sienna's favorite show. Santa also brought her a little Doc doll. Gracie was thrilled with her Hungry, Hungry Hippos Game, a purple "locker" with a real key and lock, and that sparkly pink reindeer she saw days before Christmas. I wouldn't buy it for her, even after she performed a song and dance in the store singing about WHY it needed a home at OUR house...Good Thing Santa Claus hears the wishes of little ones. She was SO excited to see it on Christmas Morning!!

It snowed on Christmas Eve, leaving fresh powder to play in on Christmas Day!!  The girls had a blast being pulled on a sled behind one of the neighbor's 4-wheelers. 
And Gracie perfected her Snow Angel Abilities. 

Later on Christmas Day we enjoyed a really yummy dinner with my parents and Michael.  We exchanged presents.  Grandma and Papa Wiscombe got Gracie an Art Easel with paints and markers.  They gave Sienna more "Little People" Princesses to go with her Castle.  

 

I love my parent's home at Christmas time.  My mom and dad decorate their home so beautifully.  Under the Christmas tree is a village my Grandma Wiscombe made.  The girls have a good time playing with that snow-covered village and exploring all of the other fun decorations at my parent's house. 

Before the New Year, we visited Downtown Salt Lake to see the Macy's Christmas Windows. Each display was completely made of candy. Gracie wouldn't leave her reindeer in the car. So they were able to enjoy the window display as well. If you haven't noticed..."Reindeer" have really been trending at our house.

The lights at Temple Square looked especially spectacular this year. The snow was gently falling as we walked around the Reflection Pond. It was truly a beautiful sight!