We all enjoyed getting bundled up to play outdoors (Mom is grateful that this is what we call "bundling up"- she doesn't miss the way we used to have to bundle up in Ohio). Temperatures in the mid to high 30's are cold, but without precipitation we are able to be outdoors and enjoy all sorts of activities!
We had two full weeks of school before the Christmas break, and were counting down the days. We weren't doing anything exciting at school, and Macie and I couldn't wait to get home each day. Despite our lack of enthusiasm, there were a few things going on at school. The First graders won a box top contest, and to celebrate were able to wear their pajamas to school. This elicited a small bit of excitement for Macie who LOVED the fact that all she had to do in the morning was roll out of bed, brush her teeth, and put on boots.
In hopes of creating a small amount of excitement each day, Mom let us pick themed outfits each school day. Here are a few of our favorites:
Christmas sweater with adorning tree lights,
"Winter Wonderland",
and the overall crowd favorite, the "nerd."
To help Mom get into the Christmas Spirit (she was acting a little Grinchy this year), Dad bought her 10 strands of lighted garland to line our indoor railings. She was really grateful, and thought it helped make the house look more Merry.
While Mom was busy decorating during the day, Presley and Nixon kept themselves occupied indoors. Nixon loves playing with wheels
Grandma Judy came to visit us for a week and that allowed Mom to take care of some Christmas shopping without the watchful eyes of two toddlers! While Grandma was here I went to the Orthodontist and got my new "Christmas" braces (Mom joked that a beautiful smile was one of my Christmas presents from Mom and Dad).
Before going in we made sure to take a picture of my pre-metal smile.
She also made sure to document the WHOLE process of getting them put on.
Because of the bright light above me, I asked Mom to lend me her shades while I laid in the chair. She couldn't stop smiling at me while I eagerly awaited the Orthodontist's arrival.
When he showed up, I quickly wished I hadn't been so eager. My little mouth was stretched, pulled, and pushed around as they work to secure the brackets on my teeth.
They gave me a short break after my brackets were in place, and I used this time to ponder the rubber band colors I wanted for this first month.
With the holiday spirit in mind, I chose red and green, and was thrilled with the outcome!
On Saturday the family went to Lifetime for their annual Breakfast with Santa!!!
We got there early and had Santa all to ourselves! We all took turns sitting with him and telling him what we wanted for Christmas.
All of us girls enjoyed our time with Santa, but poor Nixon was a little uncomfortable...
He had a few moments where it looked like he wasn't in pain, but for the majority of the 2 minutes he sat on Santa's lap Nixon was miserable.
Mom tried to get all four of us to take a photo with Santa, but Nixon wasn't having it. Dad jumped in and managed to ease Nixon's anxiety while Mom took a family picture.
After spending time with Santa we all sat down for some breakfast and Nixon was happy again.
He actually spent the remainder of our time walking around the dance floor eating hand fulls of food.
When we got home later that day, Macie entertained us with her usual antics. Mom is becoming increasingly fearful that she will grow up to be one of the "Chelsea Handler's" of the world. She has no shame, and doesn't mind telling you exactly how it is...
she definitely provides us with some much needed comic relief.
That evening we all packed into the car and drove out to the speedway to see the holiday light show. Poor Grandma had to sit and endure 3 hours in a car with 4 impatient kids signing Christmas songs.
Do you think you could stay sane after 3 hours of listening to this? Add in some fighting, yelling, and crying, and I can guarantee that your answers skews heavily towards "no."
Mom was impressed that she managed to get a few of us smiling, but was even more excited to have one where ALL of us were looking at the camera!!!
Since we were all dressed, Mom decided to take us down to see Santa Claus at Downtown Summerlin. After trying for 15 minutes to get one picture where Nixon wasn't screaming, Mom finally gave up. Although she was obligated to buy a photo and pay for the Santa visit ($28 for a single 4x6 print!?!?!), she somehow managed to misplace it in the house and fears that it was thrown out with the trash. Aside from losing a $28 photo, she handled the loss quite well- probably because the photo wasn't all that fabulous. We said goodbye to Santa and went outside for some more pictures. Despite the chilly weather, it was a beautiful day!
Grandma Judy had to leave town later that day (Mom is almost positive that she was ready for some rest and relaxation), but we were glad that she got to experience some holiday fun with us while she was here!
A few nights later Mom and Dad packed 7 kids in the car and drove us down to see the Christmas light parade at the mall!
Before the parade started we all ran around and danced to the music.
The parade was really fun, and all the characters were interactive and friendly.
During the parade it started to snow (thanks to the snow makers on all the light posts), and Nixon went NUTS!!! He was absolutely fascinated with the falling snow.
After the parade, all the characters walked through the crowds sharing holiday wishes and candy!!!
After what seemed like months, our two weeks of school was up and winter break was here!!! We celebrated by having a sleepover with Helaina! We all watched Christmas movies and ate holiday snacks while Mom packed our bags for quick trip to San Diego.
In the morning she took us all to the grocery store to do some last minute snack shopping for our road trip in the evening. We weren't sure why she dressed us up in holiday attire, but we have learned not to question the methods to her madness.
When we arrived at the grocery store we quickly discovered that Santa was there!!! We were all SO excited, and the best part was there were NO lines. All of us were able to sit and enjoy some time with Santa.
Nixon was NOT nearly as thrilled as the rest of us. He liked Santa from afar, but did not want to sit on his lap.
Presley reveled in the fact that Nixon was upset (she is still VERY jealous)!
We managed to get a group shot thanks to Helaina who held Nixon and kept him calm.
After saying some goodbyes, we bought some snacks and then went back to Santa to see if Nixon's attitude towards him had changed. Unfortunately he continued to only like Santa from afar, so Mom settled for a picture next to Santa instead.
The girls and I spent some more time with Santa before leaving. Mom was impressed with Santa's patience with all of us and was really grateful to Albertson's from convincing Santa to stop and visit with people at their store.
Later that night, Mom and Dad packed up our car and the family drove down to San Diego to spend a quick 3 days with family and friends before the holidays.
In the morning (WAY too early) Presley woke up, excited to be at Pa's, and jumped at the chance to snuggle with him in front of the fire. Mom was grateful because it gave her the chance to lay on the couch for a little while and slowly wake up from her short 3 hour night of sleep.
During nap time that day, Mom, Macie, and I walked up to the top of Mt.Helix. It was a beautiful day in San Diego, and the view was amazing!
For those of you that aren't familiar with Mt.Helix, it is this beautiful mountain in the heart of San Diego. At the top is a huge cross that can be seen for miles. There is a big amphitheater that holds church services as well as Christian Community Theater musical productions. Mom has been attending both the services and the musical productions since she was a kid, and this is where Macie and I saw Mary Poppins with Pa and Michelle. It is a special place for our family.
It was quiet up at the top of the mountain until Macie took to the stage...
She rehearsed many songs from Mary Poppins, and also did a few renditions of "Hit the Quan" and the "Whip Nae Nae!"
Once a few people came to the top Mom encouraged us to quiet down a bit. A group of girls gave us some chalk, and that kept Macie and I occupied for a long time.
We drew pictures, wrote our names, and then traced shadows. Mom was impressed with our creativity!
Nap time was coming to an end, some we made our way down the mountain but made sure to stop and take a few pictures along the way!
The next morning we took the whole family back to the top of the mountain. Dad had never been up there, and was in awe of how beautiful the view was. From Mexico, to Coronado to Pacific Beach; you could see for miles around.
After spending the morning at Mt.Helix we drove down to Pacific Beach to spend some time with Grandma Judy. To my surprise Grandma was wearing the earrings I bought her for Christmas; I was BEYOND thrilled!
We played around her house while Presley and Nixon took an early nap. Macie and I admired all her Christmas ornaments, and were really excited to find one that Mom had made 30 years ago!!!
Mid day we all went down to the beach. The sun was out and we were all amazed at how warm (and bright) it was in December!
Nixon enjoyed his first ever stroll to the ocean on two feet!!!
We were all dissapointed that Mom didn't bring our swimsuits. Unfortunately for her we all decided that getting our clothes wet was worth the experience of running around in the ocean. Nixon turned out to be the one that we couldn't pull from the water. He kept shrieking and running towards the waves. Mom was sure that he would get scared after the first big wave knocked him down (Macie, Presley, and I all were hesitant of the ocean after our first fall in the waves), but instead he pulled himself up, laughed a full belly laugh, and went back for more!
We all stayed at the beach until the sun started to set and our wet clothes made us uncomfortable. Had we had the correct attire we would have all stayed four hours longer!!!
After dinner that night we drove back to Pa's and spent another night with him and Michelle. The following day Mom's close friend from high school brought her family over to say hello. Mom was thrilled beyond belief to see all of them!!! While Presley and Nixon slept, the Dad's took the big kids to see Star Wars!!!
The movie was AWESOME and we enjoyed our time with Dad. While we were at the theater, Mom and Aunt Stephanie ran errands after nap time and Presley quickly learned that shopping with her is beyond fun. Not only did she get a semi truck with cars, but she got a cake pop as well. Aunt Stephanie is now Presley's absolute favorite!!!
That night our families went to Miss Alyssa's house to spend time with the families of a few of Mom's friends from high school. It was quite a night, and the house was fuller than full. Mom was anxious just watching everyone run and make a mess. She couldn't believe how calm and collected both Pete and Alyssa were as they watched their home being trashed by 10 kids!
We drove back to Vegas later that night and it was quite a drive for poor Mom and Dad. Presley was crying non stop, and Nixon managed to puke all over himself and his car seat. Despite the late night and the headaches involved with traveling with 4 kids, Mom and Dad we glad that we were able to spend time with great family and friends. We are truly blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives!
The following morning was spent unpacking from our trip, and scrambling to get ready for Christmas (which was only 2 days away). Macie and I kept ourselves occupied with books while Presley played with her new truck ALL DAY! Mom was beyond grateful to Aunt Stephanie for the hours of unassisted play.
Christmas will be here soon, and our family can't wait to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus as we celebrate the holiday together.
