Countdown to Noon!

Being the parents of preschoolers, there is generally no chance that our little ones will be up with us at midnight to ring in the new year. So a few years ago, some of us started getting together for a "Noon Year Party" instead. The kids have a great time playing together and still get the experience of counting down and celebrating. We had all kinds of goodies and we just hung out and snacked and visited and played together and played at Erin's. It was a good morning today!

Disney on Ice - Toy Story 3!

Karen & I took Emma, TJ, and Mikayla to see a Disney on Ice show last night. It was ToyStory 3, which is a favorite of all 3 kids and kind of "butches" up the ice dancing for TJ a bit so that was nice. The funny thing is that the first half of the show was more of a compilation of all 3 movies so Emma kept turning around and exclaiming "That's not from ToyStory 3! That's from Toy Story 1!" Too funny. We went on opening night and the show started at 7:30, which meant that it didn't end till after 9:30. That's a bit late for Em and she was getting tired so she actually started dosing on my lap for the last 20 minutes or so. That would have been fine, except that she missed the finale by the whole cast ensemble. So when I woke her up to walk out, she just crumpled and burst out crying because she had missed Mickey Mouse. :( Poor kid. She didn't throw a tantrum or anything but she just quietly wept all the way to the car and for a good bit of the ride home. Now I remember why we usually opt for afternoon matinees instead...

Dress Up Day!

I stocked up on some discount costumes after halloween to replenish the kid's dress up supplies and got quite a few cute ones. We played dress up this morning and they both looked so freaking cute! Emma got an Alice in Wonderland dress, a Cinderella dress, and a Tiana dress (from The Princess and the Frog). TJ got an Area 51 Alien costume, a scary pirate costume, and a Beyblade guy costume. So much fun! Emma also got the matching barbie sized dolls to go with each of her outfits so she can play with them in her new house. She loves it.

Christmas, the sequel...

Scott was in Arizona with Matthew this year for Christmas, so we didn't see them until the 26th. Matthew was excited to open his presents. I think he liked his DS games the best! Scott also bought a giant airplane teeter totter for Emma & TJ, which we waited to give them until he got back. They, especially Emma, love it! The neat thing is that you can actually have a half dozen kids on there at a time so they can all play together. Very cool. The Ames kids stayed over with us for a couple days and we had a nice time relaxing and hanging out together. The big girls (Katie & Lucy) hung out with Karen & I, playing Dexter, watching movies, & reading while the little ones played Wii, legos, and on the airplane.

Christmas Morning Pictures!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Emma was so excited to get her new doll house, walkie talkies, Barbies, new dolly with the open & close eyes, Happynapper, and all her other toys. All of our family were here to celebrate with us and we had a great day visiting, playing, eating, and just being together. Everyone seemed to have a really good time. The photo calendars were hits with both Tim & Jen and with Grandma. Grandma also REALLY liked her new photo lap blanket that has all the grandkid pictures. The other big hit of the day was a box labeled "To: Angela, Karen, Katie, & Lucy From: Trinity & DDK." It was the new Dexter board game and it was very well received. We played it last night and it was, although very long and involved, a lot of fun. It was an awesome day and we are both so blessed to have such a great family.

Christmas Eve Preparations...

Christmas Eve was a busy day around here, as usual. But we got it all done. Most of the day was spent cleaning and organizing. Todd took Emma & TJ to the park for a couple of hours so that really helped out Karen and I (and Katie & Lucy who were over to help) and gave us a chance to get quite a bit done.

In the evening we went to church and then headed (for the 3rd year in a row) to McDonalds for dinner. Yes, I know it is not a traditional holiday meal but it has worked well for us the past couple years. It gives the kids a chance to run around and burn off the last of their energy AND we can feed them without making a mess of the newly cleaned kitchen. Unfortunately, the employees of McDonalds looked like they were trying to get out of there early too so they had the playground area closed off and were in the middle of deep cleaning all the equipment. So, no playground for us this year.

We grabbed our burgers and headed home. Once the kids had eaten, it was time to begin the evening preps... First up, Emma & TJ got to open their one Christmas present - new jammies!! Emma loved her new monkey nightie. Then we went outside to sprinkle reindeer food on the lawn to guide Santa and his team. Next was baths & pictures in the new jammies. We read "How the Grinch stole Christmas," "Santa Mouse," and "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" along with finishing the miniature advent books with the nativity story. Next we hung the "Santa Key" on the front door so the big guy could come in easily sans chiminy. We set out cookies and milk for Santa (and had one apiece for ourselves) before I helped Emma brush her teeth and then it was time to lay down. She was so excited about Santa coming to visit that she was fast asleep within 15 minutes. Such a sweetie. Then "Santa" was able to get back up and finish any last minute wrapping, prepping, and staging.