My first present...

Emma brought me home a present. She made it in school and, since we are no officially off on vacation until January 10th (woot! woot!), she brought it home today. I think it is adorable and I was so glad she actually agreed to go up and sit with Santa for this picture when he visited her school! Now if only I had known in advance that he was coming that day. I would have made sure to have done her hair cuter...

Emma's Christmas Pageant!

Emma had her first Christmas pageant last night. Well, technically it wasn't her first. But it was her first where she actually got up on a stage and agreed to sing as asked! Her class sang 2 different Christmas songs; Up on a Housetop (which was very cute!) and another one I didn't recognize. Emma was sitting front and center though and apparently decided things were moving too slowly at one point. So she stood up, gave out a loud "whoop!" and raised her hands above her head like she was starting the wave! And then Christopher next to her did it, and then Mason beside him. Then Jaden behind them. Then the teacher started telling them all to knock it off and sit down. Hahaha. This kid cracks me up.

Family Disneyland Day!

We still had the free passes from the Give A Day, Get A Day promotion and they expired next week, so we decided to take a big family day at Disneyland this week! It was Emma & I, Karen & her kids, Tim, Jen, & their kids, Mom, and Al. All 12 of us and we had a great time. Tim & Jen hadn't been here in almost 10 years and they seemed to really enjoy it as well. Mikayla & Bubby both got to go up on stage during the Star Wars Jedi training and earned certificates after battling with light sabers, Emma got to see (and dance with!) her princesses, TJ rode his favorite pirate ride, and Katie & Lucy met Jack Skelington & Sally! It was a great day! We even took all kinds of sandwiches, snacks, and juice so we avoided paying for all the overpriced munchies in the park. I think I only spent $3 on a cup of coffee while we were there, which is unheard of for me. But it was a necessary indulgence as we had been up since 4am and on the road before dawn. I needed my second wind. So Karen & I had some coffee and then we were good to go all the way through the holiday fireworks show and the kids were entranced when it "snowed" on them. Such a magical end to a wonderful day...

Christmas Treats...

Emma, TJ, & I spent yesterday evening making Christmas Trees out of homemade Rice Krispy Treats. We used candied cherries for ornaments and they turned out really cute! I assumed these would be big hits with the 2 little sugar fiends but, oddly enough, they were more interested in the process (and eating the individual ingredients!) than in the end product. Oh well. I took some into my classroom today and the kids really enjoyed them there. They said to tell Emma she's a good cook! :)

Oh Christmas Tree...

I took the CBEST exam yesterday morning. Yay! So much fun... not! But at least I am one step closer to finally doing something with my life! And I will graduate with my (2) BAs this month as well. :) So that took up most of the morning but I was able to spend some time with my girl (and Karen, Kayla, & TJ) in the afternoon as we set out on a quest for the perfect Christmas Tree. Which, oddly enough, turned out to be each and every single tree the kids passed... "Ooooh! Look at this one Mommy!" "We like this one!" "No this one is perfect!" "This one is the best!" After an executive decision was made by the adults who were actually PAYING for it, the "perfect" tree was selected and we were on our way home. We spent the evening decorating it and listening to Christmas music while snacking on pizza and just having a great time! It is starting to feel (and smell!) a lot more like Christmas around here!

Tangled!

I took Emma to see the new Disney movie, "Tangled," yesterday. We went with our friends and Emma, Sophia, and Hayden all loved the movie! Their mommies enjoyed it as well. It was really cute. Unfortunately, we saw the 4pm showing and, of course, had popcorn and candy with the show. So by the time we got home, Emma was not hungry for dinner. Oh well. We have those days sometimes. :) Emma kept telling me all evening how she wants her hair "long like Tangled so I can swing on it" and how she wants the purple princess dress too. Well, low and behold, I also was able to get this $40 princess dress for $8.00 this morning through one of my coupon blogs!!! I am going to have one very happy princess her Christmas morning!

Tree Lighting!

We spent Sunday evening at the church Community Christmas Tree Lighting. The tree was beautiful (and huge!) and we got there just in time for me to score the LAST cup of hot chocolate, which I split between the little monsters. It was super cold out but we had such a good time. The choirs sang and we enjoyed the holiday music, prayer, and seeing the tree lit. Emma was bundled up in her big puffy jacket, mittens, and her new princess hat. She looks so cute and warm. For a woman who used to dislike pink, my little girl still ended up having quite a bit of it in her wardrobe! And she looks adorable in it!