Getting to know you...Christmas Edition

I got a wonderful email today and thought it would make the perfect blog.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper
2. Tree-- Real or Artificial? Real, but if the real one dies before Christmas, it will be the last real tree we get. They're just too expensive to die before Christmas Day.
3. When do you put the Christmas tree up? Usually the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend for family night.
4. When do you take the tree down? Sometime between December 26 and after New Years, depending if we leave for the slopes and if the tree's dead and can't stay a minute more in the house of the whole thing is just going to go up in flames. Otherwise it stays up till we get back
5. Like eggnog? Love it, love it. Can't get enough of the stuff actually and the girls are taking after me quite nicely. Dave can't stand it, unless it's half "milked" down.
6. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, quite a few. My favorites are tied between the one we put outside in the yard and one that is silver from Brazil. Thanks to foreign missions where you can get cool stuff like that.
7. Hardest person to buy for? Dave - always has been. Unless you ask him he'll tell you he's easy. All he wants are guns.
8. Easiest person to buy for? Kelsey, what else do you get for a 3 year old princess, but princess accessories
9. Worst Christmas gift? I can't think of any
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail of course!! Who doens't like getting mail - bills don't count.
11. Favorite Christmas movie? Christmas vacation. Always a classic.
12. Favorite Christmas song? I'm not picky. Practically all of them, except maybe the Carpenters. I don't really love them to begin with. I love listening to the Christmas stations from Thanksgiving on. But if I had to pick one, "Celebrate Me Home" by Kenny Loggins. Not a huge fan, but love this song.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually sometime in November (Disneyland) and then hit the stores the beginning of December.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Is that really a bad thing if someone else will use it?
15. Favorite food to eat on Christmas? Peppermint ice cream. They should sell this year round, although this year I bought it early and 4 half gallons later, Dave is "pepperminted out" He loves the stuff.
16. Clear or colored tree lights? White, the ornaments add the color. That's why we need a kid tree so the girls can have color and I can have white with glass icicles. I love that.
17. Travel during Christmas or stay home? Stay home, but we do like to go to Utah for some much needed relaxation and serious snowboarding. It's really the only reason we are in Utah really. Who can pass up the inches and inches of fresh powder. I know you can do without it, Lindsay.
18. Can you name Santa's reindeer? Of course
19. Angel or Star on tree top? Angel. We found one last year that you could remove the wings and Dave doesn't like angels with wings. He says it's unrealistic. But before that, always a star.
20. Open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? We open one gift on Christmas Eve - new jammies so we all look fresh for Christmas morning.
21. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Lines at the post office - a necessary evil - taking all the lights and decorations down, not nearly as fun as putting them up. Don't really mind the lines at the stores though. People are always friendly and what can I say, they think the girls are the cutest, and very entertaining.
22. Best Christmas present? Growing up - a new Christmas dress every year. More recently - bikes and Pottery Barn Reindeer plates and accessories.
23. Favorite Christmas tradition? I can't pick just one - making the yummy candy, looking at Christmas lights, family dinners, reading Christmas books. It's all great. I guess it's good the holiday is a whole month long, but when it's over, I'm sure glad it is and that it's another year before it starts all over again.
Okay - I tag all of you!! Please share!!

Not your everyday talent

It's not very often you come across a new found talent, but I think this is too funny. Our piano is not in the best of shape, considering it's been moved countless times and still hasn't been tuned. So I think even if I were to ever play it again, I would think an intune piano would sound wrong. At any rate, Katelyn has found a "new" way to play and actually prefers it to pounding on the keys. She plays with her bum. She turns around on the bench and bounces up and down on the keys. It's a good thing we didn't get the Baby Grand I was wanting. I guess it's pretty kid tough.

Thanks Linds

My good friend Lindsay made this little dress for Katelyn when she was born and I just love it. It fits her so good and it's long enough which is amazing. Well, except when she runs away while lifting it over her head. I'm still not sure why girls do this, but she loves it too. Thanks again Lindsay. We miss you guys

Mini Cinderella

This is one of Kelsey's dress ups and Katelyn has inherited it. She just loves walking around with it and we're often not able to get the whole ensamble on her fast enough. As you can see all you really need is a crown!! It goes with everything.

Isn't she cute?
I'm cute and I know it!!
Look at me. And then off she runs to get the shoes!!

Our "little" tree

We have had our tree up since December 3rd (we have to wait that long because the tree lots usually don't have very many set up after Thanksgiving) and we are just loving the smell throughout the house. I can't even smell it anymore but people that come over say they can. With 27' ceilings, we've tried to get a small tree, but it just looks dwarfed in the room. As you can tell, the bottome is a little less decorated than the top and we're amazed it's still standing because it's a bit top heavy and very tipsy. After the first couple of days Katelyn has left it alone, but now it's the presents under the tree she is more concerned with. Over the years, it's kind of become a disney tree because for the past 3 years we have been to Disneyland over the Thanksgiving holiday (just before, rather) and so we have picked up a few each trip. But the girls love it and their favorite is the princess ornaments. I think I need to break down and just give them a little fake tree that they can decorate themselves, because the tree is one of my favorite parts about the whole season. I love seeing everyone else's tree and how they decorate it.

Bring on the lights

I just love our house at Christmas. We've had lights up since Thanksgiving weekend, but it just took us a little while to actually get pictures of it. We had to break it up in two weekends because it was just too much. First we did the roof (posted earlier in November) and then we did the rest the next Saturday. Here's our finished masterpiece. We even got our neighbor to put up her lights. A little help from Dave and she was all about it. Her icicles blink so it's not out, just flashing at the moment. And yes, we had to spread it out just like Halloween. We had to take a panoramic shot just to get it all in. Our house glows from the end of the street. But hey, we're in Vegas, you either go big or go home, right?!

Storytime with Kelsey

I went upstairs to check on the girls playing today and it was so cute to see her reading to her dogs. Alyson, do you recognize the white one? She named it "White Dog."

Pictures with Santa

I took the girls to the mall to get a picture with Santa and although I knew this is how it was going to go, I just about died laughing. It was instant screaming as soon as I placed her on his lap.

Exactly how much weight can a crib hold?

So the other morning I was doing the dishes before Katelyn woke up. Kelsey was upstairs playing in her room and evidently she heard Katelyn playing in her bed long before I did because when I heard them playing together, I just figured Kelsey was reading her stories like she does every morning before I get Katelyn out. It's kind of their little thing they do together and I love that they are both happy to see each other in the morning. However, on this particular day, it went a little different. Here's what I came up to.

So yes, while she was reading stories and playing with her, she was the crib with Katelyn. No wonder it was a half hour before I heard any cries or complaints and realized exactly how much time had really passed.

Now they both want out but can't get out so I figured I'd just leave them in there. Kelsey didn't figure out she was trapped until she was in and had no way out. We should have kept her in there as long as possible. Oh well. Hind sight is 20/20

Christmas Card photo shoot

While down in California for Thanksgiving I had Alyson (my brother's girlfriend) take some pictures of the girls for Christmas so I wouldn't have to have another photo shoot fiasco. And because this year I've decided that we wouldn't send out of family photo, it would just be of the girls because that's all people care about anyway. There were just way too many to decide between. I guess it's good for my kids to know the photographer, because we just get so many cute, candid photos, not just general poses that everyone does either. This was close to becoming a fiasco because I just don't think Katelyn can sit still long enough for anyone to take her picture. She never really walks, it's always a run, usually running away from you. But fortunately Dave was there and helped tackle her and put her back in place. Thanks Alyson, I love all the pictures and here's just a few of my favorites.

She just sat down this way, no posing necessary.
She loves twirling, and this dress didn't disappoint either.

Add a little snow and you've got yourself a picture perfect setting.

This horse has a little story behind it. Last year when we went to the studio for the whole family photos, Kelsey saw this rocking horse and let's just say that after she saw it, there were no other photos taken of her without being on it. So this year when we went back, she walked in and immediatly went looking for it. She didn't have to go looking very far and it was just as big a hit as last year.

I am torn between these 2. I just can't decide which one I like better. I do however know we're gonna be in trouble when it comes to the boys. So put in your input as well.

Katelyn is in mid scream here and it turned out to look like she's smiling. In reality she couldn't want anything more than to get out of her sister's grasp!! The necklace was nice added touch, Kels. She's all about the props!!

I think she has an angelic look to her, which doesn't show up very often. She's known in the ward and here as Our Little Ball of Fire.

I just love this smile

And a great one of all her teeth. Yep, only four for now.

She knows she's cute.

We pulled this stump away to try to get her to sit on the floor and she put it right back. No pictures without the stump.

For those of you wondering, here's Jesse and Alyson taken last year. I absolutely love this one of them. So cute guys.