Happy Holidays! This is our Christmas card this year, and most of you should have or be receiving this shortly. I was hoping to make my own Christmas cards digitally this year, but the closest I came was a digital template at a scrapbooking site, so they aren't totally generic. We never got our family photo taken. This one was taken at the reindeer ranch the day we went to visit Santa. Speaking of which, in the event you did not see it, Morgan ended up in the Bulletin after that visit. You can get a peek at the photo here:
Morgan with Santa
Very cool! We were just in the right place at the right time, the girls were wearing their Christmas dresses, and Morgan was content to sit with Santa all day... hee hee. PJ had zero interest, until she was given a candy cane, and talk turned to the reindeer.
Speaking of Santa, this year is SO exciting. Morgan finally gets it and can't wait for the big day, although she wants to give Santa a hug when he gets to our house... I had to tell her that Santa won't come unless we are asleep, and we are going to leave a door unlocked so that he can get in. So cute. And I rented
Prancer to help get some Christmas spirit and Morgan has already watched it several times. It's actually a very cute movie. I don't know that I've ever seen it before, but just now I saw that there's a sequel so we might have to check it out!
A month ago I bought the
Grinch because it's a childhood classic, although I have always found it quite creepy. I can't believe it's only 1/2 hour long! It seemed like a full length feature when I was young... interesting.
So despite the weather, we are trying to get the Christmas spirit. But that's been tough now that we are a day and a half away because Steve had his regular shift Thursday, took an overtime shift for Friday, had Saturday off, had his regular shift on Sunday, and because a chief is on vacation and he is low man on the captain pole, he had a MANDATORY overtime shift for Monday. Yes. That' Christmas Eve. And that totally stinks! At least the overtime is split between two paychecks. Gotta find that silver lining. This means that I've had to do all the last minute things by myself, like the stockings and the shopping and the food preparation, etc., etc. Such a bummer. But I decided not to get worked up about it because there WILL be years where he is actually on shift Christmas DAY so we might as well get used to celebrating the holiday a little differently from everyone else. I'm just not sure how that will work during the "I believe in Santa" years but we'll figure it out.
Because Saturday Steve was home, we did some running around. Specifically, we ran to RV dealerships. Yep. In 2008 it can almost be guaranteed that we are getting a camp trailer. Camping in the summertime is something we as a family love to do, and because it's an opportunity for us to recreate together, we might as well do it more comfortably. We love our dear $1000 camper, but it's time to stretch our arms a little bit. Last summer we had to make the choice of taking Payton or Cooper, because there wasn't room for both because Morgan needed to sleep on the floor. If we get a trailer, there will be room for everyone and our dirty laundry. So on Saturday we did a little shopping. We know what floorplan we like, but we know nothing about brands and I know nothing about construction, so we don't know WHICH brand to go with. But we're looking.
After going to lunch at Mazatlan, my fave, and then shopping, we came home to recoup, and then headed out to
Star Fest at Eagle Crest. You just drive your car through this long set up of different light displays. We've been going for a few years now and it's always a fun part of our holiday celebration. This year was no exception! We put the girls in their jammies, grabbed their blankies and even the dog, and trekked down the road. We even managed to get a couple of photos to give you an idea about some of the displays at the end of the road.
It's an annual tradition!
Look what I woke up to this morning! I had to take a photo of it because the skies are already parting so there is a chance it will burn off, but it sure brought on the Christmas spirit to wake up to the fluffy white stuff. I'll have to toss the kids outside to play in it!
I have a lot on my Christmas docket today... I am Santa, Mrs Claus, the housekeeper, present wrapper and display organizer and laborer, I have Christmas treats to make, Christmas Day food to pre-prepare, do laundry, clean up the house, encourage Christmas spirit for the kiddos, and still find time to shower, deliver some presents, and visit daddy at the firestation. Let's not forget I'm also the mama so have to allay all fears and separate all fights and console all heartache and read books and nurture learning and all that stuff too.
The good thing is that Steve and I did some pre-work on Saturday night. At the last minute we thought we should get out the kitchen we got the girls for Christmas and put it together. Well gal dang there's a reason why it was such a good deal. It was about a zillion little plastic pieces that you had to break apart. Wow. But after almost 2 hours it was finally together and we got to bed about midnight. Good thing he was here and I didn't have to figure that one out by myself!
Morgan is very easy this year and as I may have mentioned before, has consistently asked for two things from Santa. The Piranha Panic game, and a shiny rock. Piranha Panic was luckily in stock at the Walmart Supercenter, so that was good. We had a dilemma about what to do about the shiny rock. Steve suggested some cool rocks he found at elk camp. I wasn't sure about that. Morgan is obsessed with jewelry, so I wasn't sure if she meant a jewel, or if she meant a rock with some sparkle. I then thought to buy an agate from this house on the highway that advertises agates... but our dilemma was solved at Morgan's school Christmas party. One of the moms mentioned that while at Pier 1 she saw this great big gem that comes in a satin-lined box and was totally baffled what it was for. I immediately got all flushed. That gem is for my girl, that's what it's for! Turns out it's a paperweight. We asked Jon and Kathy to pick up one for us because I didn't have an opportunity to shop by myself before Christmas, so on Christmas morning, Morgan is going to wake up to a palm sized, RED gem in a red satin-lined box. She's going to flip. Seriously. And I don't worry about it becoming a weapon because I don't see it leaving her little hands. So we are excited about that reveal. You can see a picture of it here. It's right in the middle of the page.
I'll try and post some photos tonight before bed, but if I don't have time, I'll do it tomorrow.
Merry Christmas!
