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Christmas
12.24.09

December Traditions

December is full of so many fun activities. We’ve loved creating some of our own traditions as well as celebrating traditions that were part of my childhood.
Every December we enjoy the fun holiday art the kids bring home and every December we pull out our Advent calendar. My grandma made this calendar for me and my siblings when we were little and I love seeing my girls use it now. Each day they pull out a little nativity figurine to place on the tree (a wise man, soldier, sheep, etc.) and then baby Jesus and the star on Christmas Eve. They were so excited to finish the tree this morning!

This was my fourth year going up to Addison’s pre-school to help with Christmas cookies. It has become a fun little tradition for me regardless of which child is attending at the time.
One of my cute neighbors throws a neighborhood holiday party every December that we all really look forward to. We used to do a playgroup once a week but as the kids have gotten older it has been harder to get together and we miss it! It’s always so fun to catch up with friends while the kids do crafts and play.

This month was also full of lots of school parties and performances (above is Addison with her favorite teacher during her holiday performance) and LOTS of lights. We’ve enjoyed the lights in our own yard and driving around looking at other lights at night. We always take a trip to “Christmas Card Lane” – a neighborhood of houses that are decked in lights with Disney paintings and themes. The girls love getting out of their seat belts and standing in the car with windows down and the heat on full blast. They run back and forth from one window to another… “Add, look! It’s Ariel!” “Over here Ellie! It’s Peter Pan!” People are out walking the streets with hot chocolate and everyone is waving and yelling “Merry Christmas!” Such a fun holiday atmosphere and one of my favorite San Diego traditions. We also always make a trip to the temple to see the nativity and lights. The girls get to be in pajamas with hair not done – as was the tradition when I was a little girl. :)

Kenny and I have started a little date night tradition of going to the Poinsettia Bowl together every December if we’re still in town. We went last night and had a great time together. Utah was playing and won which made it even more fun. GO UTES!

This year we started a new tradition with “The Elf on the Shelf.” I’m sure most of you reading this have done it with your family or have heard of it, but for those who haven’t, it’s a little elf that comes to visit every December to watch the kiddos and make sure they are being nice and not naughty. Every morning he is sitting in a different spot to watch over things and the kids can’t touch him or his magic will disappear. Each night he heads back to the North Pole to report to Santa about what he has seen. My girls have LOVED this. They can’t wait to wake up and run downstairs to see where he is hiding. I have LOVED this because it has been a major help in the behavior department. All I have to mention is that “the elf is watching” and any fighting quickly ceases. Brilliant.
Our elf has been so sneaky! Here are some of the places he has been hiding this month…

If you have little ones at home this is such a fun tradition to start! This morning my girls woke up and ran downstairs. I called them to see what they were up to and Ellie yelled, “We found the elf! And we put the star on the tree! And there are presents under our Christmas tree! We’re having our own little party!” :) They are so giddy and excited.

We just made cookies and are anxiously awaiting this guy to visit! I don’t know how my girls will sleep tonight. I don’t know how I’ll sleep tonight. What’s better than being a 3 or 5 year old on Christmas Eve? Being a mom of a 3 and 5 year old on Christmas Eve.
Hope you all have a great Christmas and enjoy this special time with your family!
xoxo, Erin
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Christmas
12.22.09

Pretzel Hugs

Last year I found a version of this fun treat and I decided to make them look a little more “Chrissmassy” and to deliver them for friends and neighbors for Christmas.  They were such a hit that I made them again this year. They are seriously SO YUMMY and so easy to make. All you need is Pretzel Snaps, Hershey’s Hugs, and Holiday M&M’s.

It also helps if you have a couple of good “helpers” to unwrap the Hugs and place them on top of each Pretzel Snap.

After you place the Hugs on each pretzel you can count them all. Why? I don’t know. But Ellie seemed to think it was an important step.

Then place them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 7 minutes. Just watch for the Hugs to barely melt.

After you take them out of the oven promptly place two Holiday M&M’s on each Hug. Then put them in the fridge to cool. I like to leave them in the fridge overnight and then take them out the next morning and deliver them sometime later that day. Let them sit on the counter after the fridge for a bit so they are room temperature when you deliver them.
Olivia the pig loves Pretzel Hugs too.

Then wrap them up on cute plates or in cookie jars and deliver! And don’t forget to make a tray for your own family. They really are such a tasty treat. I should know.
I’ve eaten about a hundred of them in the last week.

Oh…one last thing –

Keep a close eye on your “helpers.”

**Update:  Here is a fun way to give your pretzel hugs as a gift!

xoxo, Erin
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Christmas
12.21.09

2009 Christmas card

I have so many pictures to post and catch up on but I spent the last hour making my to-do list for the next few days and now I’m burned out. So tonight I’d just like to wish everyone in blog land a
Very
Merry
Christmas!
xoxo, Erin
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Addison
12.19.09

Holiday Burnout

Anyone else feeling like this? Glad this fun but oh so crazy week is over!

xoxo, Erin
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Christmas
12.17.09

Christmas Decor

We are pretty happy around our house. The girls are counting the days until Santa comes and are having so much fun with all of the holiday festivities. Kenny is still flying high after seeing the Chargers play in Texas. Not only did the Chargers win and not only did he get to see the coolest stadium in the US, but he also got to sit in the owners box during the game and meet Jerry Jones (the owner of the Dallas Cowboys) because one of the guys he was with is related to him. Yes, Christmas came early for my husband. He should be on a high until at least February. As for me, I’m happiest when I’m home. Listening to Christmas music surrounded by my decorations and lights puts me in the best mood.

A week or so ago Ellie yelled from the family room “mom! there’s a sock for the baby!” I had taken the Charger sock down that she put up (I know, I said I was mellowing, but apparently not…it was bugging me so bad!) I went in the living room thinking she had put the Charger sock back up and saw a matching sock with “Kole” on it. So far Kole is the ONLY name Kenny and I have agreed on for our little guy. We don’t know if we’re using it or not, but Kenny ordered a matching sock with the name on it to make me and Ellie happy. He set it up and waited to see how long until one of us noticed. Didn’t take Ellie long. :) I said to Kenny “but what if we don’t use that name?” and he smiled and said “then we’ll order another sock next year.” I was already feeling emotional because it was such a sweet thing for Kenny to do and then I looked up and saw all five socks hanging there. Before I knew it I had tears running down my cheeks. It just hit me. There was my family. All five of us. I always knew there would be five. It felt so right and so…complete. Kenny didn’t even tease me for crying like he usually does. I think he liked the look of five socks too. (that or he’s finally learned not to mess with me when I’m crying during a pregnancy)


I’m especially loving all of the lights at night. You can’t beat dimming the lights and turning on the fireplace and tree and just feeling the coziness it all brings. Of course our fireplace is completely for ambiance. It doesn’t give off much heat and it’s a good thing since its been sunny and in the high 60’s all week. I love that here in San Diego we’re all running around in UGGS listening to music about how “the weather outside is frightful” when it might as well be June. :)

Hope you’re enjoying the coziness of your home this holiday season!

xoxo, Erin
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Christmas
12.15.09

A family favorite

In honor of my sister’s birthday today (happy birthday Car!) I thought I’d post our family’s favorite Christmas photo.

Guess we weren’t too excited about meeting Santa!
(Carly is on his right knee and I’m on his left)

Hope you have a great birthday today Car! Love you.

(for more old pics of me and Car you can head to her b-day post from last year)
xoxo, Erin
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Christmas
12.14.09

Girls Only Weekend

The girls and I had plans for this weekend. BIG plans. Since Kenny was going to be gone all weekend (headed with friends to Texas to see the Chargers play the Cowboys) the girls and I started scheming weeks ago about what our weekend would include. This is what we came up with:

-lots of time in our p.j’s (only leaving the house when absolutely necessary….like to get pizza for dinner) It rained most of the weekend which made this idea absolutely ideal.
-watch Mary Poppins (girls first time – my idea) They loved it! And I love that they’re getting old enough to enjoy great movies.
-make snowflakes (Ellie’s idea)
-have a fashion show (Addie’s idea)
-work on a special Christmas gift for daddy
-lots of Christmas music and movies

We started calling our weekend the “Girls Only Snowflake Mary Poppins Fashion Show Christmas weekend with no boys allowed”

I also ended up doing a lot of organizing when the girls were in bed. I don’t know why it is, but I always get crazy about organizing when I’m feeling overwhelmed or stressed. It’s like I have so much other stuff I should be doing that I don’t know where to start. Instead I just clean out a drawer.

Then I feel better and can move on and deal with life. I also spent lots of time WRAPPING and accessing where I am on Christmas gifts this year. Not far enough and the girls only have school one more week! I’m running very short on shopping time and next weeks schedule is already so busy. Just looking at my to-do list makes me want to clean out the fridge.
I know.
It’s a problem.
On to the fashion show! First item of business was to assemble the audience.

And here come my little divas…modeling the latest in Christmas attire. Minnie mouse nightgowns are hot! You really shouldn’t be seen without them this holiday season.

Strike a pose. OR: Stop. Hammer time.

Yes, even the bunnies came downstairs modeling different attire.
And that’s a wrap! Love my munchkins. Overall it was a good weekend. I had lots of fun with my girls, caught up on some housework, and didn’t put on one stitch of make-up. I think I’m ready to face next week!
p.s. Kenny – as fun as our “Girls Only Snowflake Mary Poppins Fashion Show Christmas weekend with no boys allowed” was, we really did miss you. Ellie carried around your pillow half the time because it “smells like daddy” and in the evening when I was watching It’s A Wonderful Life and started crying…again… I could hear you teasing me, singing A Whole New World (your favorite thing to do when you think I’m being overly sentimental or cheesy) and without your sarcasm, the movie and the weekend just wasn’t the same.
xoxo, Erin
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Ellie and Addison
12.09.09

Our Tether Ball Rules

(pics from our Thanksgiving in Utah)
RULE #1: Everything is acceptable. Ignore all regular Tether Ball Rules.

RULE #2: It’s perfectly acceptable and even encouraged to take a break from the game altogether and play chase with the ball.

RULE #3: If scared of the ball, or anything else for that matter, you are allowed to take refuge in-between daddy’s legs.

RULE #4: You are especially encouraged to play Tether Ball when you have a ball in your hand and one in your belly.

RULE #5: Try not to get carried away and hit your three year old sister in the head. If you are the three year old who is continually getting hit in the head, make sure that grandpa isn’t far. It’s well known that grandpas give the best hugs.

RULE #6: Stop every now and again and smile for a picture. It makes mom happy and if mom’s happy you can play more Tether Ball.

xoxo, Erin
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Christmas
12.08.09

Recovering

Well! December is certainly proving to be as busy as usual. I still feel like I’m recovering from last weekend. We woke up early Saturday and after breakfast started with the tree. I didn’t get too far before my cereal had worn off and I was dying of starvation.

so Kenny made me and the baby waffles. This little guy loves waffles. And strawberries. With LOTS of syrup. Then I was ready to go again…until an hour later…when the waffles had worn off and I was famished. This whole eating thing, fun as it is, is really starting to get in the way of my productivity.

When the tree was all up and decorated Ellie said, “Oh Add, our tree is so beautiful! We just have to get our cameras and take a picture!” And that’s just what they did. :)

After the tree was trimmed we hung all the outside lights and they look amazing! I’m also happy to add that this is the first year Kenny and I managed to get through it without one fight. It’s usually not a happy time since hanging lights is one of Kenny’s least favorite things to do and my light motto is more more more! If three candy canes look good than twelve is better! Why only put up one reindeer when you can have the whole fleet and sleigh! How silly to cover only one bush and tree in lights when you can cover them all! Yes, the house is looking a little Griswaldish, but I love it. And Kenny loves that it’s done for one more year. See – it’s a win win.

Inside of house was finished up, errands were run, dentists appointments went smoothly, 200 homemade Christmas cards were finished and stamped and mailed, church was attended (aside from the half hour in-between meetings that I had to run home and eat a peanut butter sandwich), Christmas village was assembled, kids were bathed, fed, entertained, and house was cleaned. Now if we could have just had a weekend to recover from our weekend, it would have been perfect!
xoxo, Erin
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organization2
12.03.09

It’s that time again…

Lately I’ve been feeling like the girls’ toys are taking over our house! Toys seem to be EVERYWHERE and it has been driving me crazy. So with Christmas coming up and new toys awaiting a happy home I decided it was time to do a little simplifying.

First I rounded up all of the stuffed animals. Have a FREAKIN‘ stuffed animal! WAY too many. Two things we have plenty of: stuffed animals and barbies. The two things the girls want Santa to bring them: stuffed animals and barbies.

So I started bagging and organizing. Two rules I always follow when I get rid of toys. First of all this must happen when the girls aren’t around (obviously) and secondly, I bag toys and don’t head to Goodwill immediately. I hide the bags and wait awhile. I wait to hear “where is my this or where is that?” Anything they miss I get back out, but what I usually find is that aside from one or two things, they don’t miss much. After about a month I head to Goodwill with the toys (or take them to grandma’s house if they’re toys that don’t get played with here, but I’m not ready to part with myself). :)

Cleaning out the toys made me feel so good that I moved on to drawers and closets. Here in San Diego we’ve finally dropped our 5-10 degrees in temperature which signals winter so I folded up all of the summer p.j’s…

to make room for the winter ones. I still have a couple of Christmas p.j. sets stashed away somewhere… I went a little nuts this year.

How long do you think the drawers will stay like this? At least the top two will stay clean for awhile since the girls can’t reach them yet. :)

Since I was on a roll I decided to finally do something about the ever growing amount of art/drawing supplies that seem to find their way into every spare drawer or cupboard we have.

I gathered everything up in a big messy pile and dove in. BIG trash sack for this project.

Now you can find coloring books and stencils in one drawer…

and all types of paper in another. And another drawer (not shown) full of all of their art supplies.

Now the girls can play, get dressed, and create in a clean, organized fashion. As for me, I just FEEL better.

xoxo, Erin
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Christmas
12.01.09

December is here!

Is everyone else as excited as I am that December is finally here!!? Today I was SUPPOSED to unpack from our Thanksgiving travels, do laundry, catch up on housework, and work on my Christmas cards (that were supposed to be done a week ago). Ellie had other plans for me. When I picked her up from Kindergarten at noon she BEGGED me to start getting out the Christmas decorations. I really didn’t want to yet because I like to have my house in order before I begin that process, but I had to admit, it sounded a lot more fun than housework. So…we turned on our favorite Alvin and the Chipmunk Christmas CD and went to work!
The second we get out the holiday decor Ellie finds her “baby’s first Christmas” hat and puts it on. Whenever we’re home in the month of December, she’s wearing it. She was so beyond excited to decorate. This girl reminds me more of myself everyday.

(Baby Ellie in her hat – Christmas 2004)

Next, Ellie insisted on hanging up Kenny’s hideous Charger sock so the baby could have one too. This really throws off the look I’m going for here. I figure my options are: to leave the sock up and make her happy OR to order the baby a matching sock with Aladdin on it (since we still have no name for the little one and that is what the girls are calling him). Guess I’m leaving the Charger sock up. This third kid thing is already mellowing me out.

I can’t wait to spend the rest of the week decking the halls! If only I could ignore all of my regular obligations… Happy December everyone!

p.s. If you’re interested in dates and times of all of the fun Holiday shows on this month you can find them here.
xoxo, Erin
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