The month of December came and went so fast that I haven’t had time to update everyone on all the fun we had over the holidays. It was Ellie’s first Christmas and with Mason going on 3 now, he was SUPER excited about everything that had to do with Christmas–especially Santa and his reindeer! We started the Christmas season with a trip to the PAC (Alaska Performing Arts Center) on November 28, with Logan’s parents, Pam and Chris and sister, Tali, to watch the Nutcracker, something Mason had been anticipating for almost a month. We had downloaded the Nutcracker songs and Mason, Ellie and I spent countless hours re-inacting the sword-fighting scene with the Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Mason was the Mouse King, I was the Nutcracker Prince and Ellie played Clara of course:) Mason LOVED the performance but fell asleep in Act 2, not surprising given that it was quiet, dark and naptime! Afterwards we had dinner with Tali and Carter at their place downtown, then headed back to Town Square where we got to pet Santa’s reindeer. It was a pretty magical day.
Then on Dec. 6th we went to Bells to pick out our Christmas tree and take photos with the big man in red himself. Mason was all smiles on his lap and wasn’t afraid in the least to get right up on Santa’s knee and ask for what every 2 year old asks for…..the “Kung Fu Panda” movie. We have no idea how he became so infatuated with it but that’s all he’d been able to talk about in the months leading up to Christmas! Ellie wasn’t so sure about Santa but we managed to get one shot before she burst into tears:) Once home, we got busy decorating and spent the first few weeks in December baking, watching Christmas movies and even making a few holiday crafts–some paper ornaments for the tree.
Logan’s birthday was on Dec. 14 so we had a little party at our place on the 12th, after shipping the kids off to overnight at Grandma and Grandpa’s. It was a fun evening and Logan proved he can still party with the best of them at 29!
Santa made an unexpected visit one evening but he was riding on a firetruck instead of a sleigh. Hard to imagine what could be more exciting for an almost 3 year old than Santa on a firetruck! Plus there were candycanes and a slide off the truck…too cool! Mason was in heaven:)
Then on the 19th, because we were leaving the next morning to head to Washington, we had a Christmas gift exchange with Logan’s family, and gave the kids our gifts–mostly clothes for Ellie but also a dolly with a stroller/carseat/crib/diaper bag set. Mason’s main gift from us was an art easel and art supplies which he’s been having fun with!
On Dec. 20th we left for an 8 day trip down to Washington to spend Christmas with my family. We arrived mid-day on a Saturday, just a few hours before the “huge” winter storm hit the Pacific NW. We lucked out actually because most flights were cancelled in and out of Sea-Tac Saturday evening through Sunday or Monday. The island got a ton of snow and fortunately we didn’t have to go anywhere so we stayed put at my mom and Jack’s house in Langley Sunday until Wednesday (Christmas Eve). We built two snowmen, had a few good snowball fights, walked to Langley, visited with my dad, and enjoyed lots of Christmas cookies. I also enjoyed running on the treadmill and we played around at the middle school gym one afternoon. My stepdad, Jack, is the Assistant Principal / Athletic Director and has keys to all the PE equipment so the kids had a ball with that!
On Christmas Eve, we visited my friend, Jeunai, who had recently had a baby girl, then headed to Bellevue to Jack’s sister, Marie’s house. Santa (aka Grandpa Jack) made an appearance and Mason was so excited. He also had fun playing with all of his little cousins–there are a couple of 4 year old boys he’s buddies with. Ellie was so cute in her red Christmas dress and both kids hung in there like champs even though it was kind of a late night. They both fell asleep in the car on the way home but woke up to put out cookies and milk for Santa.
Christmas Day we stayed at my mom’s all day and had a wonderful breakfast and dinner. My Gram, Dad and Sandra, and brother Jon and his girlfriend Jaimee and her daughter, Makayla, were there and it was nice having everyone together in one place–it made for a much more relaxing day! Also, my brother announced that he and Jaimee are engaged, so that was exciting.
The day after Christmas, Logan’s cousins, Russ and Katie, and my friend, Karen, came over for dinner and we all had fun visiting and playing with the kids.
Then that Saturday, the 27th we headed into Seattle for a Christmas party with my dad’s side of the family at my Grandma and Grandpa Crutchfield’s house. It was fun seeing all my aunts, uncles and cousins and many of my cousins have had kids now so it’s a BIG group!
Following the party, we checked into a hotel downtown Seattle. We had a room with the kids and my mom and Jack were right next door. We went out to dinner at the Taphouse Grill with friends, Katherine, Jon, Jeremy and Sheri and it was really fun catching up and enjoying our last night in Washington downtown. Plus it made it so much nicer the next morning to sleep in, enjoy a great breakfast buffet at the hotel, shop and walk around downtown Seattle a bit before heading to the airport around 12 pm. It was the perfect trip–busy but not too busy to make it enjoyable!
We’ve been back in AK now since the 28th and are finally unpacked and settled back into a regular routine after all the Christmas craziness. We’ve had sub-zero highs most days since our return so we’ve been pretty much staying indoors but that’s okay because we’re leaving for HAWAII on Saturday. A-L_O_H_A! We’ll be there with Logan’s parents and the kids on the island of Kauai–Poipu Beach. I can’t wait!
Now about that title….”All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.” Well, it just so happens that Ellie’s two front teeth (top) peeked through just before Christmas so now she’s got 4! She’s a little firecracker and getting more fun by the day. She took her first real steps on Dec. 27th at Great Grandma and Grandpa Crutchfield’s house and while she’s not walking unassisted yet, she’s ALMOST THERE! Hard to believe our baby is already 11 months old. I’m also working on weaning her, slowly. First step was to cut out all night feedings. It had been getting BAD and she was waking up 3-4 times every night to nurse. It only took one night of ignoring her cries for 45 minutes or so and since then she’s been sleeping all night. Who knew it could be that easy? I don’t know why I hadn’t figured it out earlier! Oh well. I’m a much happier and better-rested mommy, that’s all that matters.
That’s all for now, I’ll try to be better about sending shorter, more frequent updates in the new year. Happy 2009! Read More…
