Christmas Morning!

I don't know who is more excited on Christmas morning-us or the kids. Dave and I cannot sleep and are always the ones to go and wake up the kids. Chad has been dying to get Thomas and the waterfall from Santa. First thing Christmas morning, we heard the sound of chugging. We woke Chad up and he rushed down stairs to see what it might be. Since he has been checking each day for weeks, the reality if it must have been too much. He stood speachless for several minutes and then sat down on the stairs. It wasn't until Dave called him over that he went to see Thomas up close.



Chad literally spent the entire morning playing with his new train set.

Tyler also had a good Christmas-his 1st. Santa brought him a little ball popper set. Santa actually called us at 11:30 on Christmas eve to let us know that he forgot to check what batteries this toy might need and could we run to Walgreens to get some. So . . . off Dave went for batteries at 11:30. Aparently he was not the only one to get a call from Santa, as Walgreens was packed with last minute shoppers. :)

Each Christmas Eve, I make everyone a set of matching pj pants. This year I veered off of the matching part, but here are the boys in their new jammies.

Tyler even opened his own presents, with occasional help from Chad. We all had a wonderful time and just enjoyed being together. Mostly, we feel very blessed. Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Sleigh Ride

This past week, Pocatello got a dumping of snow. Since I have been a little less busy, we found a fun way to fill some time. Our home is in a wonderful spot, just 10 houses from our local library. I thought it might be fun to visit the library on our sled. Chad helped me get all of our books and we packed them in a bag. Then, he and Tyler loaded up for the walk. Tyler kept his eyes closed most of the time to keep the snowflakes out, but all in all we had a blast. I figure, God sends the snow. Might as well get out and enjoy it!

Christmas Vacation

This weekend, we took a much needed family vacation together. With Dave's schooling and all of the craziness of the season, we needed a get away. Our vacation took us to Salt Lake City. Growing up, my family went to see the lights on Temple Square every year. Dave and I have not been back since our first Christmas together. When we first arrived, Chad nearly wore out the carpet in our hotel room looking out the window at the trains going by. Needless to say, we also had to ride the trains several times.

We had a great time. The night we visited Temple Square, it was snowing a lot! There were not many people there, but it was beautiful. Tyler was very bundled and cozy in his stroller.

Chad really loved eating the snowflakes. I had forgotten how beautiful and peaceful it is there.

On Saturday, we spent some time at the Discovery Center. I had never been there. In Pocatello, we don't have cool places like that. Chad had the time of his life. He loved every minute. We were so excited for him to see everything that we were running him from one thing to the next. His favorite was the "Kid's Eye View." This is where everything is in minature. Chad got to build the city with cranes and blocks. There was a kid sized house and a kid sized grocery store.

Chad especially loved shopping for food at the store. Then he would take his basket of food to the house and put it all away in the fridge there. I could just see the gears turning in his mind as he played "grown up."

This was the kid sized car. You could fill the tires with air, put gas in it and then sit in it and drive. Tyler even got in on this one.

Tonight as we drove back home, I asked Chad what he liked most about our trip. His answer . . . "All v' it!"

Chad's 1st Christmas Program

Chad has been enrolled in a little pre-school this year. He absolutly loves it!!! On Thursday, he got to do his first school program. It took him most of the program to warm up enough to actually sing and I did have to sit with him the entire time, but it was cute. All leading up to the program, he would sing me his program songs. He was so excited. Then, again, when the program had ended, he sang me all of his songs (the same ones that he refused to sing during the actual program). This picture depicts "Rudolph". And sorry for all the blurry pictures-I need a new setting on my camera but I never think to find one until I am ready to take the picture.

Is Santa Here?

This morning, Chad woke up to a fresh blanket of snow. He was so excited. The first thing he did was tell dad that he needed to check downstairs where our tree is. When he got to the tree, he simply said, "Nope!" Dave asked what he had expected to find and he cooly replied, "I thought Santa might have come." We decided that today was as good a day as any to begin an advent calander. 13 days to go!!!

Homespun Christmas

Christmas is my favorite time of the year! I love the feeling in the air and the way people act and treat each other. Chad decided to get in on the fun this year by making his own gifts to give. Together, we made some Christmas ornaments. He did all the work and he even chose who he would give them to and wrapped them. I think he is really beginning to understand how Christmas works and looking forward to Christmas morning.

Chad was just so proud of his gifts.