This past week I was blessed with extra time with Ryan and extra family babysitters. You would think I would have been super productive. Nope. Pretty much didn't accomplish anything besides allowing my children to make memories with cousins. They played all day and night and I sat around a visited. It may take some getting used to being back on a normal routine, but it'll be nice too. I definitely like to mother in my own home.
December started out with a few Christmas activities.
My family likes to do our Papa family Christmas party early, so as to not conflict with church/work/ and in-law parties. Well, it ended up being the week after Thanksgiving. Pretty early, but it turned out to be a great kick-off to the season so that it actually felt like Christmas the whole month of December.
I was the sibling planner for this one - so we went with play-dough and shield making (for the future Nerf war), take-out, presents, and Minute to Win It games. The kids had a fabulous time with the nerf gun wars and just being with loving grandparents and cousins. They loved the new Nerf guns, pajamas and bag o goodies from Grandma and Grandpa Papa.
Annie don't shoot your eye out.
My brother and pops taking on the kids.
Kids, you better listen to your aunt Kathryn!
The grandkids minus the Walker family and baby Rockwell. We have also had 2 babies born into the family since this picture.
Tell us how you really feel Leta....
We also went to Zoo Lights - for FREE. Bonus of all my hours of stress and worry from doing I Heart Mesa (*obviously I wrote this when I still worked more faithfully on I Heart Mesa) pays off once a year as we get to go to Zoo Lights as part of Media night. They fed us (I could have sat there all night to eat pot-stickers) and then let us out to roam and take pictures. We also got to ride the polar ice slide and pet the stingrays for free. Pretty awesome night, and seeing as how I love things even more when they are free, it was doubly awesome.
Lucy and Elsa's Kindergarten Program: Of course we probably sat in the worst place to view them, but, they did awesome and it made me want to cry. I have kids in Kindergarten! I loved that they learned a lot of Christmas songs and it was fun to hear them singing all month long. Oh, I remember being that age and singing songs and being carefree.
Can you see the girls? Yea, neither could I.
Temple Lights: We actually made it out there this year.
Also in December we went to Downtown Mesa to view Lucy and Elsa's recycled wreaths. And the girls enjoyed playing with the Little People Nativity again and again. Great present mom.
My grandma Nichol's Christmas Party: Every year my grandma gathers her posterity for gift giving. Of course my grandma always spoils us which is her favorite thing in the world to do (I told her it is okay to spoil us because so far, none of us have turned out to be spoiled brats) and all the adults get one crisp Benjamin. The kiddos enjoyed a flashlight and an Andrew, which was the perfect gift for my girls. They LOVE flashlights and this year my older girls have come to appreciate the value of having some money that they have control over.
Just observe the following pictures of Elsa for proof of her excitement.
And Leta knows her favorite spot...on a grandma's lap. Okay, she likes her grandpas too.
The night was somber after getting news that my newest nephew has severe Hemophelia (his blood does not clot) and had bleeding on the brain, but it was a good night to be surrounded by loving family. Many there have been through much and I know little Spencer was born with an awesome support system.
Christmas Eve - which may very well be my favorite part of Christmas: A few years ago, Ryan and I had decided that we wanted to make sure that on Christmas Eve, we focus more on just our family. So we started our new family tradition - a 'fancy' Christmas Eve meal. That means, we let the girls help choose the menu, we try to set the table nicer (this year it only worked out to be some added candles), and we add sparkling cider. I'm sure in future years, it may get officially fancy, but for now, it's good enough.
Caroling on Christmas Eve:
Since learning some fun Christmas songs this year, Lucy and Elsa had been begging to go caroling. Thankfully Grandpa Melzer came to the rescue and offered to drive all the kiddos around in his new truck. (I must say that my favorite part of this experience may have been watching Ryan pick up his mom and put her on the tailgate of the truck.) All loaded up, with fun patchwork quilts from Grandpa Melzer, we were off. Literally. Grandpa doesn't do anything at a slow pace - caroling included. So, my mother-in-law Helen, sister-in-law Lilly and I clung to the back of the truck and did our best to keep the caroling going. We all agreed that next time we will have to bring a song book. Though we were pretty awesome at "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."
We were excited to have the Coleman cousins in town!
After caroling we came back to the Melzers for donuts and hot chocolate, we listened to Bill's Wally story, and the girls got to open a few presents. Grandma Melzer always says she is going to take it easy on the giving, but, that never pans out.
After Melzers we came home, opened up the matching footie pajamas, put out Fruit Roll-ups for Santa and carrots for the reindeer (we just didn't quite fit in baking time so Fruit Roll-ups is was), we read the Christmas story, and headed to bed. The older girls got so hot in their footie jams that they had to sleep with them unzipped.
Christmas Eve, Santa Came: Santa had some issues and realized that wrapping all the presents that night is a joke, especially if he and Mrs. Clause forget to buy more paper and tape. Whoops. Good thing our girls aren't going for fancy. They are just going for the presents.
Oh Christmas Eve I ended up staying up way too late finishing (and starting) the homemade presents. I made Lucy and Elsa skirts to wear to church since Christmas was on Sunday. I finished them at 3 in the morning. And I about peed my pants from laughing as "Rudolph" chewed up some of his carrots and spit them back out on the porch to leave as evidence that he was there.
Speaking of presents - My Christmas budget shrinks every year, and this year I just needed to get creative and go as cheap as possible. For the first time I tackled Black Friday starting at 10:00 Thanksgiving night (yea, they don't even wait till Friday now) and scored a good deal on bikes and a few other presents. It actually was a little fun and worth it because the stores had deals on a few things we had on our predetermined list and then I tried to avoid the regular stores for the rest of December. I also hit up garage sales, the dollar store, and thrift stores, did some home-made and made sure to scour my favorite thrift store: my parent's house. Anything I find there is free for the taking. We even got a game through a white elephant exchange at Ryan's work Christmas party and added that to the list of presents for the girls. In the end, I didn't spend very much but actually gave them their biggest Christmas ever. Next year I might have to do a present limit and not a budgeted limit. I like to keep how much they get on Christmas day a tad more simple. To me, Christmas is about the family time, not the gifts. (Especially since 5 months later I can tell that a few of their gifts don't even get played with. I should have saved them for birthday week).
Christmas Day was great. We opened gifts, played with gifts, ate German pancakes for breakfast and then went to church with the Melzers. For one day that next week all of Ryan's family was in town for the first time in about 6 years so we took advantage of the family time.
Leta and Annie's main presents were these pink baskets with wheels for them to sit in, pink purses and a magnadoodle. They love to nest.
Lucy and Elsa had fun wrapping up items from around our house to give me. Here I am opening one of my magazines. It's everything I always wanted. We also had them get presents for their sisters. It didn't pan out as thoughtful as I planned (it was a trip to the store that ended in a lot of whining and crying for things they personally wanted). Maybe they'll get better next year.
Lucy and Elsa' main gift was big bikes (their others made them look like little clowns in training). They wanted pink bikes with baskets. Luckily these were my Black Friday steal for $35 and I added a matching basket from the dollar store with ribbon I already had. They wasted no time filling them with their treasures.
You know how ladies take pictures of their outfits? Here is my Christmas outfit: Walmart sweater: $3. Thrifted skirt: $5. Thrifted sun stamped leather belt: $1 (wearing this belt makes me feel more snappy), thrift shoes: $5.
Leta and Annie's skirts were a gift from Grandma Melzer. We already had the rest of their outfits.
I made Lucy and Elsa's skirts from material I got from my parent's house and we had the rest of the outfit already. We gave them these pink purses and wallets for Christmas. I made them fake drivers licenses and added pictures. They loved them to pieces and took them everywhere for about a week and a half. Then Lucy decided she wanted to trade me her pink purse for my purse. And now she also wants a different wallet. That Lucy would be happy if I let her have a million purses and wallets, a different one for everyday.
Angela had us for our adult Melzer gift exchange. She gave the girls make-up. Yes, they are still in love with this gift. This is all 4 Melzer cousins who are 5.
The End...for now.
