Christmas Day

So this is Christmas morning...despite all of Cubby and my best efforts, it was still utter and complete chaos. We recorded quite a bit, but didn't get too many still shots at our house. Still, you get the picture. Santa brought Kari a new little kitchen set, Christian a race track, and Emily the veteranarian's kit that she'd written him about :-). Mommy and Daddy also came through with some fun gifts; Mommy got a Kindle and Daddy even ended up with a new waffle maker (and we have waffles about once a week!). Kari was a funny girl Christmas morning. She took her sweet time making her way through all of her gifts. In fact, I think between her kitchen set, new baby doll, and the pistacios she got in her stocking, she was set.

Kari vs. the pistacio.

She wins! After church (which was at 11:00 and only 1 hr....best church day EVERRRR!!) we took naps (well, Cubby, Kari and I did). Then, we made our way over to Mom's for some more presents and a yummy pizza dinner--ever had Whole Foods' pizza? It's good. Emily was excited to receive a Vet's coat (complete w/Dr. Emily tag) to go with her vet kit.

Kari was very excited to get a darling baby pram and new baby doll. (Here she is, with her new hat that she loves, waving to the baby.)And Christian could hardly contain his excitement when he opened the kids' gift from Gpa Harvey--a Wii! He has been playing at friends' houses and really liked it. So, when Harvey asked about getting the kids one, we agreed that it would be a fun family thing to have--and, as long as we monitor Christian's time on it :-), it has been great!The kids also received the "Angry Birds" board game from Auntie Erin and they've been playing it quite a bit too. Good times. Finally, after a long and very good day, it was time for some stories before bedtime. To quote Christian (who shouted this at least a dozen times throughout the day), it was the "Best Christmas EVERRRR!!"

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve started out lovely--Emily and Kari had a chocolate milk tea party with their dolls. (Christian declined their invitation.) I made up the most delicious dinner rolls EVER (recipe will follow at some point). Cubby went up to the church and got to play a little basketball! After naps, we went out to my Grandma's home for dinner--swedish meatballs, ham, rice pudding, cheesy potatoes, brocolli, (my rolls), and a raspberry jell-o-type salad. All was sooo good. I got smart this year and brought a couple of movies for the kiddos to choose from for after they were done (so the adults could chat and eat a bit more slowly!) They were so quiet and mesmerized--it was great.

It was then time for some presents! Traditionally, the kids get p.js and get to open one or two other gifts too. Let the excitement commence!

Christian was happy with his new "Lego Hero Factory" toy that he got. Kari determined a present's worth by how much she liked the wrapping it came in.

Here are my three Scandinavian sweethearts!

Emily with her new p.js--they came with a matching set for her doll. (I like the exchange I captured between my mom and grandma :-).)

Kari's Christmas Buddy: Uncle Kyle. She suddenly warmed up to him and was all about opening gifts on Kyle's lap!

Kari was also not too keen on the delicious dinner and chose, instead, to dine on bread and rice crispies (no milk). She is still a ridiculously picky eater and never ceases to amaze me with what she will (or rather will not) eat on any given day.

Merry Christmas, from our family to yours!

More of the Christmas Chaos to come!

Emily's School Christmas Party

Last week I was able to go up to Emily's school and help out with her class's Christmas party. It was really great and she had a lot of fun!

Earlier in the month, the kids had all written letters to Santa, and, during the party, the replies came in the mail! (And they were cold! Direct from the North Pole, apparently!) Emily was so excited to hear that Rudolph was real and that Santa would be doing his best to bring her the veterinarian's kit that she wanted.

After some tasty treats, it was time for a little karaoke! We parents thought the kids might be a bit shy about singing in front of everyone, but we were wrong! Everyone wanted a turn and then they all ended up singing "Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer" together. Soooo funny!
And here is Miss Em with her teacher, Mrs. Norblade. Emily has really enjoyed having her as a teacher. She is so incredibly patient with the children and is very into reading--a big plus for Emily since she loves to read!

It was so wonderful to be able to spend some time with Emily and her class! First graders sure are a fun little bunch!

Daddy-Daughter Date

This is the face of a very happy big girl! She got to go out with her daddy on a super-fun ice skating date! They ventured out into the cold night to the outside ice rink at the Conagra Foods Plaza. Emily said it was a lot of fun, but the ice was very slippery so she had to hold on to Daddy the whole time!

The two skated around and then got some "very" hot chocolate. They then walked around a bit downtown and saw all of the lights displays that are up down there. Very beautiful!

After that, Cubby took Emily to Village Inn where she tried (and loved) mozzarella sticks, with more hot cocoa (but this time is wasn't too hot, Emily said).

I loved that they got to go out and spend a little one-on-one time together. It has strengthened their relationship and I know both are planning a bike-riding night (indoors) for next time!

The Crutnacker

Last weekend, I got to go see "The Nutcracker" Ballet! (My Dad used to like to mix up letters in words and "nutcracker" became "crutnacker;" "Sugar Plum Fairy" became "Pluger Shum Terry." Yeah, you get the gist.)

In any case, the ballet was just beautiful--everything from the costumes to the sets to the dancing itself. It really it the ballet to see at Christmastime. Loved it. Next year Emily wants to try out to be one of the little dancers--either that or we'll just take her along! Such a beautiful night! We love the "Crutnacker!"

His Feeding Trough

Chocolate Muffin Mix...Yummm.......

Friend Birthday Party

Em's birthday party day started out with a bang--or maybe just our first real snowfall! The kids and Cubby got all bundled up and ventured outside. Kari was only out there for maybe two minutes. The falling snow was not her favorite. Emily came in about 5 mins later. Christian and Cubby, though, stayed out for quite a while! They had so much fun and even shoveled the driveway together. Snow and cold do not phase boys. Later that afternoon was her par-tae! We had it at the Kids Body Shop and invited lots of her little friends from school and a few neighbors too. A good time was had by all!

The foam pit was an especially popular place--even for Uncle Kyle and his friend, Kat (bottom left portion of said pit).

After gym-time, went into the party room for some super-yummy Eileen's sugar cookies, juice and, of course, Emily's favorite, Pringles! Kari even liked all of these treats and after all that playing, the sugar did her some good! It was a great afternoon for some playtime inside a gym! A great way to burn off some energy and to celebrate Emily turning SEVEN!

Emily's Birthday--Favorite Reactions!

Emily's birthday was back a couple of weeks ago, but I'm just now getting around to blogging about it. (It's the holidays, to say it's been crazy would be an understatement.)

Back that week I had come down with an icky cold and so my mom sweetly offered to not only make Em's cake, but to have us all over to her house so that my house could remain a wreck and I wouldn't have to worry about everyone seeing it that way!

It worked out perfectly--here are some of my favorite reactions from Em's gifts. The first was from Grandma and Harvey and is her American Girl doll, Molly's, best friend, Emily! Now Emily has the two dolls play together, like the best friends they are. It's very cute. Kari also likes to get in on the action and I love watching the girls play together!

The next big surprise was from Mommy and Daddy and was a new bike! We're very excited to get Emily onto just two wheels and she even wants Daddy to take her up to the church this weekend for their date to teach her how to ride in the gym. Go Emily!

Here is the cake my mom made--isn't it pretty? Emily really likes the Littlest Pet Shop and so we put a couple of her favorites onto her cake.

The picture below is funny because it captures Emily yelling at Christian for blowing out her candles. It also captures Christian giggling hysterically over teasing his sister. Even on her birthday, she doesn't get a break. He was extra tired that evening and was a HANDFULL.

Here is a cute picture of Daddy and Kari and, below, the ONLY time in the evening that Christian was still and quiet. "The Santa Clause" was on TV and both he and Kari would sit so nicely and zone out while it was on. Priceless.

More to come on Emily's party! It was a fun evening--so grateful to get to celebrate Em's birthday with family!

ABCs and 123s

It's been a big week for us, especially Christian! First off, last Sunday, he was making a picture for his teacher (a watch) and I'd helped him write his teacher's name and then his name. I went to go change Kari's diaper and when I came back, he'd written his own name, all by himself, for the first time! Now, I know all children grow and develop at different times, but for Christian, this was a major milestone! I am almost sure that his speech delays are linked to his writing abilities. Now that his speech is coming along so well, his writing is too! It has been so exciting because I know how hard he works at it. With this new found skill, comes more confidence and he's been wanting to write everyone's names and even some phrases. It makes a mother's heart so happy! The next part of Christian's big week was his Christmas concert. The kids had been practicing for weeks and to get infront of a packed house (and it was PACKED), takes a lot of guts for these little preschoolers! It was very cute.

And here are a couple of his "fans" that came out for the show! (Emily had been sick that day so Auntie Erin came over and kept her company.) It was also Harvey's birthday that day and he was kind enough to share the spotlight with this crazy kiddo!Here is my handsome boy and me!

Finally, Christian felt another surge of pride as he built his own fort, complete with "radar detector" to keep any intruders out. (See the little black speck on the cushion in the front--yup, that's it!) Christian was the one who told me, "Take out the camera, Mommy!"It's been so exciting to watch Christian achieve so many milestones this past year. I'm so proud of him and all of his hard work! Love you, buddy!

Sweet Lil' Puddin' Face

For a couple of weeks now, Kari has been eyeing the pudding that Christian has been eating every once and a while after lunch. I'd offer her a taste, but she'd shake her head and that would be that. Last week, however, she had a change of heart and these pictures are the result. Hi-larious!

(And, of course, big brother didn't want to pass up a photo opp!)