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!