Happy Holidays

Well the holiday season sure has gotten much more fun with Kadee Lynn actually understanding everything this year.  The Elf-on-the-shelf visited us for the first time this year.  Kadee Lynn loved looking for him each morning and telling him every night to tell Santa she was a good girl (although she normally isn't very good at night).  She also loved the advent calendars and decorating the tree.  Almost every day she told me she needed hooks to hang my ornaments up (that I had arranged in a bowl on the table).

I refuse to put up Christmas before Thanksgiving is over.  Kadee Lynn had been begging for weeks to put up the tree - so I gave in and let her decorate her personal tree which she loved.

Our first real tree! (due to lights breaking on our artificial...then a few of the actual metal branches broke off)

The first Santa she saw was at Orem's University Mall.  He is a great Santa with a real beard.  She would get so excited every time she saw him, which was quite often.  When she saw other Santa's she told me "that's not Santa."  The Provo Towne Mall Santa waved and smiled at her, she turned the other way, folded her arms, and did a mean look.  Apparently she doesn't like impersonators.

Spanish Fork lights were cute, fast, and way cheaper than Thanksgiving Point Lights.  We didn't make it up to Temple Square, it was just so dang cold this year!

I've been going to Festival of Trees with my mom since I was in high school (minus when I was away for college).  Last year she wasn't here so I took my MIL.  This year I went with my mom, sister, and 2 of my step-sisters.  Because I've been so many times I really don't care to see every tree anymore - I'm a speed looker.  Kadee Lynn had fun in the kids zone doing crafts.  The big bubble thing was pretty cool, but at $1 a pop she only got to do it twice. 

Scott's family spent Christmas in California this year, so Kadee Lynn got to open her present from them a week early which she LOVED, and then she was confused why she only got to open 1 gift and not them all.  Daddy also agreed and wanted her to open more.  It's a good thing Mommy is big on surprises and wouldn't allow it.

My mom and Steve put on a super fun Christmas Eve party this year.  We had a great meal, fun Christmas Exchange for adults and kids, and the kids had a blast playing together.  I had to say when my mom first had the parties combined with Steve's kids it was extremely awkward and we were pretty perturbed they wouldn't do separate family parties.  But now they are great since I actually got to know everyone.  And Kadee Lynn has SO much fun now that her cousins have quadrupled. 

Christmas crafts!

Christmas was great this year.  We woke up at 7:00 am (perfect sleep in time!), opened gifts, then my mom and Steve came over at 8:00 and we exchanged gifts and watched Kadee Lynn play.  So for the gifts...I had purchased most of Kadee Lynn's gifts back in July.  I buy gifts all year when things are on super duper sales...some items I even purchased a year or more in advance.  Well she wasn't really into the toys that I had bought.  She doesn't like building or trains anymore.  She is really into imaginary play - making up whole stories.  So 2 days before Christmas I had to

return a bunch of stuff and we bought her Calico Critters since it as BOGO gift sets.  Well she LOVES them - she played with them for 3 hours straight on Christmas morning.  She also loves her Princess Barbies.  we then drove to AF and visit Scott's grandma that is in a nursing home.  After that we drove to my moms house so Kadee Lynn could play with a few of her cousins.  It was a pretty low-key Christmas, just like we like it.