Here Comes Santa!!

This year our Ward's Christmas party was especially exciting, as Nate was invited to play Santa Claus for the kids!! Nate isn't one to usually get nervous about things, but he was so funny about playing this role. All week, he kept asking me if he should use a different voice and if I thought that any of our former or current Primary children would recognize him. He was REALLY nervous! The hardest part, though, was keeping the secret when Abby was around!

The evening started with coloring to keep Abby, Aunt Sam, and Uncle Brady occupied.

There was dinner...


and a program by the Primary kids:


At first , Abby said she wanted to be an angel in the play,
but quickly changed her mind. All she wanted to do was cuddle!
(Not taking a nap that afternoon probably had a lot to do with the level of crankiness.)


Santa and I snuck away during the dinner, so he could get ready. And then,
it was time to make his big debut:

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Nate really enjoyed getting to be Santa and spending time with the kids!!

There were big kids:



And little kids:



Kids who were super excited:



And kids who just weren't sure:



And, of course, the kids who tried to run for their lives!



And, even though Abby initially had a melt down about NOT wanting to see Santa, we eventually talked her into sitting on his lap and telling him what she wanted for Christmas! I was so glad when she finally came around, because I'm not sure we'll get this kind of opportunity again. I just keep thinking about how fun it will be for her when she gets older to have the pictures with her Daddy Claus!!








And I couldn't resist sneaking in a little photo-op of my own!


MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Decorating the Tree - 2009

Abby has been so excited for Christmas this year! She is finally old enough that she has really grasped the concept of Santa Claus and all that he represents. We decided not to procrastinate putting out the tree and decorating, so that Abby (and we) could appreciate Christmas for as long as possible. The Monday after Thanksgiving, we had a little Family Home Evening lesson about the true meaning of Christmas, and then we let Abby help decorate the tree. It was a really great night, and the spirit of Christmas has really been in our home! Now if we can just get Abby to remember it isn't all about the PRESENTS!!

Happy Thanksgiving! 2009

The day before Thanksgiving, I had a chance to recount the story of Abby's adoption to one of my coworkers. It really set the tone of my mood for the day, as I reflected on how truly blessed I am to be a wife and mother. It is amazing to look back and recognize the Lord's hand in bringing this incredible child to our family. I am so appreciative of ALL my family, and realize how tremendously blessed I am! Thank you to everyone who supports and loves me and my family!!

We had so much fun this year having Scott, Roxann, and their boys join us for Thanksgiving. Abby was ecstatic to have so many cousins to keep her entertained! All the boys were so cute and sweet with her, and they got along so well. Unfortunately, they weren't able to stay very long, but we enjoyed an amazing Thanksgiving meal, watching a movie, visiting, and laughing as much as we could while they were here!

I felt like a "real" grown-up this year, as I finally roasted my first turkey and baked the pumpkin pies! I'm embarrassed to admit that in my (nearly) 35 years, this is the first time I've attempted to make any kind of pie!! I guess I'm not your typical "Holly Homemaker!" Anyway, everything turned out really good, and we especially were grateful for Uncle Scott helping Daddy fry one of the turkeys and carving BOTH of them! We were also thankful to have Uncle Brady, Aunt Sam, Uncle Martin, Aunt Sherri, and Grandma Gail join us for the meal! Roxann was the luckiest of us all, when Grandma Gail said she could take home the left-overs of her famous rolls!! Good thing Abby didn't know about it.... I think she ate 5 rolls before we'd even sat down for the meal!

Thanks to everyone for pitching in to make it, yet another, successful Thanksgiving!!

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Halloween 2009

Abby really enjoyed Halloween last year, but her excitement was nothing compared to this year! It started the day her costume arrived and still isn't over!! She decided she wanted to be a tiger this time, and she would take the opportunity to tell ANYONE who would listen all about how the waiter (aka the UPS man) brought her the costume!

There were so many fun activities going around town this year, that we actually stretched Halloween out over two nights! Friday night, myself, Grandma Gail, Uncle Brady, and Aunt Sam took Abby down to the Greenbelt to start out the festivities with a Trunk-or-Treat. There were lots of people dressed in creative and fun costumes, and they even had some games. Next, we were off to the Tautphus Park Zoo for the annual Boo at the Zoo event. It was really cool to see all the different lights, decorations, and costumes! There must have been a lot of planning that went into the celebration! Even the animals seemed more "excited" than normal -- one of the real tigers even got up and walked around a little!! We had so much fun that I think we'll make it a family tradition!

The next day was spent listening to Abby begging and pleading for it to be "Halloween time." When I finally answered it was time to go, she let out a shriek that I'm 99% positive could be heard clear over in Transylvania!! We got her all ready and headed to Grandma Gail's. She wasn't quite ready with supper, so we hit the streets for some warm-up trick-or-treating! Abby had no trouble remembering how it works from last year! After a few houses, we headed back to Grandma's where we bumped into Shrek and Fiona! It was fun to have them join us for a meal!

After dinner, Abby couldn't wait to get back to Trick-or-Treating, so we headed back to our own neighborhood with Aunt Kami and her family. All the kids were really funny about it, but nothing beat the way Abby would yell, "Trick or Treat!" Then after receiving her expected candy, she would say, "Thanks, and Happy Halloween Time!" She would immediately look at us, say, "Next house," and then turn tail and sprint for the next place! When we finally called it quits (about two or three blocks later), we couldn't believe how heavy Abby's pumpkin bucket was! She'd been lugging that thing around all night without any complaints about getting tired, etc.!! Anything for candy, I guess!!

Between the two nights activities, Abby's bucket was full clear to the top, and we have had to endure hearing, "Can I have some candy?" every 10 seconds! We finally put the candy in a ziplock up in the pantry where she can't see it constantly, and she's eased up on the begging. All in all, it was a really fun Halloween!

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