the Saturday of Christmas festivities

holy cow... I thought I was doing so great only selecting just a portion of my pictures from the day but there's still a lot.  whoops.

so, we started out the day with me taking Brady to make a bunch of returns at Walmart that I'd been procrastinating for two-ish months.  I never go inside Walmart anymore (still loving Walmart grocery to go) and thought it would be crazy only ten days before Christmas.  well, I'm gonna go ahead and say that amazon must be rocking it this Christmas season because Walmart was not at all busy.  we parked on the second row and didn't have to wait long in line.  and the only thing I had to purchase was a new set of headphones for Abigail for at school.  I finally got smart and bought three pairs instead of my usual one pair.  she bites through the cord every couple of months so it just makes sense that I should probably keep spares on hand.  so hopefully this will get us through the rest of second grade.  ; )  the greatest part though was that these headphones were on a special rack that was locked (you had to have an employee come and get them off for you) and they were carried by the employee to the register that's in the electronics section so that you could purchase them there instead of the front of the store.  I thought this was all comical since I buy the cheapest headphones that only cost $4.88 each but it was awesome because that was my only purchase so, after that, Brady and I just walked right on out of the store.  woohoo!

and then we were on to more important things... like the dollar store.  two years ago, I'd taken Abigail to the dollar store to pick out Christmas gifts for everyone in our family.  it's great because it's a kid friendly environment and you can just say "you get to look at the entire store and pick the ONE BEST item for each person in our family."  it's great to see a kid get into the spirit of giving.  

so I took Brady to do that after Walmart.  it wasn't as awesome as I'd hoped.  mainly because he was soooo hung up on stuff he wanted and he became instantly obsessed with this sword.  but he was able to find some things for his siblings (and Chris) and... when he got home he told Abigail all about his shopping trip and how he really wanted a sword but that I wouldn't let him get it.  well guess who's turn it was to go to the dollar store next? later, Abigail was all "I'm so glad Brady told me that he wanted that sword so that I could get it for him! I hope I got him the right one!"  so cute.

Brady has been DYING to go ice skating ever since Chris took him skating at the Pepsi center a few weeks ago.  he wanted to show me and Abigail how well he can skate without holding on to anything.  it's true... he's picked it up quickly.  we all had a good time.  Abigail liked skating with assistance, Elizabeth enjoyed cuddling with me, being held by Christopher while he skated (until they told him he wasn't allowed to do that), and then "skating" in her shoes with the big plastic thing.

eventually I took the girls and Andrew in the library to warm up for a bit.  the library is my happy place.  there are just so many inviting books!

I think this is a little above my children's level right now but this would be amazing in future years.

Abigail ran out to keep skating so I just had the little two.  Elizabeth wanted to walk up and down these stairs.  well, when you're the oldest kid present, sure, go ahead.  so I hung out with Andrew while Elizabeth walked upstairs, explored a bit, and then came back down.  she was so pleased.

when we came out, Chris and the kids were finishing up.  they were hungry and didn't want to wait for the zamboni.  Chris took them to Texas Roadhouse.  I wasn't in the mood to eat out so I took Elizabeth and Andrew home with me.  we had scrambled eggs on toast.  it was delicious.  I also asked several neighbors if they would go caroling tomorrow at the house up the street... their little boy just got home from the hospital.  he is almost four and has leukemia and one of my friends from church is organizing the caroling.

when Christopher and the kids got back, Elizabeth took a nap and we helped the kids wrap presents.  it was so great.

Fiona came over to play for a bit... honey warmed up ham and turkey for our ward dinner.  he took Abigail and Brady to the church to help set up and decorate and I brought the littles and the meats when I came.  the Christmas party was a sit down dinner with no formal program... just musical performances as [mostly] background music.  it was perfection... I liked it way more than years past and it was a lot of fun.

every day recently I've just been so surprised at how much I'm enjoying myself this Christmas season.  last year when I was pregnant, I just hated Christmas.  everything about it seemed like such a pain and I was just anxious for it to be over and the whole time was just wishing that it didn't even exist.  this year? I'm totally digging my heels in because I'm so sad that we only have one week left until the magic takes off for another year.  

holiday party at boondocks

I went to my Friday barbell class and then my Christopher was texting me about how it was his Friday to get together with his sushi group (some guys from church that all work in the same general vicinity and get together for a sushi lunch one Friday a month) so I texted him a picture of my calf raises I was doing and told him he better keep up. neither of us are big on exercise but the tables have turned for the time being.

back when Elizabeth didn't have her own helmet, I would let her wear this hat while she rode her bike.  she still calls it a helmet.  this is the best age... I really do miss when they start dropping these weird quirks.  (like how she thinks multiple items are always "three")

also, for the first time, Elizabeth was able to open the door from the garage to the kitchen.  this is going to be so useful for helping her not get trapped in the garage!

we've been doing reading lessons again with the plan to finish by Brady's birthday.  cross your fingers for us!

Brady is making great strides on drawing people.  this is a picture of Abigail, himself, and Elizabeth.

we went to a holiday party for one of honey's clients.  this is the first year they've had it at boondocks.  the environment was definitely easier with kids in tow (the past few years, it's been at moe's and they have bar height tables/chairs) because it was in it's own private room with bowling lanes and tables, but I won't lie.... the food was nothing to write home about.

the Santa, as always, was legit.  execept that he listened to Brady's request and told him he could probably make that happen and when I asked what he asked for, he was all "it's so loud in here, I can never hear."  COME ON, SANTA!  luckily Brady told me later.  ; )

elizabeth sat on his lap but refused to make eye contact.  it was subtle enough that I'm sure people were confused why I was laughing.

this was the closest she got.  later in the night, Santa was handing out teddy bears and Elizabeth went back to get one.  apparently she walked up and saw him and just busted out crying.  then she ran up juuuuust far enough, grabbed the bear, and ran away.  I was so confused when she came back and looked like she'd recently been crying and why Julie also looked like she'd been crying from laughing.  that girl.  always something.

I think this is our first year of no crying since Brady was born.  Abigail has never cried with Santa, and Brady did every year until he could pass that torch to Elizabeth.  Elizabeth was peer pressured into not crying this time and Andrew was just fine.

Elizabeth was devouring everything from cauliflower and cucumbers and celery (I don't know that I've ever just given her a stick of celery before... I don't like it... but she stole one from Brady's plate and went to town on it) to onion rings and French fries and honey's pizza to my pastas and garlic bread.  and of course orange soda and purple soda and popsicles.  watch your plate when she's around... she will almost never ask permission first.

it was a fun night.  it was also fun that I saw a girl there that I knew.  she goes to the same weight class that I go to on Wednesday mornings, and I've seen her around Parker before, at the library mostly, but this was the first time that we formally met.  so that was exciting to make a new friend!

Shanahan's

when you're driving and you just happen to catch a glimpse of a little boy in the backseat with a miniature Santa hat on his head.  I was so startled, I laughed out loud.  and Brady, who had forgotten he'd put it on, was so shy and confused why I was laughing at him.

PSA: these are at Costco and they are soooo delicious.  I am not a huge fan of pretzels, white chocolate, or peppermint candy canes... but something about these and that combination is phenomenal.  although I will say that Chris doesn't think they're that great.  but I love the sweet and salty and crunchy and smooth and everything about these.  they've been my drug of choice lately.

dinner at shanahan's for the hospital board Christmas party.

the hostess on the way out saw our walking selfie and offered to take a picture of us.

and let's be honest that basically these look the same as the night before except for my hair.