We Wish You a Merry Christmas...

Our Christmas letter:

Cooking Class

Emmy LOVES to cook in the kitchen. She loves watching the Food Network and anything at all to do with cooking. I'm not as good as I should be at letting her "help." So when I heard that our favorite restaurant Blue Lemon was doing a Gingerbread House cooking class for kids, I knew Emmy would be thrilled. Pay someone else to get all the stuff out and clean it up - I was just as thrilled!

She was in awe as we walked in and a "real chef" greeted her and welcomed her to a "real cooking place."

She thanked me about 15 times for taking her to a cooking class. Her last comment "Thank you so much mom for taking me to the cooking class. I always wanted to do a cooking class but you never let me before!"

Love how kids always throw in that little guilt trip at the end!

The North Pole Express....

Last week we had the opportunity to go on The North Pole Express! We invited Nana and Pop Pop's to come with us as well!

Emmy got to wear her pj's - I was only slightly jealous.

With Nana and Pop Pop's

Mrs. Claus and Emmy

Yummmy Hot Chocolate!

Emmy dutifully held up her sign while we sang "The 12 Days of Christmas". We sang it over and over and over.....lucky us...

They have someone come take your photo and then of course they try to get you to buy it. Well, I was too cheap to buy it. So I took a picture of it. Sneaky and cheap, I know....

meeting Santa. He gave her a little spinning top. She asked for a baby with a hat and a princess with a bow. That's my girl - always remember those accessories!

It was a magical evening! I believe Santa!!!!

Christmas Eve

Reading the nativity story.
Daddy did double duty as narrator and Wise man.

Emmy was our Angel. She practiced her lines for weeks. "For Behold..." By the time Christmas Eve came, she said her lines perfectly with no mention of presents or a baby sister.

However, when her lines were done, she decided that she wanted to be Mary. She was pretty bummed when the Angel only talked to the Shepherds and not Baby Jesus so she changed the story up a bit.
She was an adorable Mary. She rocked Baby Jesus for quite awhile.

She placed him in the manger and made sure that all the sheep came to visit him.

Every day since she has asked me if she can play Mary and hold the Baby Jesus. I was good with it until this morning when she made me crawl around on all fours and pretend to be the sheep.
That's why we have stuffed animals kid. Couldn't I at least have been the angel?

Putting out cookies and Pomegranate 7up for Santa. It's Santa's favorite instead of milk, didn't you know? And no, there were no homemade cookies this year. The Elf at the mall told me the Keebler variety were his favorite. Works for me!
The carrots were for the reindeer.

Writing her letter to Santa. She asked for a baby sister and a baby doll. Just so you won't be kept in suspense, she only got one of those things.

Our Christmas pj's

Emmy with her Nana. We both gave each other the same book.

Em with her ornament. This year it was Cinderella's glass slipper from Disneyland.

Oh what a month it has been....

We have had an absolutely wonderful past month while my parents have been in town. We have shopped, eaten, and explored much around our city.

My parents left yesterday and oh how we miss them. When I told Em yesterday that I took Nana and Grandpops to the airport she got upset with me and said " I not talk to you. You made Nana and Grandpops go away."
Poor kid. Just the day before her daddy and I took down all the Christmas decorations while she was napping and when she woke up she told Jeremy that she was mad at him for making Christmas and Santa go away.

Luckily for her, Nana left some surprises for her to open each day for a few days and that seems to have helped a little.


So in an attempt to update my blog, here are a few things we enjoyed doing while they were here.

Festival of Trees - absolutely amazing!

Cooking with her Great-Grandmother, mom and Nana in an adorable Russian apron.

My parents decided to surprise my Grandmother with a real tree this year - she hasn't had one in a few years because they are getting older. It was so fun to hang ornaments with my mom, grandmother, and daughter and hear all the stories about many ornaments.

Seeing Santa!

Taken at our ward Christmas party

Happy December!

As we all scurry about, running from one store to another, wait in long lines, and stress over which toy or gift to buy for our loved ones,
may we remember the reason
we celebrate this
joyous holiday season:

(Emmy watching a live Nativity at This is the Place monument last weekend. She watched them for about 20 minutes and refused to leave.)

Happy December 1st everyone!