Earlier in the month we went to see the lights at Temple Square with my parents. It was very cold, but beautiful. Emma had a lot of fun, and she loved the big red tree that was always my favorite too. On the way back to the car she was on Eric's shoulders and kept thinking she was going to fall off (I think her gloves caused her to feel less secure because there was less grip), and so she was grabbing onto his face. I found it rather amusing. =)
We went to Gardner Village to see the elves they have all over, but they weren't as good as their Halloween witches. Too bad. But it's the perfect time to visit their Christmas shop. Emma insisted we get a star for our tree. Apparently it has greatly bothered her this year that we didn't have one. So she picked the one she liked best, and now we have a star (it kind of looks more like a snowflake though).
Being on break from preschool for a couple weeks means more time to be with Emma again, which I love. I didn't realize how much I missed having her home all the time, and her preschool is only 3 days a week for 3 hours each day. So I still have tons of time with her. But it's been fun having her home. She decided she wanted to do some painting, and so while in her pajamas still, and with the crown she selected that morning still on her head, she painted a masterpiece. I do have to share her painting of Mickey Mouse though. I am really impressed with it.
We had our annual luncheon at the Lion House with my family, and Eric was able to come this year. He took the afternoon off that day, and it started his Christmas vacation. He'll have 4 1/2 days before needing to go back to work. And then 3 days later get another 4 days off. Yay! In the morning before lunch we visited my step-Grandma like we usually do. We see her fairly often to play cards with (call us evil if you want, but it's so much fun!!), but it's fun to see her just before Christmas and exchange gifts with her. While at the Lion House we took some cute pictures of Emma because it always looks so festive there. And if her dress looks familiar, it's because she wore it to her preschool program, and has wanted to wear it practically everywhere this month. So you'll be seeing it again. She does have other clothes, but this one is especially fitting for this season, so I'm all for her getting more use out of it.
Christmas day itself was amazing. I never tire of the magic in children's eyes this time of year, and Emma didn't let me down. She was excited to get what she wanted from Santa plus a few fun surprises from both him and us. I thought we had scaled back from last year, but apparently we hadn't. Either that or our families hadn't. I always took pictures of my Christmas loot before putting it away (you know, sort of to document what I got each year). And it has been fun over the years to look back at those pictures. Once it even helped me prove that something belonged to me. Ha! That was a good day. Anyway, I take pictures each year of what Emma gets, and this year her stuff (not including most of her stocking stuff) filled up the entire couch! Um, can you say spoiled? She did get some wonderful things, and I'm excited for her to be able to use and enjoy them.
Mid-morning we went to my parents house for a nice breakfast. We had quiche and pancakes this year. Delicious. Then we all dove into the presents there and had fun making each other laugh and cry.
Then it was onto my Grandma's house for some more gift exchanging followed by a wonderful Christmas dinner. While there, the kids, after a long day, started letting their inner beasts out. But Emma was calmed and happy to play some games on Eric's ipod.
We came home, played a few new games with Emma, and finally sent her to bed. We watched a new movie and then crashed too. It was a fun, but long day.
The day after Christmas the festivities weren't over. That evening we got together with my aunt and uncle and my 3 cousins with their kids for dinner, music, games, and catching up. I don't get to see these cousins very often (they live in New York, California, and Hawaii), but they all came here for some skiing, so we got to see them. It was fun hanging out together eating catered CPK and some delicious desserts including a cheesecake we made along with awesome raspberry and blueberry sauces. Yum.
I am so grateful for family and friends, especially this time of year. It's so nice to get together and enjoy the spirit of the season. I am extremely blessed.
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