Going to see Santa

Last year we realized we didn't make it to see Santa until right before Christmas and we ended up near the mall on weekday morning right as it opened, so we stopped by to see how long the line was and if we could get in to see Santa really quick.  Well, it turned out that there was no line at all and we were in and out in very little time.  Since that visit went so well and quick, we decided to try that plan again this year.  So on Dec. 20th (the first day of Christmas vacation), we headed down to the University Mall at 9:30 to be there by 10:00 when Santa arrived.  As with last year, we only had to wait for one family until it was our turn.  In fact, it was so quick that the worst part about the whole visit is we parked on the wrong end of the mall and ended up having to walk all the way to the other end to find Santa.  We were even so quick, that we had time to take some pictures with some of the displays around the mall.  We would have preferred to take some pictures with Santa himself, but his greedy little elves would not let us get pictures unless we purchased their ridiculously, overpriced picture packages.  So we opted for some elsewhere instead.  Right near Santa was this nice little fireplace that was so warm and decorated so beautifully, so we stopped for a few pictures there.

Don't these three look darling?!?

Further down the mall there was a little Christmas Village type thing set up and since the crowds hadn't descended yet, we were able to get quite a few pictures without any disruptions.

Tate was really worried about the stuff behind him and kept turning around to see them (they were each spinning), so this was the best close-up with him actually facing forward!

This was Hailey's favorite, so we got a picture of just her in front of it.

Zach decided he liked this one best.

And Tate's favorite was the Christmas Tree.

One the other side was this reindeer flanked by 2 cars - don't ask me how the cars go with the whole "Christmas Theme" but the kids wanted a picture in front of this one too.  Ironically, it was probably one of the best pictures of the 3 of them together.

We sure had a fun time and we were able to see Santa without the long wait as well as get some fun pictures.  I think we'll plan on seeing Santa early one weekday morning close to Christmas every year - it seems to be the best time!

School Christmas Sing

The kids have a new principal at school and she has done a lot of things different since she's been there.  Most of the things have been inconsequential to us, but one of the most important things is her attempt to involve the parents a whole lot more.  The old principal was great and we had the chance to interact with him numerous times, but this new principal seems keyed in on getting the parents as involved as possible.  This new characteristic allowed her to decide to have a "Christmas Sing" for the parents and immediate family to attend this year.  Each grade usually does a little singing thing, but in the past, they have only presented it to the other members of the school.  So you can imagine how excited Tate and I were to go this year when they invited the immediate families to come and see.  We were sad not to be able to invite Nana and Papa, but the principal promised that next year they would open it up to friends and grandparents as well.  Tate and I had a blast watching all of the fun songs that they performed - each grade sang 2 songs and it was quite the production getting each grade on and off the stage in an organized manner!  Of course, 4th grade (Zach's grade) and 1st grade (Hailey's) were the two right before the kindergarten kids - which were the end.  But it was still fun and Tate loved it.  When first grade came out, they were all decorated in elf hats and polka dot hats - it was so cute.  You can see Hailey here in her little red elf hat.

They sang "Icabod Elf" and "When Santa Got Stuck Up In The Chimney."  It was so cute and we loved every minute of it!

Next it was fourth grade's turn - you can see Zach on the top row - in the center of the picture.  

They sang "Nice Nice Christmas" and "Donde Este Santa Claus."  

Tate and I had a blast watching the program and we even recorded the songs so Dad could see them too.  We sure can't wait for the Christmas Sing next year, way to go Zach and Hailey, we sure are proud of you!

Cheerleading Pep Rally

Hailey decided that this fall she wanted to do cheerleading again.  It had been a year or so and she was so excited to do it again.  After months of practice, they had their final end of the class pep rally.  It was so much fun!  They all got fun shirts and had a great time getting ready.

Here's our little cheerleader sitting and waiting to start.

We got there early to get a front row seat and she ended being right in front of us - is that lucky or what?

She was so cute doing all of the cheers, it was so fun to watch!

My favorite part was where she did a cartwheel - she has been practicing and practicing to get it right.  She did a great job!

And we had to get a picture of all 3 groups of cheerleaders as a final momento.

And here they are with their coaches.

At the end of the pep rally, they had a little ceremony where they gave each girl a certificate of achievement and a fun cup filled with candy.  

She was definitely the cutest cheerleader there and we had a blast watching her perform!  Way to Sis - we are so proud of you!

Puttin' Up The Christmas Tree

Usually we don't get around to putting up the Christmas Tree until a few weeks before Christmas, but this year we decided to do it early this year.  The kids were begging to have it up, so we took a few days and put up all the decorations as well as the tree for Family Home Evening.  The kids had a blast and loved being  apart of the whole thing.  Tate was darling this year, he had so much fun putting the ornaments on the tree wherever he wanted!  Needless to say, there was a bit of rearranging to even everything out once we were done, but it looked great!  Here are my cuties sitting in front of the completed tree.

Aren't they darling?

What a fun family night we had!  Love you all!

Halloween 2012

I'm over a month late in getting these posted, but I figure better late than never right?  We sure had a fun Halloween this year.  It all started out with going to the school to watch the kids march in the Halloween parade.  Tate and I got a front row seat and Tate was absolutely loving all of the kids walking by.  We were so engrossed in all the costumes, that Zach came by and we didn't even notice until he was right in front of us.  By the time I got the camera on and took a picture, he was past and this was the best I got.

We were a little more prepared for Hailey, although she was looking the other way for us.  

After school, we headed to the Jeremiah's office at Pinnacle to trick-or-treat there.  Tate was so cute walking up to everyone and saying trick-or-treat!  The kids had a blast and they got a TON of candy - they can't wait to go again next year!

Hailey that it was so fun to see where Dad worked.

Jeremiah even dressed up and I made them stop at some point along the way for a picture (Zach was thrilled as you can tell!).

By the time we got there, some people had already left for the day, but they were kind enough to leave out some candy for the kids to choose from.

Once we got home, we forced the kids to set the candy aside and have some dinner before we headed out to trick-or-treat the neighborhood.  I had to make them stop for a few pictures, they were all just so darn cute!

Here's Tate as the Dalmation Dog - he was so excited to wear this costume again this year.

Here's our friendly little witch, Hailey, with her little kitty.  She had planned to borrow Tate's broom to carry around, but it all of a sudden disappeared during that day and we couldn't find it anywhere.  I'm convinced that Tate hid it on purpose!  :)

And of course, here's our brave knight, Zach, all decked out with his armour, shield, and sword.

After pictures we headed out to get some trick-or-treating in.  The three kids were so cute running up to the door and saying trick-or-treat.  Tate was really into it this year as he realized that this whole crazy tradition meant he got a bunch of candy.

Jeremiah modified his costume slightly and got quite a few laughs from people in the neighborhood when they saw his sign.

And I figured I'd tack on a few pictures of our pumpkins on the front porch.  Zach and Tate's are the Frankenstein ones and Hailey's is the owl.  We had to set Wilbur, our book report pumpkin pig, out there too once Zach brought it back home with a score of 100%!

Tate didn't want to miss out on a picture, so he stood behind the pumpkins for a quick shot.  Can you believe it was warm enough during the day on Halloween to be in short sleeves and no jackets or coats???

Yes, it certainly was a fun Halloween!  We ended up with tons of candy and lots of fun, we can't wait for it to roll around again next year!

First Snow Day of the Winter!

We usually don't get snow until close to Christmas, not any that sticks around anyway.  It's been an unseasonably warm fall and beginning of winter, so you can imagine the excitement when we got a decent storm the first part of November that dumped a couple of inches on the ground.  The kids were so thrilled and even more excited when it stuck around most of the morning so that they could go out and play in it a bit when it warmed up a bit.

Zach decided to go with Jeremiah to work that Saturday morning, so Hailey and Tate headed out for some snow fun.  Aren't they so darling in their snow clothes?

Tate has been in the snow before, but he must have forgotten about it because the first things he said as he headed out after his sister was:  "It's cold mom!"

The first item of business was to make snow angels.  Hailey tried to explain the process to her brother and even showed him, but he decided there was no way he was laying down in the cold snow, so he just stood there and watched her.

After a few snow angels, they decided to head to the swingset where they could throw snow on the slide and then slide down it to land on their bottom on the ground.  Tate had more fun throwing the snow on the slide than sliding down it, although I think that might have been because it was hard for him to climb up with all that extra padding on.

But that didn't stop Hailey from sliding down over and over and over.

Not long after this picture or a whopping 10 minutes outside, Tate was done and ready to come in.  Ironic that I probably spent longer getting him dressed and ready to go outside than he actually spent outside.  But he had fun for a few minutes anyway and then was happy to sit inside and watch Mickey Mouse where it was nice and warm.  Hailey on the other hand played all morning until I forced her to come in for a late lunch.  She was probably out there for over 3 hours by the time all was said and done.  Quite a fun morning for her.  We haven't had the same accumulation since, but the kids are anxious for more snow and more fun times playing outside in it!

Pumpkin Book Report

Zach is in 4th grade this year and we've come to realize that means one new thing - book reports.  Zach has been anything but excited about these new experiences, but as a mom, I'm hoping that it will help him to realize how important reading is and how much fun you can have with it.  His teacher is very creative and has come up with all sorts of different ways to do book reports other than the traditional typed report.

For the month of September, he read "Hatchet" and put together a poster describing the characters, plot, etc.  For October, he read "Charlotte's Web" and had to decorate a pumpkin like the main character.  I thought this was such a fun idea and we had already brainstormed ways to decorate his pumpkin before he even got the book finished.  Since Wilbur is the main character, we decided to decorate his pumpkin like a pig complete with eyes, ears, little hooves, and a curly tail.  We also added some decorative spider web and a plastic spider on top to represent Charlotte since she was a pretty important part of the book too.  Zach pretty much did all of the decorating (other than the hot glue) - he was pretty proud of the way it turned out!

I think it turned out great!

So far, he's gotten the full amount of points possible on both reports and is always so excited to come home and show us!

This month's report is to read a biography and then dress up like the person and tell the class about them.  Zach has chosen LeBron James, so this should be interesting.  Luckily, we already have a basketball jersey and he wants to take a basketball as a prop.  Even though the length requirement was less than it has been, he's already finished the book and can't wait for his presentation at the end of the month.

Way to go Zach, we are really proud of you and all your efforts in school, especially with reading and your book reports!  We love you!