Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Last week I took the girls to see Santa with some friends. We took them to this shopping center that has a ton of lights, lots of people all dressed up, and even a parade- which we missed (sorry Anne!). But it was still a lot of fun. The girls were so excited to see him. They kept running up to stand on the railings to catch a glimpse. The babies weren't quite as thrilled with the whole thing! But they were good sports. This is the first year that Ella has shown any interest in Santa Claus, so it has been pretty fun. We've taken to singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" anytime Ella starts to act up. Todd has threatened a couple of times that Santa isn't coming, but it just makes me laugh. Has any parent in the history of Santa Claus ever followed through with that threat? If so, I would like to meet that person. They could teach the rest of us a thing or two about sticking to our guns. But when it comes to Ella, it doesn't work anyway. She just tells us, "Santa is too coming." Anyway, it was a great way to ring in the holiday season. We even broke out the Christmas music a few days early!

Say "Cheese!"

Ella has just discovered our camera. After two years of shrieking and covering her face every time I pulled it out, she will now seek it out to take pictures of everyone and everything. She loves taking pictures of her little sister the most. Everytime I take it out to take a picture of the girls she says, "Can my take a picture, M0m?" And she'll snap away until I take it away. Some of her pictures are actually pretty good, if I was needing a picture of the tv, candles, or Molly's diaper change. So in honor of her newfound passion, I thought I would post some of her pictures for you all. Enjoy!

A Time for Thanksgiving...

My friend Jamie tagged me to write a post about all the many things that I am grateful for. I am glad I have this excuse to ponder about all the many blessings in my life, especially before the holidays. So here I go!

First and foremost, I am grateful for the gospel. Honestly, where would I be without it? It brings peace to me throughout all the trials that life brings. I know that by living it, we will be blessed. We can be happy. We can live with Him again. And that is the greatest blessing.

I am grateful for the oppurtunity to serve. I love the joy it brings, and how it helps you to become a more selfless person. I love my calling to serve in the Primary. It is such a blessing to be a part of teaching those children and sharing in their special spirit.

I am thankful for Ella. She is such a loving little girl. She also teaches me to be a more patient person! She helps me to realize that there are more important things in life than a clean house. And also that it is okay to go to the store in a tutu, rain boots and fairy wings.

I am thankful for Molly. She has such a special spirit. She is always happy, and brings a lot of laughter to our home. Both of my girls make me so grateful for the oppurtunity to be a mother, something I try to never take advantage of. I wake up every morning so excited to see their little faces and get a big hug, and a sloppy kiss from Moose.

I am thankful for family. I am grateful for parents that raised me well, and led by example. I am grateful for the support that they are always giving us. Thank you!

I am grateful for Todd. He works so hard at work and school so that he can provide for us, and so that I can stay home and do what I love, being a mom. He is a great daddy to our little girls, and they love him so much. Thank you.

I am so blessed to have all of these things, to have a healthy family, to have a warm home and food on the table. I am grateful for all of my wonderful friends. They are always there to help. Even if its just to make those long hours until dinnertime seem a little shorter. :)

Thank you for having me do this Jamie! I am tagging my dad, Terra, Kara, Jamie B. and Jenny.

Is it Christmas yet?

So back in June, after Ella's birthday, she was thrilled with the fact that she asked for things for her birthday, and consequently, many of them ended up in her possession. So immediately after her birthday, she kept up the refrain of, "Can my get that for my birthday?" So I informed her that she just had her birthday, and she would have to wait until Christmas. So that started up the, "Can my get that for Christmas?" Lately, no doubt a result of the growing holiday decorations we are seeing all over town, it has increased tenfold. Every thing she sees, every commercial she watches, she wants for Christmas. And it is not limited to toys. Among the more odd things she has requested for Christmas include Lysol, vacuum cleaner deoderizer, bandaids, and eggs. And to everything I reply, "You can ask Santa." I realized the other night just how important it is to her that I respond, when I came downstairs from putting Molly to sleep to find her bawling uncontrollably on the couch. Since that was exactly where I had left her 5 minutes ago, I couldn't imagine that she could have hurt herself to the degree of which she was reacting, so I asked her what on earth was the problem. I finally got her calmed down enough to tell me- "Can my -hiccup- just get -hiccup- that one princess one -hiccup- for Christmas?" So I repeated the refrain- "You can ask Santa." She gave me a huge grin and said, "Okay!" All was well once again.

Yesterday I went to the Disney store where all of the Halloween costumes were super cheap. Most of them were picked over, but there was a Jasmine outfit left in her size, and since playing dress-up is her all-time favorite thing to do right now (she has worn her Snow White costume exactly 9 days -and counting- in a row now) I tried, unsuccessfully, to buy it without her knowledge as a Christmas gift. As soon as we got home she asked, "Can my wear that Jasmine outfit?" So I played innocent. "What Jasmine outfit?" Ella- "That pink one with the shoes from the Mickey mouse store. Its in the car." Crap! So I had to tell her that that was a surprise, and it was for Christmas, and Mommy had to wrap it so she could have it later. That night as she was saying her prayer she said, "And thank you for my new Jasmine clothes that my can wear at Christmas." So sweet!

Trick or Treat!!

What do you know? Shrek likes Halloween, too.

Our little 'soft serve' didn't last very long!

We had some friends over for a Halloween dinner. It was a lot of fun! The kids had a great time, too. :)