Fa La La La La

I made a valiant effort at keeping up with the advent activities each day, but it didn't pan out like I thought it would.  It was really difficult to do an activity each night with Evan's work schedule. We did make cookies a couple times, we attempted to donate some toys to Toys for Tots, but they already picked up the donation bins (my mother-in-law donated them to the school instead), we watched the LDS Christmas devotional, Autumn painted a Christmas figure, when Evan finally had a day off we drove around and looked at Christmas lights (we went with Evan's parents and Evan fell asleep in the car).  Autumn and I went to the ward Christmas party and Autumn "sang" Christmas Bells. 

Grace, Juniper, June, and Autumn

This Christmas season I have learned a lot about forgiveness.  One day Evan says to me, "you're going to need move nativities off the TV stand because the new TV is being delivered Monday." Excuse me?  Yes Evan bought HIMSELF (even though he claims it was for the family-I'm pretty sure I've been asking for a new car for months NOT a jumbo tron) without talking to me about it first.  See why I had to learn about forgiveness.   I don't mean to sound irreverent.  This was a really tough pill for me to swallow.  I was furious for two days.  Then I had a little talk with myself.  I thought, "boy, Evan is going to ruin the Christmas season for me because I am so mad at him."  Then I reminded myself that it was my fault if I was mad at him.  So I decided to forgive him, but I knew I had to really mean it for it to work.  So I let him have his fun setting it up and am trying very hard not to spoil his fun.  Although I have asked him to get a ride to work a few times, when I need the car, instead of me trying to find rides.  Not in a revengeful way, but in a you need to understand where I'm coming from way.  

The TV is so big in our little apartment that I literally get sick while watching some TV shows.

Painting a Christmas dog

Autumn loves all babies.  She really likes carrying baby Jesus around the house.  New words this season, "Jesus", "Santa", and "Mall".   I'm pretty sure she gets what Christmas is about ;)

For Christmas Sunday I put Autumn's hair in curlers....I think she looked like a devil.

Baby was missing for awhile but reappeared Christmas Sunday morning and she even wore a pink dress, like Autumn, to church.

Last night.  Since Evan is working late on Christmas Eve we did my family's traditions with some friends.  Which included acting out the nativity and playing Bingo.

Autumn's buddies: June (cow), Sophie (angel), Connor (Sheppard) and then of course Autumn as a wise man.

Evan and I played Joesph and Mary.

Autumn was obsessed with the baby and didn't want to leave him in the manger.  My friend Brooklyn dressed up as a wise man too!  Her husband hates acting our the nativity, but she loves it so it was easy to convince her to join in the fun.  

Breakfast with Santa

I think it is cool to get a picture with Santa every year, but not cool to pay the outrageous mall Santa prices.  This year I thought ahead and found out Chick-fil-A was hosting a "breakfast with Santa", so we went there instead.  As you can tell below Autumn was less than impressed.  She didn't cry or scream, but very assertively told me "no" when asked if she wanted to touch Santa's soft coat or get remotely close to him.

 Check out that body language.

 This is actually the mall Santa, but we didn't have to pay the extreme price, really we didn't have to pay anything, and we got to take our own pictures.  The person taking the picture is the actual guy that takes the overpriced pictures.  Hmmmm...glad we didn't have to pay for this shot.

 Again Autumn not so impressed with the people in creepy costumes.

 Although she liked them from far away.  This is Autumn telling me the cow has a tail on it's back.  Also pointing out that the elf cow was wearing shoes.

Here is Autumn telling/showing daddy that last night while Evan was at work she colored marker on her hand.  Autumn has only been to Chick-fil-A a couple times, but both times she got ice cream so now she thinks every time we go she should get ice cream.  So she had ice cream at the Breakfast with Santa (and we had to wait forever, because they didn't have the ice cream machine up and going that early...It was more like a snack though she did eat breakfast two hours before going to breakfast).

Advent

My sister does "advent" with her kids each year, so I thought I would try it out.

December First Day 1: Decorate the Christmas Tree

Autumn examining the lights.

December Second: Day 2: Picked out a family Christmas ornament

But first we went to Albertsons grocery store to spend our $20 off a $20 purchase.  We had several coupons from purchasing gift cards at Albertsons the week before.  The food/household items below cost us out of pocket seven dollars and change (which includes one children's tylenol and one children's advil.)

After that we went to the Wyoming State Museum.  This was only our second visit there, but it is easily one of my favorite places in Cheyenne.  They have a small children's section and the two times we've been there the museum has been empty.

cooking up some chow

Autumn trying on hats

Wyoming Christmas ornament.

December third: We set up our "winter wonderland" as Evan calls it.  We hung snowflakes from the ceiling and our snowflake lights, ect. in the kitchen.

December fourth: I made our advent strips (a little late I know, I should have just made a paper chain, but I wanted to laminate them and save for future use)

December fifth: We made Christmas cookies for Evan to take to the night nurses at the hospital who apparently devour sweets.  They all but threaten the residents before they started and said they "must" bring the nurses candy for their candy drawer.  Whatever.  Perfect way for me to get a couple and not have them around for days.

Let the Christmas games begin

Let me start off by saying how lame it is to live far away from an airport.  Our flight landed at 9am, but we didn't get home until noon.  It is about a two hour drive, so we parked at the airport because who wants to drop someone off at the airport when it is two hours away.  So we had to take a shuttle to our car ect. It's a pain.  Luckily my parents only live 20 minutes from the SeaTac airport so at least we didn't have to drive a bunch on both sides of the plane ride. Anyhow after Autumn's nap (no she did NOT sleep on the plane or the car rides despite the fact that she woke up at 4:15am) we went and bought a Christmas tree.

 Watching the lady cut the end off of the Christmas tree and put mesh around it.

After getting the tree home we had pizza then headed to the Cheyenne Christmas parade.  Luckily it wasn't too cold, only mid 40s.  The parade was great though.  I love parades.  It was really long and filled with a bunch of trucks with Christmas lights taped on them.  It was kinda like the Main Street Electrical Parade at Disneyland, but much more white-trashy.  

Take that Pinterest

Evan's brother came to visit about a month ago.  We had him tag along with us to various places including the mall playplace, story time at the library and the hardware store.  When I told him the project I was thinking about making for Autumn, a latch board you see all over Pinterest, he said something like..."Wouldn't it be more fun if the latches actually did something?"  Why yes, yes it would I thought, but I don't know how to do that.  So Patrick volunteered to make my project for me.  It is pretty sweet.  So sweet that I'm saving it to give to Autumn for Christmas.  So take that Pinterest.  Best homemade gift I ever made ;)

One of Autumn's favorite activities a few weeks ago...putting ALL her toys on the trampoline...then jumping.

Also putting the tent on the trampoline and the diaper changing pad and all the "little people".

And putting Uncle Patrick's watch on her leg

and playing board games

We had Thanksgiving dinner a month early because we thought Patrick would have started his new job before Thanksgiving.  Turns out he'll be here until Christmas. YAY! 

Sanding, sanding, sanding

Evan woke up from his slumber and helped out a bit.  Evan was working nights.

Patrick drilling holes for the hardware.  I don't have a picture of the finished project yet, still waiting for my slave to attach the knobs so it is easier to open the doors.

Thanksgiving break

We went to my parents house for a week at Thanksgiving.  Luckily Evan was able to take time off since he'll be working a ton over the week of Christmas.  Anyhow we had a good time mostly just hanging out.  My mom and I did a few projects and Evan watched football and Autumn played with a plethora of baby dolls.

 We arrived Saturday night just in time for Autumn to go to sleep.  Sunday we went to church and hung out.  Monday we went to our college friends' house.  We ate at that yummy burger place that Autumn and I went to when we visited in September.  I love this picture of the two girls.  They have such similar faces in the picture.  Although I am bummed you can't see Carly's special outfit her dad dressed her in...tights on the outside of her pants.

 Evan pretending to be macho with his buddy Morgan.  I tried to convince him to do a "Charlie's Angels" pose, but he knew I would put it on the blog and mock him so he refused!

 Autumn took a lot of bath's at Grandma's, especially once Grandma got out the swimming baby.

 Autumn playing the piano with Elder Lucas (3 missionaries live in my parent's basement).

 Those strollers made several trips up and down the stairs with Autumn's array of dolls she collected.

 Taking another bath in the kitchen sink and wearing on of the many pairs of glasses Grandma has around the house.

 Bed time takes a long time these days with Autumn's huge entourage.

 Thanksgiving with Pete, Mackenzie, kiddos and the elders.

 After the feast and while my mom and Kenzie were doing the dishes we played Turkey shoot-out.

 My mother was impressivly good at shooting the knock-off Nerf gun at the balloons.

 Elder Bailey (left) beat Elder Lucas (right) in the championship match.

 Reading Autumn's current favorite story, "The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear"

 I also had my mom finish this quilt for me while I organized her digital photos on her computer for hours (like 7 hours).  A friend of mine is collecting quilts to donate to families who donate their family member's body for organ donation.  Anyhow I started this quilt close to 5 years ago.  It is the first and only quilt I've made.  I hope the person how receives it will appreciate my gift!