Christmas Bucket List

For the last few years I've tried to do "advent" with my family.  Ya' know, do one Christmas activity a day for the month of December.  I even made a cute daily calendar thing.  It seems really fun.  It stresses me out too much.  So we've basically done a Christmas activity everyday, but only I have been keeping track of it so if it doesn't happen no one will notice and no one will be disappointed.  I've planned out  a couple "big" events with Evan, but other than that most of it has been spur of the moment or planned the night before when Autumn asks, "where are we going tomorrow?"  So far we have completed all of my imaginary "must do during the Christmas season or it really isn't Christmas" things, except one.  So here is my bucket list of Christmas-y things (or at least the ones I have pictures of).

 One of my very favorite things is looking at Christmas lights.  We have a lot of "bah hum bugs" in town (lots of dark streets).  However for the last three years we've found houses that have "light shows" in their yards.  (The one we went to the last 2 years didn't do it this year.  I panicked, but Evan knew of another house so we were saved!)  Evan had a very busy week at the "office" so he couldn't meet us until after the babies' bed time.  Nevertheless we all survived even though we had to wait in the Coldstone parking lot for 45 minutes.  Before we went to look at the lights we did one of my ultimate favorite Christmas activities...Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cold Stone ice cream.  Evan and I discovered it when we lived in Michigan.  Maybe it is one of my favorites since it is one of the only traditions we have started as a couple and wasn't carried over from our childhoods.

 Waiting for daddy in one of the many pairs of Christmas jammies they have.  (we don't often wait for daddy with his new job, so it was a bit odd).

 Autumn went to Grandma Linda's house one afternoon and decorated sugar cookies.  This has started to become an annual thing.  Autumn loved it.

 Evan got to come with us for a Saturday activity (I am still surprised when this happens.  I was all prepared to take the kids by myself, when I realized he wasn't working or studying! Post-residency life is good).  Santa flew to the municipal airport in a Cessna.  There are no windows in the airport, so we didn't get to see him fly...we just stood in line for an hour for a really tacky Santa.  But Autumn loved it.  The babies tolerated the stroller for most of the time.

 Didn't torture the babes this time.  Autumn told Santa she wants a Scooter for Christmas.  

 Autumn and I made cinnamon apple sauce tree decorations.  We also did hand-print salt dough ornaments one day and then painted them the next day.

 We got a lot of snow a couple days.  Evan loves being a home owner and loves shoveling snow.  The girls went out and helped one night while I made dinner.

 We watched the Las Vegas bowl and made snow flakes.  (not sure why Autumn is sad)

 Another set of Christmas Jammies (I was going to get Autumn's footie jammies out because she wouldn't wear them last year, but she probably would wear them this year since she wants to be like Maverick and Violet)

 The kids are really starting to interact with each other.  It is adorable

 Aunt Meagan gave these skirts to the girls.  Christmas Sunday.a

 We made graham cracker houses with the missionaries.

We also let Autumn stay up late one Friday and watch "Elf" with us.  We watched the LDS first presidency devotional, Autumn requested to go to bed half-way through...But enjoyed the music.  We've read lots of Christmas books.  Autumn and Evan went to the bookstore and bought Christmas presents for Maverick and Violet.  Autumn and I wrapped them fancy one day.  Evan took Autumn to the ward party and she had sugar cookies for dinner (I was sick so I stayed home with the babies).  Evan and I went to a friends' white elephant party.  We brought the best gifts and went home with only mildly lame gifts.  We also went to Evan's work party.  It was ok.  The food was good.  Evan took Autumn to Cameron's school choir concert while Evan went to Cameron's band concert and another choir concert.  Evan and I have watched the first half of several Christmas movies.

Santa Baby

We arrived home from California on a Saturday and we got to work putting up Christmas.  We had a very uneventful flight/trip home.  All the kids took naps when we got home, which was great for a bit of pre-setting up without them.

Bed head and her ornament for this year.  She picked out an Aurora at Disneyland.  Apparently Aurora is her new favorite princess since she wears a pink dress.

Evan and our New York ornament

Autumn and her stocking she was wrapped in on her birthday (Christmas Eve baby)

The babies were still asleep so no one to fight over who got to put the star on top.

The next Saturday we went to my favorite place in town, The Children's Village.  They had a bunch of crafts and activities for the kids. We just met Santa and left because Violet was in desperate need of a nap (Maverick now takes two naps while Violet just takes one.  It was been quite the adjustment for all of us).  Autumn was excited to visit Santa this year, since she wrote him a note at a friends' house.  She even remembered to bring the note to him.

Maverick and Violet (Little Santa and Reindeer) were less than pleased to meet Santa.

When Evan got home from the hospital he strung the few strands of lights we own (on hooks the previous owners put up.  Man do I love those guys) and put up his inflatables.  He was so excited to have a house so we could put these up.

The snow man actually shivers.

TA DA!
(Start small. End big. Clark Griswald big!)

DISENYLAND

About a month before our Disneyland trip we told Autumn that we would be going to Disneyland during our Thanksgiving trip.  She had no idea what Disneyland was.  I'm glad we didn't do a "surprise" trip.  Each night for weeks instead of a story in her bed I told her about Disneyland.  I told her about the rides and in what order we'd go on the rides.  I even printed out a map so she'd be more familiar with the rides/park layout.  When the day came, she didn't whine or complain the whole day.  She knew exactly what to expect.  They only questions were things like "Mom, I forget what is after Dumbo?"  As a kid my family went to Disneyland every year and we only went for one day, so that is what we did.  We went to California Adventure and Disneyland in one (long) day.

One of the best parts about Disneyland...riding on the parking lot tram to the park.  The anticipation is awesome.

Autumn with her "first visit" button waiting to get into the park.  (A friend of ours recently went to Disney World and she wore an Aurora dress, so Autumn wanted to wear one too.  Good thing I had just bought one on a Halloween sale. Also as a side note, Aurora is now Autumn's favorite princess since she wears pink.)

Autumn and Evan in front of the Mickey head at the entrance.

on main street

Waiting for the park to open!  I was really worried about busy lines so we showed up really early and waited 30 minutes to get into the park.

1st ride: Astro Blasters.

I don't do spinny rides...Dumbo

Posing for the camera

Autumn informed me that she did not like 4 of the rides...Mr. Toad's wild ride was one of them.

Taking a couple pictures before getting out of her itchy dress.

New hat while Evan rode Matterhorn

One of their favorites [Editor's Note: I especially like the Christmas themed "It's a Small World" did.

Toon town...which is usually not all that crowded... was very packed!

Pluto!  This was one of Autumn's favorite things

After she kissed his nose he wiped the kiss off.  Autumn thought it was so funny.

Minnie Mouse's house

Minnie had to take a break right before we got to meet her...so we left.  Autumn I think has forgiven me.

Aladdin.  Autumn told him all about how Dad dressed up as Aladdin for Halloween a few years ago and she was the tiger and mom was Jasmine.

Getting trapped in the park by a parade.  So we asked a "cast member" how to get out and they just told us to watch the parade and gave us special seating.

Waiting to eat lunch with Ariel at her Grotto.

She was real nervous to meet Ariel.

Getting excited to meet the rest of the princesses.

There is a guy at the back of the dinning hall announcing the entrance of the other princesses.  Autumn spent most of the lunch standing up!

I wish I had a picture of Evan at lunch.  He was just as fun to watch (as he watched Autumn) as Autumn was to watch.

Rapunzel

Belle

Cinderella

Tiana

California Adventure

Autumn rode the carousel several times while I waited in line for Toy Story Mania

Evan rode the new ride in Cars land, Radiator Springs Racer, so Autumn and I had ice cream for dinner and saw Mater.

We went back to Disneyland.  Evan and I took turns riding Splash Mountain and Autumn fell asleep during the fireworks show.  We thought she'd stay asleep so we rode Pirates of the Caribbean...she woke up and that was on of the four rides she was afraid of (along with Haunted Mansion, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Pinocchio).