Christmas Eve

Somehow I barely got any pictures of Christmas Eve.  I'm especially sad that I didn't get any shots of my parents dressed up as wise men for our nativity play.

Ellie was Mary, but much to her sister's chagrin she refused to put her baby doll in the manger or allow it be wrapped in swaddling clothes. 

Alaina reprised her role as angel.  I think she enjoyed the play more than anyone else.  As soon as we finished she asked if we could act it out again and (and made the same request throughout the week after Christmas).  She keeps referring to the halo as a hulu. Cracks me up.

Other Christmas Eve activity: the girls opened up their holiday jammies, Andrew and I put on our candy cane p.j.'s, and we ate a ham dinner having braved the line at Honey Baked Hams earlier in the day (I also went to Toys R Us around mid-day--huge, huge mistake, never do that to yourself). Late that night my mom helped me wrap the Santa gifts and Drew and my dad put together the little girls kitchen because we hadn't gotten around to that stuff earlier (never again will I wait till the night before).

Christmas Dresses & Nana's Birthday

The girls actually ended up with two sets of Christmas dresses this year because I bought a set back in August, completely forgetting about the set I bought the previous year during the after Christmas sales.

I liked the black dresses the best.

Lainey wanted to take a picture all by herself so of course Ellie had to have one too 

(we've had a lot of that sort of thing lately).

The Sunday before Christmas was Nana's birthday so we had a nice dinner and let her open her present (normally we celebrate her birthday in June, but I wanted to do it on her actual birthday this year because it was a big one and because she would be with us).  We (my siblings, their spouses, the grandkids, and I) gave her a book listing 60 fun memories/things we love about her.

I compiled the book so it was pretty fun to see all the things my brothers and sister submitted, especially the ones from my youngest brothers because I was out of the house for half their childhoods and missed some of the things they reminisced about.  Some of my favs:

"I remember I always had the sweetest Valentine boxes in grade school.  It seemed whatever I thought of, you could make.  Sorry I blew one of them up with a dry ice bomb in the front yard and made a huge mess."

"I'll never forget the time when Mike and his friends set the field on fire behind our house. Mom was understandably furious. The funny part came when she started spewing out a string of obscenities in front of all the neighbors and their kids. It was very memorable."

"One of my favorite ways to earn money growing up was to either kill grasshoppers from your gardens or bring in a praying mantis from down the hill.  It was 5 cents for each grasshopper killed or 25 cents for each praying mantis.  You always believed whatever number we told you though."

Also that day, Liz learned that the Elf of the Shelf is not real, thanks to some lame boy in her Sunday School class (two days before Christmas?!  Really?!).  I was there when it happened and Lizzie looked a little sad/pensive, but that evening she excitedly asked to move it herself that last night.  

Of course, it also didn't help that throughout the month we frequently forgot to move ole Sparky for days at a time.  The first time it happened Liz stormed into our room and angrily said "The Elf isn't real! I know you move it because he's in the same place as yesterday!"  We gave her some sort of lame cover story and she seemed to buy it till her classmate spilled the beans Sunday.  Still, as with the tooth fairy, learning the truth about Sparky didn't seem to affect her belief in Santa one bit which I suppose means she still wants to believe.

The Girlies with Nana & Papa

Ward Christmas Party

We had our Christmas party last Saturday and we really enjoyed it.  Loved the food, let the decor, loved the whole set up: Santa, dinner, nativity play.

Lainey was the only one willing to actually visit with Santa.  Apparently Liz is too old and too cool to to interact with him, but she did swipe a candy cane.  And Ellie liked to watch Santa from afar, but was too afraid to approach him.

Alaina was a bit chatty, but when it came to a gift request she kind of froze up and Santa had to ask her several times and tell her to speak up.  Turns she wants a teddy bear--I had no idea. 

Midway through dinner Ellie decided that she really did want to see Santa and kept asking us to take her to him.  We waited till the line died down and good thing too because even after her multiple requests she panicked when she got close to the guy and wouldn't let go of Drew.

Lizzie and Lainey initially didn't want to participate in the nativity play, but I was one of the dressers so I made them come "backstage" with me.  Eventually when Liz saw all her friends in costume and realized that there was only one angel costume left she decided that she wanted to wear it.  Of course she when she came out on stage she was in a shepherd costume . . .  Once Alaina saw Liz in costume she decided she wanted one as well and once she got on stage she was pretty excited.

Baltimore Dollar Days

We went to the Maryland Science Center and we loved it just as much as we did last year.  

The favorites were the dinosaur area and the Kids Zone.

The girls liked brushing sand off dinosaur bones so much that we did it on the way in and on way out.

 Kids Zone: it was crazy busy in there, but the kids were contained.

 Bed of Nails:

On the way out the girlies looked at the ducks in Baltimore Harbor and Liz tried to teach her sisters the difference between the males and females.

Drew wasn't with us.  He didn't want to go to the museum and I didn't want to make the food I volunteered to take to the ward party later that evening so I brokered a deal (I think we were both happy with the result).

More on Lainey

Yesterday Lainey told me that she wanted to go to Build-A-Bear and make a "pink unicorn with a horn" just like Lizzie has, only she wants hers to be "better than Lizzie's."  She wants it to "sing and grant wishes."

Lainey is still talking (daily) about her next birthday party.  Her latest plan is to have a slumber party where she and her guests wash our cars. 

She can't seem to say her S sounds if another consonant follows so it's tupid, tart, and top, instead of stupid, start, and stop (I sure I wish I could say that my four-year-old didn't say stupid).

Today I took her and Ellie to the local bounce house.  As always I made Lainey try the slides with me once.  Usually screams and fusses, says she doesn't like them and refuses to go on them again.  This time after once with me she loved them!  Hooray!  I'm glad she's finally over her fear of them.

Miniatures today

The girls were completely enthralled with the holiday-themed miniature display at our local library, and, we all enjoyed some rounds of I Spy.