Christmas Eve....12/24/2010

Christmas Eve we got up and got ready and headed to one of our favorite pizza places, Sweet Home Chicago Pizza, they do a family deal, where you get a family sized italian salad, a small cheesebread and sauce and a large thin crust two topping pizza, we really like thier pizza and so do Kaili and Karson, all of that food is $19.95. After lunch we went and visited my Grandma McDermott, Karson was a little wound up because he was tired and didn't feel good, we wanted to go to Easton's grave, but thought we better get Karson home to take a nap. While Karson was napping I got some odds and ends things done, and then at about 4:30 we headed over to Tyler's parents house. We had a very yummy dinner of rolls, mashed potatoes, chicken, raspberry jello, salad and stuffing. It was all very good. After dinner we got ready to open some presents. The kids opened thier stockings first, and each of them got a zhu zhu pet, Mike & Ike candy, starburst, doughnuts, juice and some other treats.

Karson got a really cool dump truck that makes noise, moves forwards and backwards and dumps things...he loves it. He also got a tool set, that looks like real tools and the tools does all kinds of things. And he got some new clothes.

Larry made this beautiful cradle for Kaili for her babies and then Kaili got a REAL camera, she loves it! And she got a really cute outfit as well.

I think when she first opened her camera she was kind of confused, because she couldn't believe she got a real camera, since she opened it she has carried it everywhere with her in her new purse!

After the kids opened up thier gifts Tyler and I started on ours. Kay always gives me a necklace or something for Easton on Christmas, and they always have a quote that goes with them, of course it makes me cry every year, but I really appreciate it. I wear the necklaces a lot and it reminds me that he lives inside my heart. I had lilke 8 presents to open from Kay and Larry because I didn't ask her for one big specific thing, so it was fun to open a bunch of presents. I got 3 new cook books from them, Paula Dean's Family Cook book that I have wanted forever, Martha Stewart cupcake book, and the World Wide Ward Christmas Cookbook. I got 2 new pairs of boots, one I had asked for and the other was a surprise! Love them both. I got some plastic containers for all of my 12 x 12 scrapbook paper, and then a scrapbook carrier that can fit more of my paper and stickers! I also got a new pair of maternity jeans that I badly needed and a new maternity sweater! I think that covers it! Ty of course got $$$ for the TV and a new RED University of Utah Polo! This is for him to wear to his sister Chalese's softball games since she does play for the U and All :)

Karson playing with his dump truck!

Kars getting ready to open his Christmas Eve jammies from Ty and I. We got home from Ty's parents house around 9:00 and Kaili wanted to track Santa so we got online and spotted all the places Santa had already been ,pretty cool stuff you can see these days! Then we read some Christmas stories, and Kaili watched Mickey Saves Santa.. the kids fell asleep around 10:45 and so did Ty on Kaili's bed....I went downstairs turned on A Christmas Story and finished up the Christmas things I had to wake up Ty around midnight and we didn't go to bed until after 1:00....good times...being a parent at Christmas is much different than being a kid! :)

Thursday 12.23.10 Luke & Bonnie McD Fam Party

This picture is out of order, but it got deleted and I had to readd it. Karson had the cutest face when he opened this present. He has been telling everyone he asked Santa for a " choo choo" this year, and he got a few of them. This was his first one though, and he was so excited about it!

Thursday night the 23rd we headed over to my parents for our annual Family Christmas party.Kaili was so excited she could hardly stand it! She and Keith stayed excited together the whole night through! It is so fun to experience Christmas through the eyes of a child, I forget what it was like when I was young. We started off the night with a yummy dinner of raspberry jello, rolls, ham, potatoes and veggies. Then my mom read the story of baby Jesus to the kids and had them put pieces of the manger up..Karson wasn't really cooperating and Keith and Kaili were just so excited....but we got through it! Then we opened up some presents. This year each grandkid got one present from one couple in my family, for example, Luke and Fernanda had Karson, and we have Kyle. Karson got a nerf gun and 26 extra bullets, this was a great gift as just recently he has pretended to have a gun and shoot at us.

Cute Kyle just relaxing on the floor! :)

Karson getting ready to open up his Cars book pillow, my mom gave each of the grandkids one of these before the story in hopes it would help keep them quiet....mmmm didnt' really work out..he he...

I love this picture of Kaili and Keith,I think it captures exactly how they were feeling! EXCITED!

Kaili with her tinkerbell pillow and then her gift from Rylee and Katie....

Karson with his nerf gun...Tyler has been enjoying this present as well

Kaili got her own portable dvd player from my mom and dad, so now she has one she can watch in her room and also take on road trips. She also got some cute clothes and the below purse.

Kaili with her cute purse from my mom and dad, she LOVES it!

Karson just staring at his train box, wishing we would open it. He was such a good boy and waited all the way until the next morning when Tyler opened it and set it up for him. Karson also got some CARS pj's and a cute outfit from my mom and dad.

My Dad is a huge San Francisco Giants fan and since they won the World Series this year, we got him some Giants stuff!

I really hate pictures of me these days, but thought I would at least put 1 of me and Ty up. My parents gave me a new rocking chair, because we had to throw our other one away. I also got a pair of black earings, a movie, some socks and a black maternity velor casual outfit that I needed badly! Ty got $$ to go towards our new TV and also a really cute framed picture of him and Kaili from when Kaili was in TBALL, it's so funny because she saw the picture and didn't recognize herself, she said " who is that in the picture" uh...it's you silly girl! :) Some of us drew names in our family and exchanged gifts, I got a WAY cute gray hat from Ry and Katie and Ty got a Pei Wei gift card, which he loved also from Ry and Katie!

By the end of the night I was wiped out! Being pregnant, working, getting no sleep, and having 2 excited kids, was tiring, but lots of fun, and I know it's just going to get crazier with another one on the way! But that is what the holidays are all about right? Crazy, busy, FUN!

A little of this a little of that...

My mom got Kaili this dress last year for a really good deal and she has been wearing it to church, she really likes it and it is a pretty Christmasy looking color!

I tried to get a picture of them together, and that was Karson's smile... ha ha

On Saturday December 18, we had a party at our house with Ty's whole family to watch BYU destroy UTEP, everyone brought an appetizer to share and we hung out, it was fun. Nick and Amanda gave the kids thier Christmas presents,so here they are getting ready to open them! What cuties!

Thanksgiving Point Friday 12/17/10

Last Friday night we decided to go see the lights at Thanksgiving Point. I invited my parents to come along with us and so they met us up there. We got there early so the kids could walk around and look at the "live" reindeer. Karson LOVED them! He didn't care that it was cold outside, he just wanted to watch them and try and feed them hay!

We went and wandered around a store, and I bought the kids a 10 cent sucker, that kept them entertained for a bit...

Kaili with her blue sucker in her mouth...

We took Kaili to see these lights a few years ago and we waited in line forever, this year I wante to make sure that didn't happen so we were in line right before 6:00 and it only took us about 10 minutes to go through the lights, it was still fun, just quicker than I thought...after we went and grabbed some burgers and fries at JCW, it was really good and really packed! When we got home we watched Santa Clause 2, the night was a successful Christmas outing! :)

Some of my Christmas Faves....

My family loves to play games, and each year for Christmas we would always get a few new games to try out. I have tried to keep that a tradition with Ty and I where we give the kids one new game every Christmas and then a family game. Then we spend the week after Christmas through New Years playing all the fun, new games!

I always associate chocolate milk with Christmas morning. My mom would always buy it for us and we would drink it out of the same Santa mugs every year. I of course, do the same thing or my family, except with different mugs of course!:)

Baking! I love to bake, but ecspecially around this time of year. I have tried many new cookie receipes already, and I always look forward to my moms famous sugar cookies!

Presents, of course! I love wrapping, and buying the perfect gift for others. I always start my shopping in October, but I still shop through December. I just love watching people open presents, of course I love presents too, who doesn't?

Growing up we would pile in our mini van and drive around town on a Monday night to the various neighborhoods that would have light displays, We would sing Christmas songs and my brothers, sister and I would have a contest of who could count the most houses with lights on them. This kept us quiet for a good amount of time, because we didn't want to miss a house. I am sure my parents enjoyed the quiet!

The music! Of course I love Christmas music! I don't get sick of it, I don't mind when it comes on early! It gives me peace. I grew up singing at malls, The Dickens Festivel, The Festivel of Tree's and many other Christmas places. I loved learning new Christmas songs and performing them for people. I loved singing downtown at the ZCMI Center and Crossroads mall, because people from all different levels of the mall could look down and listen to you sing. I will cherish those memories.

Of course the older I get the more I ponder and think about the Savior at Christmas time. What a marvelous person he was, and I am so thankful for him and his life. I hope to always instill a knowledge of the " true spirt" of Christmas into my children. I love all the " festive" things about Christmas too, but there is so much more to it, than Santa Claus and treats, and parties.

Of Course we all know how much I love this movie. I just do! I can't help it. I haven't even watched it yet this year, but we need to! Ty and I need to watch, The Holiday, The Family Stone, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, The Christmas Carol and I need to watch White Christmas, since Tyler doesn't like it very much!

" If I Die Young"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NJqUN9TClM

A couple of months ago my fab sis-in-law Amanda sent me a link to this song. It's called " If I Die Young" by a band called Perry. It is a country song, and I heard it on the radio today. I am 23 weeks along today. I was 23 weeks and 4 days when I lost Easton. I can't help but think about that time, as I am right where I was then. I had a Dr. appointment today and everything looks great. Heart beat strong, and he is growing and moving around. Christmas time is always bitter sweet, because I do tend to think and wonder about Easton a little bit more, holidays just make me more sentimental I guess. I try and hold it together, but I still have my little melt downs here and there, they only last for a moment, and then I am ok. Today in the car, I had a little moment, and then I was ok. This song is so pretty, I Love the music and the leads voice. I am going to buy it on itunes, asap. Take a listen! Thanks Amanda! Love you!

Gingerbread Houses

I wasn't really planning on making Gingerbread houses this year, but Kaili has been asking me about them for awhile, and wondering when we are going to do them. She counts on doing it every year and I couldn't let her down. I see these premade houses at Costco for $9, and couldn't beat it. She had a blast making hers, and kept saying how much fun she was having, so I am glad I decided to go ahead and do it.

Karson would come to the table every ten minutes or so and stick some candy onto his, and kept saying " mine, mine" he wasn't as into it as Kaili, but I think next year he will have a fun time with it. I am no good at making these things, so Tyler steps in and makes them look better than I ever could.

Cute Karson sticking some candy on his house....he ate some of the candy too...

Kaili working on her house...

Tyler assisting Kaili.....

Kaili's finished product...

And Karson's......

Kaili's other front tooth in the top was barely hanging on, so Tyler pulled it out for her. Now all she wants for Christmas is her " two front teeth" she looks pretty cute with her two front teeth gone. She got $2 from Gma and Gpa Fankhauser and those things on her lap are some crafts she made. I got them for free, when we went and saw Santa with Karson last week. So now I can check Gingerbread houses off my list on our things to do before Christmas!