Christmas 2012

Carrots and cookies for Santa - oh and chocolate and regular milk because we weren't sure which he prefers.

Joey and Logan made Santa drawings to take with him.

Christmas morning!

 Opening the dog stockings too...

Oliver the Elf 2012

We received our first Elf on the Shelf this year.  I really didn't know anything about this tradition but now that we have one, we love it! The kids were beyond excited when Cheri picked up our elf from the airport from the North Pole.  We all agreed his name would be Oliver and seeing where he ended up each morning was a highlight of this Christmas season.  Next year we will have more time with him, as I hear he comes back around Thanksgiving.  For now he is happily back at the North Pole.

Jeff's Birthday

Happy birthday to my wonderful husband! As is our family tradition, on his birthday he got to choose his favorite dinner and he chose prosciutto wrapped rosemary chicken.  Here is the sign Joey made for the kitchen, "Warning Mommy's cooking Daddy's Birthday Dinner." 

I also baked his favorite dutch crumble apple pie for dessert and for the kids we had chocolate cake. 

Santa Visits the Preschool

Every year the preschool hosts Santa for an afternoon and the past three years have been extra special... 

1st Grade Christmas

Just in case I wasn't already head over heels in love with our elementary school, Christmas put me over the top!  I volunteered in Joey's classroom the last day before Winter Break and got to enjoy their trip on the Polar Express (watching the movie with hot cocoa), gingerbread cookie decorating (cookies they made the previous day that were baked by volunteers in the neighborhood), and their holiday lunch potluck.  Oh and did I mention they all got to wear their pajamas to school?  So much fun!

Disneyland 2012

For 18 months we saved every penny (literally!) we could for our big Disneyland trip.  We love going to Disneyland in December.  Christmas and the Happiest Place on Earth... what could be better?  We go every other year and we all look forward to it so much.  This year we were looking forward to seeing Cars Land, which did not dissapoint.  But of course the best part is seeing the kids's faces when they experience all the magic of the castle, the rides, the characters, the parade, the fireworks, etc.  2012 has been a tough year on our family and it was so nice to escape reality for a couple of days and just be happy - it was an amazing vacation!

Before the trip Joey worked on signs to hopefully get picked for Jedi Training Academy in Tomorrow Land.  He had seen the photos of his big brothers fighting Darth Vader years ago and that was his main goal for this trip.  Thankfully he was chosen immediately (sign worked!) and I cried like he really became a Jedi!

We left Friday night so the kids could sleep in the car.  Unfortunately we blew a fuse right before we left and the DVD players and the radio were not working.  That made for a very looooonnnngggg car ride for the adults trying to stay awake and drive.  But for the kids, it just made it easier to sleep!

We arrived at our hotel at 3 a.m. and of course the kids were ready to head to the park.  We managed to get some sleep and headed to iHop for a huge breakfast...

When we got to the park the first ride we went on was the Jungle Cruise.  The kids were amazed by what they saw everywhere they looked.

One of Logan's goals of the trip was to go in a canoe.  He had seen a Max & Ruby episode about a canoe and was so excited when he found out Disneyland had canoes too.

Since Emmie is too small to ride most of the rides, she and I had some serious Mommy-Daughter bonding.  This pic below is some bonding over a traditional banana split from Ghiradelli Chocolate Factory. 

Face painting was also on our To Do list and Joey and Logan loved their dragons!

Of course we stopped by to say hello to characters whenever we could. 

 

Me and my little man...

My little man became a bonafide Starbucks addict on this trip.  No, not for lattes, but for chocolate milk and croissants.  Here he is in his pajamas at the hotel Starbucks with Cheri.

One of the most magical experiences of the trip was the Bibbity Boppity Boutique for Emmie.  Located in Sleeping Beauty's Castle, this boutique transforms little princesses with hair and makeup and even nail polish applied by fairy godmothers.  Emmie loved it and I cried through the whole thing.  It was like a movie montage played in my head of all we went through to have a daughter and it all lead up to this... her princess reveal.  Okay, I know that sounds a little dramatic but you had to be there... it is emotional!

Speaking of had-to-be-there moments... this is our little princess asleep on the hotel hallway floor... there is no way for me to really explain why Cheri and I were laughing hysterically at this point.  It involved being exhausted and carrying this little sack of potatoes for what seemed like miles, and then not being able to find our hotel room.... again, had to be there.

Emmie wasn't the only one passed out after a day of magical fun!

Here is the little princess performing one of her daredevil stunts - leaping to her daddy with Patrick spotting just in case she didn't make it!

Me & Logan

Mommy, Daddy & Princess Emmie

Princesses Emmie & Bella

We got to spend some time with Jeff's brother and family - think they look alike?

Love the castle all lit up for Christmas, and of course love my prince!

One of the best photo-ops in the park is the staircase at the end of New Orleans Square. 

Joey laughing hysterically - so much fun!

Here are the boys waiting for the Holiday Magic Parade sitting on top of garbage cans.  This pic was taken before Logan fell off...

Sweet sibling moment...

Cheri & Logan walking to the park in the morning...

Emmie preferred to ride backwards in her stroller like a chariot and yes, she waved at people as we passed.

Joey just before we went on Thunder Mountain Railroad for the first time...

Freelands & Sahotas - one big happy family!