Christmas Eve & Day

On Christmas Eve we were in Mesa with Clint's family.  We took family pictures and then had dinner at my in-laws' house.  After dinner we read the Christmas story in Luke.  They have a tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve so I suggested that the kids open the small present that Amelia (and I) made.  Amelia's eight cousins (ranging from 5 years old to 2.5 months old) were excited when they saw the homemade ornaments that had their names on them.  Some thought they were cookies and wanted to eat them.  Luckily none of the kids did eat them...they were made from salt and flour so they are edible but they probably wouldn't have tasted very good.  We finally left to go home back to Gilbert.

 When we got home, Amelia helped me put some cookies and a glass of milk out for Santa. We wrote him a note saying "Merry Christmas" and "Enjoy the cookies and milk."  She went to bed and fell asleep after an hour or so, around 10:15pm. 

I woke up when I heard Amelia awake and talking in her bed, around 8:15am.  When I opened her door, she sat up and said "Santa Claus!"  After going potty and getting dressed we headed downstairs.  She saw that the cookies and milk were gone and said "Santa ate the cookies all gone (with a very excited face while acting like her fingers were cookies, eating them), and drank the milk all gone!!!"  Santa wrote a note back to Amelia saying "Thank you for the milk and cookies.  Merry Christmas to you too.  Be a good girl this year for your mommy and daddy.  Love, Santa"  She was also excited that Santa wrote to her and said "Santa write me a thank you letter!"

I went in the pantry to get my video camera and told Amelia to stay put.  Of course she didn't, and instea went over to check the stockings.  I had the full stockings hanging up on hooks, which were sitting on the top shelf of our DVD stand.  I heard a loud crashing sound while I was in the pantry.  Amelia tried to get her stocking down and when she pulled on her stocking, the top level of DVD's came falling down along with the stockings and stocking holders.  When I came in the living room, she was standing there looking at the mess and said "Oops, it fall down." 

She rummaged through the movies and found the stockings and took them over to daddy on the couch.

Daddy and Amelia Christmas morning with the stockings

We didn't get many pictures but did have the video camera recording the opening of stockings and Christmas presents at our house.  Amelia was thrilled to see what Santa brought her in her stocking.  Once the stockings were empty she wanted to open presents.  She would grab a present from under the tree and just assume it was hers.  A few of the presents were for Clint so I had to make sure she didn't open them.  She sat on the couch and ripped the wrapping paper off the presents and loved seeing what present she got.  She then got off the couch to grab another present.

After the presents were all opened, I made green french toast.  I used Christmas cookie cutters to make a french toast Christmas tree and stocking for Amelia.  She thought they were pretty cool and couldn't wait to eat them.  After breakfast was over, around 10am, we had a little bit of time for Amelia to play with some new presents before heading to Mesa for more Christmas celebration.  She really enjoyed playing with her Melissa and Doug food cutting box (wooden food with velcro that you can 'cut' with the wooden knife on a wooden cutting board.  She also loved the doll set we got her.  It comes with a baby doll, a baby doll crib, a baby seat that can be a baby carrier or be turned into a high chair or swing, and pretend baby food, pacifier, bottle, spoon, fork, and bowl.  Amelia would put the baby in the high chair and pretend to feed it food and milk.  She is practicing for when baby brother comes :)

We went to Mesa and had the big Ray family Christmas celebration at my in-laws house at about 11:15am.  There had to be about 100 presents under (and around) the tree.  We all sat around the living room (Clint's parents, his 8 siblings, a few spouses, and the 9 grandkids.  One of his brothers passed out presents.  It seemed like the presents wouldn't stop coming.  Amelia got a snow white doll (that she loves to carry around), a baby doll, a thunder tumbler car, cute tinkerbell and princess panties, a few outfits, pink boots, a princess sleeper gown with slippers, new white dress shoes, a note that said "A trip to Disneyland" and a whole stocking full of candy! 

I recorded her opening presents and was able to get one picture of her opening a present in all the craziness.


We hung around at his parents house and after Clint's grandparents and his mom's family arrived, we ate Christmas dinner around 4:30pm.  After Christmas dinner we had a white elephant gift exchange with the adults, and with the little kids.  They set up a Christmas tree pinata in backyard and the kids had turns swinging the plastic bat at the pinata.  I even had a turn (blindfolded).  One of Clint's brothers broke the pinata open and the kids got MORE candy.  We went back inside and had pie and ice cream for dessert.  After dessert, we all sat around a few tables and played the LCR game with miniature candies.  We each started with 3 little candies and played until only one person was left with a candy in front of them.  That person would be the winner and win the basket full of candy in the center.  Guess who won...ME!  So I got yet MORE candy.  I think with Amelia's stocking full of candy, my stocking full of candy, Clint's stocking full of candy, the pinata candy that Amelia got, and this basket full of candy, we have about 10 pounds worth of candy!  It is separated into two large bowls; one with all the chocolate candies and the other with the non-chocolate candies.  We will have this candy until Valentine's Day I'm sure, and then we will get more candy from my mother-in-law.

We had a great Christmas and were glad we could spend it with family, even if it does get really crazy.  I hope that anyone who reads this also had a great Christmas too!
Bring on 2011!

Cousin Charlie's Quick Visit

My sister and nephew stopped by on their way home from Cottonwood to Tucson.  Amelia had a fun time playing with her cousin Charlie.  She showed Charlie her special teddy bear (the one Clint and I made at Build-A-Bear when I was pregnant with her).  Charlie had a stuffed kitty cat that used to be my sister's when she was a child.

Amelia giving her special bear a 'big daddy hug'.  This is how Amelia says she is giving a big, squeeze hug.  I get a 'big daddy hug' every night before she goes to bed :) 

Amelia was covering her face and counting, I guess for hide & seek but Charlie wasn't hiding very well.

Amelia can count on her own to 20.  I have been counting our 15 stairs aloud everytime I walk up or down the stairs with Amelia.  I guess she stored that information because one day she covered her face, pretending to play hide & seek with me, and she started counting to 15.  I then taught her 16-20.  If I say twenty-one, she will say twenty-two, twenty-three, and so on up to twenty-nine.  She doesn't count past 20 on her own though, only if I prompt her and help her if she gets stuck.

Temple Christmas Lights

On my way back to the valley from Cottonwood, I stopped in Mesa and met up with Clint at his parent's house.  We went out for a quick bite to eat and then took Amelia to see the Christmas lights and hear the music at the Temple.  She really enjoyed seeing the three Wise Men and their camels.  The pictures were taken on my cell phone and of course it was dark so they were kind of blurry.

Amelia showing off her new ladybug hat and gloves, and one of my scarves

Mommy, Amelia, three Wise Men, and camels 

Cottonwood Visit

Amelia and I drove to Cottonwood for the day for my sister's baby shower.  Amelia had fun playing with cousin Charlie, Grandpa Dave, and my cat, Daisy.

Since we wouldn't be seeing my sister or nephew anytime soon, we had the kids open their Christmas presents from each other.

Rip off that paper!

"What's in there?" Amelia would say when opening a box or bag.

Piano time with Grandpa Dave. 

Picture of the two preggo mommas:

Heather @ 32 weeks & Me @ 28.5 weeks

Snow & Shower

My parents came down on Friday December 3rd.  Our local Bashas' was having a fun activity outside their store.  They brought snow in, had a bouncy house, bbq food for sale, and boutique verndors set up in the parking lot.  My dad, Amelia, and I went down to the store when it started at 9am to show Amelia the snow.  She saw snow once before when Clint brought a bucket back from Show Low last year.  As you can see in the pictures, there was a decent amount of snow.  It was the perfect opportunity for Amelia to wear her cute ladybug hat and gloves.

Posing with Grandpa Dave 

Trying to learn how to walk on the snow. 

Trying to grab the snow. 

Sinking in the snow a little bit. 

Posing with mommy :) 

Throwing snow at Grandpa Dave. 

Grandpa caught the snow that time! 

Bouncing in the bouncy house. 

More bouncing. 

The reason my parents came down for the weekend was for the baby shower my mom was coordinating on Saturday.  We wanted to have a baby shower for my relatives that live in the Phoenix area that can't make the drive up to the Cottonwood baby shower.  We had the baby shower at Chili's and enjoyed a nice lunch.

Amelia enjoyed sitting between both her grandmas (Grandma Betty pictured). 

But Amelia kept coming over to sit in my lap every so often too to get some love from me!

Thanks to all those that were able to come to the baby shower!!!