Christmas Traditions

I really love this time of year.  There are so many fun things to do with the kids.  Here are a few of the highlights from the past few weeks:

Building a gingerbread house--

Ruby and Wyatt both had a great time putting this together.  Although, Wyatt might have enjoyed sneaking in bites of candy more than assembling and decorating the house.

Pictures with Santa--

The kids love Santa, even if you can't tell it in this particular picture.  I hate waiting in line for an hour to see him, but it's always worth it to hear them talk to Santa and see them get excited. True to what we've been hearing for the majority of the year, Ruby asked for a dollhouse and even asked Santa to bring a fast car for her baby brother.  She told Santa that she had been good and gladly gave him what he wanted for Christmas-- a hug!  On our way out we stopped by the courtyard of Thanksgiving Point to visit his reindeer; which we assume is how he arrived from the North Pole on a cold Tuesday night in December.

Driving thru the lights at Thanksgiving Point--

The kids love that they can get out of their carseats and sit on my lap as we drive thru the the lighted park.  It's truly magical to watch their eyes light up and stare in astonishment at all the beautiful lighted scenes.

Nutcracker--

I've seen the Nutcracker every December for the majority of the past 12 years, usually because Brandon's sister is performing; so this year I just couldn't break the tradition.  I invited my mother in law to come with me and Ruby and we enjoyed a girl's night out downtown.

We had a quick dinner at the Olive Garden and then walked across the street to the Capitol theatre to see Ballet West's Nutcracker.  Ruby loved it!  The seats next to us were empty (and no one was seated behind us), so she alternated between dancing and sitting on my lap.  She made it thru the performance until the last 2 dances, then she got antsy and "needed" to get up and visit the water fountain multiple times.  I love bonding with my tiny dancer.

Playing in the snow--
We've had a white December this year. Brandon and the kids love playing in the yard when they can.  He made a sled run on the side of our house and could spend hours outside building snowmen, throwing snowballs, and making snow angels.

Elf on the shelf--

The year Ruby was born my mom gifted us an elf on the shelf, but last year was the first year we used it.  Ruby dubbed our little elf Platypus and anxiously wakes up every morning looking for him.  For those who don't know about elf on the shelf, it's a little elf that lives in your home and silently watches what you do throughout the day and magically flies home to Santa at night to report your behavior.  Every night when he returns he finds a new place to hide in the house.  You can look at him, but whatever you do, don't touch him (or else he'll lose his magic).  Wyatt actually gets quite excited about him, too. When he sees Platypus he'll point to it and smile and often point to other places he's seen Platypus.