Christmas

Note to self - Next year for Christmas:

*Open Christmas jammies at Thanksgiving to wear all month!

*Choose just a couple nice thoughtful presents for each kid.

*New outfit for Mackayla. She only got socks clothing-wise this year and it was her favorite gift! (?!)

*Keep an envelope of Christmas receipts. They are still laying all over my house x(

*Our elf's handwriting on his notes may have to change next year as the kids get more observant.
(Sometimes our elf is cool, sometimes he is not:)
I don't even know the actual rules for this elf craze. We have our own rules, including that we can touch our elf and he doesn't come to our house until 12 days before Christmas.)

*Kids can open their stockings before we get up!
I left this note for Cody in his room but he thought it was from the ELF and didn't want to get in trouble so he didn't go down! He said he woke up around 4:30!

I liked that we had a nice dinner on Christmas Eve and then finger foods on Christmas Day while we played with new stuff. Next year we will have to have dinner earlier so we have more time for everything after on Christmas Eve. We also spent some relaxing, fun time at our friends' house Christmas day.

Some things I loved this Christmas:

*Handmade gifts from cousins.

*Seeing the kids excitement.
*Facetiming with grandparents to open presents.
*My brothers gift of movies for us and the kids.

*Cody's reaction to his santa gift of Zoomer Dino. We debated whether or not we cared if he got his santa request and decided to get it. Santa is still real real this year.

*Crosland Family Rock CD. Let's make it annual ;)

*Eating SCONES Christmas morning!
*Going to the beach on Christmas Eve Day.
We timed it just right for low tide again to go through the cave.

Merry Christmas!! 

Illuminocean

It has been a busy month! Like December always is...

Maybe I have been the grinch sometimes lately

but I'm hoping the next two days are full of happiness!

First in big news of the month

Miss Macey lost BOTH of her front teeth in time to sing that All I Want for Christmas song for her singers company performances:)

and for some cute Christmas pics!

She even pulled it out herself

This is maybe the funniest text I have ever gotten (excuse the french and enjoy my "screen shot"):

We went to one of our good friends' baby blessings

 We went One last time to Disneyland before our passes expired - with Ben.

 We spent a fun day at a new friend's house.

She is persian so I sat and drank herbal tea and ate dates while she cleaned some of our garden veggies and while the kids were mesmerized by Mario Kart- and the Wii in general.

We had a fabulous salad for dinner that night full of leafy vegetables I've never consciously eaten before.

 I taught preschool and almost made it through flawlessly. Except for those holes in the walls and destroyed decorations. xo

All the kids told me their tree is way bigger. I love it :)

I vote I don't have to teach the week before Christmas ever again. phew

Spent the entire next day getting ready for a fun primary activity!

 We decorated train cars and rode into the North Pole train station to watch some of the Polar Express with popcorn and licorice.

 Illuminocean is at Dana Point. You get 3D glasses to walk along the harbor and see a bunch of lights. The glasses make every single light look like whales, so all night the kids kept saying "I see whales!" 

Merry Christmas!!

Singers Company at Christmas

The whole goal of singers company is to teach girls to sing and give them confidence

performing, and in life.

Every single one of those girls sang a solo line. It's so impressive!

Here's the whole group

My super friendly Macey has always hated being put on the spot in a crowd.

All my kids do. Tell them to perform and they roll their eyes. I'm like that too so they come by it honestly.

But I do think it's important to learn to have a presence in front of a crowd

so this has been perfect for Macey.

 Her and her singing teacher, whom she loves (and she gets a lollipop each class, so that helps;p)

She sang her solos all beautifully with no hesitation.

 Her cute support team 

Then we also got to watch the kindergarten performance

 Not sure what's going on there, but it's funny - 

 Cute supporter