Christmas Day and BYU Blue...and Pink

WARNING!!!  This is an INSANELY long post.

  Christmas morning was incredibly exciting at the Reay household this year.  I don't know who was more excited about it, the kids or Allan and me. 

(the kids enjoying their grape juice in our traditional Christmas mugs)

Lillian only lasted about 20 minutes into our gift opening before she needed a nap so the kids helped her open her gifts on our bed after she woke up.  She was VERY excited about it.

(adorable Christmas outfits provided by the kids' surrogate grandma, Debbie)

(I mistakenly got Walker "advanced level" Transformers.  They took Allan about an hour a piece to turn into cars.  Walker refused to go to sleep until they were all transformed.)

(Lillian enjoying her new fish mobile)

Anyone that knows Allan knows that he is the ultimate BYU fan.  Yesterday they played their last game of the season in the Armed Forces Bowl and as per usual he and the kids were dressed in their game-day attire.  It paid off because BYU came back to win the game in the 4th quarter.  It was pandemonium in our house as Allan and the kids ran around the living room screaming and chanting "BYU!! BYU!!"  Allan has successfully turned them into die hard fans already.

(notice Emma's cute haircut!?!)

.

A Nativity Scene

My favorite part of our Christmas party, apart from the good food and wonderful company, was the nativity put on by the little ones.  Our niece Kyla was the narrator with her sisters, Mikaela and Kendall, playing the parts of the shepherd and angel, Emma and Walker were our Mary and Joseph and little cousin Eli was the wiseman.  And of course sweet Lillian was a cow.  Baby Jesus was the obvious choice for her but she just looks so stinkin' cute in her cow pyjamas.

We had quite the cute little manger scene in our living room.

For Christmas this year my Dad wrote a beautiful little Christmas story that he put with pictures and gave to each of us in a little book.  He is our very own Dr. Seuss and it is just too beautiful not to share.  I have yet to read it without crying.  Here it is...

What is this, Christmas?

White hills and valleys of new fallen snow

Bring questions and puzzles to children below

A riddle, a mystery, this Christmasy thing

That brought baby Jesus and angels to sing

For Emma, the namesake of her Grandma Merlynn

Her search for this Christmas was about to begin

With little brother Walker, also known as Walka-do

And their crazy cousin Eli to name just a few

The determined little fellowship set out on a quest

To find things of Christmas which make it the best

They started out slowly, looking here and over there

Finding dozens of toys from past years they could share

Was this the true meaning intended above

Or had shoppers and sellers confused His great love

Christmas, thought Emma, should mean so much more

So they thought and they pondered 'til their thinkers were sore

And then, like a candle bringing light to the way

Their little cousin Eli stood with something to say

Maybe Christmas is more than just shopping and fun

Perhaps it's a feeling, like the warmth of the sun

You're right, my fine fellow, Walker had to agree

It starts out quite little, like planting a tree

I know that's the answer, Emma shouted with glee

It's the love and the care from my own family

Of course, it made sense to their wee little hearts

That the joy of this Christmas should never depart

But each day with some kindness, kisses and tears

You share a bit of Christmas every day of the year

The true meaning of Christmas burned brighter by far

When our trio of heroes remembered the star

Then the warmth they'd been seeking surrounded all three

As they realized the Spirit of Christmas is free

The birth in a manger surrounded by sheep

Was a message to all to arise and not sleep

But love one another and care for your own

For this is the meaning of Christmas we've shown

And then like a miracle from heaven above

The Father of us all displayed His great love

Her name, like a flower, as sweet as can be

Our precious, dear Lillian born for to see

That the love of this season is truly a gem

The Christ child is born the king of all men

So come, Christmas season with whistles and bows

For the meaning of Christmas our trio does know

May our Savior's pure love lift and lighten your load

As you think of my grandchildren and the story they've told

Love, Grandpa Larsen

A Pinata and a Pancake

This year I promised the kids a Christmas party with their cousins. One of the things that they were most excited for was a pinata.  I gave Emma some suggestions as to the kind of pinata she might want, easy things like a snowman or Santa's head. Naturally she chose the most difficult thing I could think of: Rudolph's head.  My first attempt at a pinata turned out reasonably successful with the help of my good husband and the kids' artistic abilities.

I failed to get a picture of the finished product, mostly because I was running around like a crazy person the day before the party getting things together and organized.

The Christmas party was Christmas Eve but before the festivities began the kids had a Christmas breakfast that will be a standing tradition now.

Rudolph Pancakes!!!

There are few things that I enjoy more than seeing my kids really enjoy food I've lovingly prepared for them.  It's so satisfying to see them gobble up two huge pancakes and ask for more.

It will take me at least 3 or 4 posts document all of our Christmas celebrations, so I will do it a little bit at a time.

6 More Sleeps 'til Christmas

Tonight for Family Home Evening we put together and decorated a gingerbread house.  It was the first gingerbread house that Allan has ever decorated so he was a little more into it than either of the kids.  They were more concerned with sneaking the candy while we weren't looking.

Then Allan decided that because it was bath night it would be a good idea to have an icing fight.  I don't think Emma's ever laughed so hard in her life.

We don't have a picture of Walker covered in icing because he licked it off of his face faster than we could snap one.

We did however get this picture of him a couple of weeks ago.

The poor little thing mistook another woman in Walmart for me and he was so embarrassed.  He spent the next 15 minutes walking around the store like this.

Generally at Christmas time it annoys me to listen to anything but Christmas music but I've found a new favorite artist and she has two songs in particular that I can't get enough of.  Her name is Mindy Gledhill and, maybe I'm out of the loop, but I just discovered her a couple of days ago.  She has such a clear, pure voice and her music is so whimsical.  Her song "Hourglass" makes me think of my sweet kidlets. Enjoy!!

Freeze-it Moments

When Emma was just little and Walker was a baby I made the mistake of hanging dozens and dozens of snowflakes over their bed and crib.  Since then our Christmas decorating isn't complete until their bedroom has been turned into a winter wonderland, complete with a gingerbread house I painted for them last year.  I'm sure it is a tradition that I will love once all of them are old enough to cut out their own snowflakes but with just Emma and I it was quite the endeavour.  We also added a little Christmas tree that acts as their nightlight while they are falling asleep.

Sometimes there are moments where one of my children says or does something and I wish that I could freeze them in that second so that I won't ever forget it.  Today I had several of those moments.

Walker, Lillian and I all look forward to 3:30 when Emma finishes kindergarten.  Not the snowsuits and mittens and hats and loading everyone in the van and waiting part but the part where she comes running towards us from the school.  Today as she was telling me about her day and was getting into the van she looked so beautiful and grown up.  Sometimes when she looks that way to me I feel like someone has an iron grip on my heart and is squeezing so hard I can't breathe but today it just made me happy and proud to be the mother of such a beautiful little thing.

 
Today for the first time in all of his little life Walker and I made a craft together, just the two of us.  We have made countless crafts with Emma but generally he ends up getting bored and leaving or just cutting a paper into a million pieces because Emma demands most of my attention in those instances.  He was so excited to sit down and work on something together without any big or little sister (Lillian was sleeping) to interrupt that it almost made me sad that I hadn't thought to do this with him earlier. 

We used 3/4 of a bottle of glue and half a bag of cotton balls but it was well worth it to listen to him whisper to himself what he would do next and see the pride in his little art project once he was finished.

Lillian has the sweetest disposition and makes all of us so happy.  In the last couple of days she has found her voice and her tongue so she spends most of the day looking like this...

and sounding like someone who has a tongue depressor in her mouth and is being told to say "AHHH"
She has also learned how to roll from her back to her stomach, something that the other two couldn't do until they were one.  We can already tell that she is going to do her best to keep up with her older brother and sister.

 

 Bridgett seems to be pretty excited about the prospect of having another little one to play with too!