Dreaming of a White Christmas

Yep...we did get a white Christmas and it is still coming down. Karsyn had been asking on a daily basis for weeks if it was going to snow and honestly, up until that morning when a few flurries started, I thought it was never going to happen. She got her wish and I have to say it is beautiful. I don't mind it one bit when we can just stay by the fire inside and watch it from the window {which is what we've been doing}. As soon as it is time to get back to life and I have to drive in it....
I'm over it! For now we will enjoy.... it is pretty idyllic for Christmas.

Christmas morning began earlier than Mark and I knew....Emmrey was up at around 5 but we didn't hear anything until Kars came in and said she couldn't get back to sleep [around 6:30]. As soon as Emm heard her, she came in and told her she should come into her room. I loved hearing them whisper and giggle across the hall. When they finally made enough noise to get Bay to wake...it was nearly 7:30. The girls lined up on the stairs...

 We checked to make sure Santa had got in. Not only did he eat the cookie, but he liked them so much he took a few extras!

 Santa did find us at our new place and the morning was filled with the joys that Christmas brings.

We made omelettes for breakfast {Smith tradition}

We made a nice dinner that included some of our family favorites. Orange ice is something my Grandma Alice made every year for the holidays. I make it every year and we live on it for days.

Homemade rolls are Grandma Gledhills recipe. Grandma Shirley took over making them several years ago, and now Mark makes them for us.  They are delicious!

 This Festive Cheese Ball is my mom's recipe and I could eat it every day. But....I try to demonstrate some self control. This is a staple in the Fortie holiday meals:)

 Probably one of our favorite gifts was a new family game....Ticket to Ride Europe. We got a couple other games too, but this one has become a favorite. This version has some twists and as Bailee said it is "taking our Ticket to Ride skills to another level"

 We had a calm, super relaxing day and literally spent the entire day in our matching PJ's

 

We ate, we played, we gave and received plenty. But my favorite gifts are not the ones that are in packages from stores, but made purely from the heart. Like this one Emm made us just a few days before Christmas as she scurried around the house collecting supplies in secret. 

Behind the cotton ball is written..."Little Craft but Big Heart"

 We watched a couple of short videos to help us remember what Christmas is really all about. We especially loved this one. He is the Gift and as we too easily get caught up in all the wrapping, I don't want us to forget the greatest gift of all.

Merry Christmas 2014!

Christmas Eve 2014

I know I have said this before, but I love Christmas Eve, more so than Christmas Day. For me, all the magic peaks on Christmas Eve and by the following day, it has lost its luster. We stayed home this year. Our first Christmas in our new house. The weather had been unseasonably warm and so Mark and I decided to go for a hike early on the 24th. The girls weren't interested this time, so it was just the two of us. We hiked the Black Powder Trail in Poudre Canyon. For a little bit we forgot it was December...

We came home and got things rolling for the big night. There was a puzzle or two being worked on all day long.

 Since we had already decorated Gingerbread houses twice this year, we decided to make gingerbread men .....from scratch I might add. The house smelled so yummy:)

 We had pizza and broke out the Egg Nog. I don't particularly care that much for egg nog, but we always had/have it Christmas Eve with my family and so it is in my blood I guess. It seems like I always buy it and our girls don't really drink it {they just like the idea of it}. This year I bought just a little container and wouldn't you know it.....this girl is a serious "nog head"....she LOVED it!

 We played some games, watched The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and I read a few stories.  One of which is a family tradition of the Story of the Christ Child.

 The girls opened their gifts from us....look how surprised they are about getting PJ's and books;)

 They also opened their gifts to each other. They have to buy these with their own money they have earned so they just spend what they can or they can go in on a gift together.  Karsyn received the latest Diary of a Wimpy Kid and a hand knit beanie from Bailee and Poopaloopadingdong {emm} She was pretty happy!

 Bailee received her favorite B&B WorksVanilla Bean set from Kars and a leather bracelet and a Little House Christmas special from Emm {don't know where she gets that "Prairie lovin" from?}

 Emmrey was given a Movie Night kit from her sisters. This included treats and a ticket for 3 movie nights...her choice ....no complaints:)

 We had been checking Santa Tracker and knew we didn't have much time, so we got everyone ready for bed

 The Santa Key was hung on the door. Although we now have a chimney, Emmrey wanted to be double sure he could get it;) We left some goodies for Santa and his helpers....and a note...ALWAYS!

Garden of Lights

On Monday we took the girls to see some Christmas lights. I had heard about the Gardens on Spring Creek that gets all lit up and we decided to go check it out. It was pretty perfect. Not too big or crowded and lights galore.  

fish pond

It was fun to drive through downtown Fort Collins with all the tree lights

 And then through the downtown of our little town

Christmas Party

We are down to one kiddo that still has classroom parties for holidays.....sad sad:( I helped again with Emmrey's party on Friday, which was their last day before break. We had an hour for the party and we decided to do 4 stations to rotate through. We had a cookie decorating station, craft station, snack station, and game station. I was in charge of the games and I planned Don't Eat.....{one of the reindeer names}, Silver Bells and Snowman Slam {although we ran out of time for this one}. It was a fun little celebration for just the right amount of time. It was also PJ day, so the kids got to watch a movie {Sound of Music} and eat popcorn

The high school had finals that week and Bailee didn't have to take any on Friday, so she was able to come along for the party and spend the afternoon in 2nd grade. Seems like just yesterday she was there herself:)

Speaking of parties....we had a Christmas dinner/party at our church the previous week that was unforgettable. We listened to carolers outside by fires and hot chocolate, ate yummy soups and had a gingerbread house decorating contest. We started out with great plans that soon failed and we ended up going with a dump truck idea out of desperation. Things went from bad to worse and our poor truck soon looked like it had been totalled ....{no, our truck didn't win}

The party itself was fun and all but it was what happened as things were ending that will leave a mark. Just as things were winding down and we were thinking about taking off, we were told that the church was on "lock-down".  There was a manhunt for an armed suspect who had fired at a police car. He had jumped out of his vehicle and was on the loose in the neighborhood.  We were stuck at the church for nearly 2 extra hours, before we finally reached our limit and essentially snuck out the back door {we did have an armed escort to take us to the parking lot} We didn't get home until close to 10:00 pm ....4 1/2 hours is a bit long at a church dinner;) They did catch the guy, but not until the following day.When we left the church, the surrounding streets had all been barricaded and we had to detour home. Definitely not something you experience everyday. 

Goodies and Gifts

Although every year I attempt to reduce the amount of extra buying and unnecessary business that occurs during the Holidays , I always cave when it comes to the teachers.  I mean really.... those teachers [most of them] deserve a little token of appreciation.  We made our gifts for the girls teachers last weekend. Bailee didn't want to take anything for her teachers....imagine that. Karsyn has 7 teachers she wanted to take a little something to, so we needed to keep it simple {we made sure to remember the bus driver too}

 Mrs E takes such good care of Emmrey for most of her day, and she is having a birthday over the break, so we wanted to do something special for her.

 We also spent the weekend making goodies for friends and neighbors {and possibly a few for ourselves} After years of trial and error...we have narrowed it down to Belly buttons, Cool Whip Balls, and Toffee {Marks' the master on that}

Caroling

We had another great opportunity to get out in the community and serve. I really want these girls I work with at church [especially my own] to learn to step outside themselves and do for others. I had made arrangements with a Health and Rehab center in Fort Collins for the youth to come in on Wednesday evening and sing for/with the residents. It turned out to be a success!!  We didn't get a lot of time with them since we couldn't get there until 7 and they start putting some of them to bed by 7:45, but the little bit of time we had to bring them some Christmas cheer was worth it. I hope my girls noticed the smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts as they clapped and sang along.

 I know that I did and I could feel the happiness on the room:)

Hello Puck

Last Tuesday after we came home from Bailee's swim meet, we were greeted by our little friend. Yes, Puck is back for another season of keeping tabs on us and hopefully less mischief than in years past;) He brought with him a candy countdown for the girls [cuz the 3 others we have just weren't enough for Emmrey]. Let's hope we can keep up with this little guy for the next 2 weeks.

Santa Cops

For a youth activity a couple of weeks ago, the girls{Bay & Kars} and I got to help with Santa Cops. This is a non-profit organization of Larimer County law enforcement agencies who, with the help of donations from businesses and organizations, try to provide Christmas for underprivileged children. I was in awe at the abundance of goods that had been donated to the "store". Our job was to pick out items for a select child and wrap the gifts.  It was a great way to get into the true spirit of Christmas.

The outlet stores where the "shop" was set up, was all decorated outside with scenes depicting the 12 days of Christmas. The girls especially liked the 9 Ladies Dancing and wanted to be part of the action.

Smith Family Christmas Tree 2014

Getting the lights on

Testing more lights when you run out

Sorting through the ornaments

Checking for holes

Adding the decorations

Picking just the right spot

Making sure they are all in view

The finished product