Tag: Christmas

Christmas Tree Trimming

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Our tree was chosen, washed and placed in the house. Now its time to trim it with all of our lovely ornaments. The girls were very excited to help out, although they refused to let me take pictures of them after the first few. Oh well, I have the memories in my mind as well! What a fun night together as a family!
Always the comedian! Don’t fall Shaun!
Our beautiful star is on top of the tree! Now to decorate!
Ellie puts her first ornament onto the tree!
Abby has her first ornament for the tree too!
This was the last picture I was allowed to take. Abby did such a great job placing the ornaments onto the tree. She was so gentle and took time to think about where she wanted them. Boy she is growing up!
Our little tree all done up! Its so much fun to finally have a real tree in the house.

Found A Tree!!

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Its official, we found our Christmas tree! Here it is! OK so this isn’t its finest hour at the moment, but its a beautiful tree and I cannot wait to get it home, cleaned up and decorated. 
Have I mentioned that this is our first real, not artificial, Christmas Tree since Shaun and I were married? Yep, we have had a fake tree every year. Most of the time its because we were traveling after Christmas and didn’t want the worry about the care of the tree while we were away but this year we aren’t going anywhere! So excited. It smells amazing!

The Mini Tree

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This year Shaun thought it would be fun for the girls to have their own little tree to decorate and enjoy. We have a big window seat and window on the landing heading upstairs that is perfect for such things. It looks right out onto the street and sits above our front door which means everyone can see something that is displayed in it.
So we headed out to Target, found a little artificial tree and let the girls pick out some ornaments and decorations for it. It was a very exciting even for them and I could tell that they couldn’t wait to decorate the tree. I love that Shaun thinks of these things for them. Such an amazing daddy!

Prepping the ornaments to put them on the tree.
Ellie is excited to decorate the tree, can you tell?!
Its a tree just their size with their very own ornaments.
Abby the elf putting the pink ornaments that she picked out on her own onto the tree.
Taking a good look at their hand work and decorating skills.
All lit up and ready for Christmas!

A Fireplace For Christmas

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Growing up I was always blessed to have a fireplace in my home, which meant a beautifully decorated mantel at Christmas time. After Shaun and I were married our home in Seattle had a fireplace but we never had the chance to use it for the one Christmas that we lived in the house. Since then our homes have been fireplace free and that meant finding creative places for our stockings and mantel decorations. Until now.
This year we have a fireplace and I think that one detail makes me more excited than anything else about Christmas. I was beyond eager to pull out the decorations and get the mantel decorated. I think I did a pretty decent job this year. It sure looks beautiful, at least to me! Christmas is in the air!

Merry Christmas! Christmas Day 2012

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Merry Christmas everyone! Abby and Ellie took their job of falling asleep very serious last night. They slept hard and when they woke up this morning both of them discovered that Santa had come to visit and he left a lot of fun things for them.  I think Abby and Ellie were pretty surprised with what they saw when they came down the stairs this morning.

In true Abby fashion the presents were noticed first but then she quickly discovered that Santa had enjoyed a snack of milk and cookies. He even left a messy little trail of crumbs from the plate to the door. For those who don’t know, we do not have a fireplace in our house so we hang a magical key on our door for Santa so that he can find his way in. When he came to visit, he used the key to enter the house but must have forgotten about it because he left it sitting on the cookie plate. It also looked as though the reindeer had enjoyed a few tasty treats as well.

Soon after this discovery Abby and Ellie were back to presents and could barely wait to open them. They were very lucky girls this year. On top of the giant stuffed animals they received a few new outfits, movies, a few games and some new toys. Ellie discovered that Santa brought her a princess castle of her very own and Abby had a new Cinderella doll complete with carriage that changes back and forth to a pumpkin. From mommy and daddy, the girls were each given a tablet made just for kids. Now we can have our Kindles back!

After presents, we had some breakfast and cleaned up the mess of paper and boxes. In the afternoon, Grandma Zoe joined the fun. After a full morning of presents, you would have thought that maybe the girls were burnt out but they certainly proved us wrong. The girls ripped through more presents with the same excitement they had in the morning. Abby and Ellie received quite a few new outfits that were adorable but like most children moved on the minute they saw what they were. They also received new bedding which has been personalized for each of them and some adorable toys by Melissa and Doug (a fire truck set and a school bus set). Abby and Ellie also had fun with stockings full of fun treats and toys. Grandma Zoe certainly gave them lots to enjoy.

After presents with Grandma we enjoyed a lovely dinner from the Pizza Cookery, one of our favorites. By that point I had to move on from Christmas and get back into packing mode. Packing mode, you say? Yes, tomorrow we leave for Montana and there was plenty left to pack. I hated to move on so quickly from what was a wonderful day but in order to leave at a decent time tomorrow I needed to move forward.
So with that I must say goodnight and continue on with my packing. Merry Christmas one and all! I hope you had a wonderful day filled with family, friends and plenty of special memories. All the best from the Wharton Family!

Play Time and a Nutcracker

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Today we headed out to Simi to play for a while at Rockin Kids. The weather has been windy and chilly so the girls have been stuck inside for a bit. After playtime Abby and Ellie wanted to see the big Christmas Tree and giant Nutcracker. Ellie was pretty unsure of him at first but warmed up long enough to get a picture of the two of them. So cute. Christmas is getting close and you can feel the excitement!

Christmas Vacation In Montana… Christmas, Birthdays and a Little White Surprise

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As our trip continues, so does the fun and excitement. The next morning was spent at Grandma and Grandpa’s again. We started everything off with a tradition I remember as a little girl, German Pancake brunch. After brunch the girls dug in to another round of presents. Santa made another stop! Abby and Ellie had a ton to open and boy did they enjoy it. By this point, Ellie had gift opening down to a science. Well, as much of a science as a 17 month old can have. Boy are these girls lucky. Santa brought them a lot of neat toys and clothes!






After all of the presents were opened we took some time again to relax and enjoy the afternoon. It also gave us time to let our yummy brunch digest. The girls watched some TV and napped for a bit, while Shaun and I spent time talking and catching up with my parents. As evening approached we made ourselves presentable and headed out to Three Forks for a lovely dinner at the Sacajawea Inn. Dinner was a belated birthday gift to Shaun and boy was it tasty! Shaun was even honored with a birthday dessert. Luckily he was spared the singing and official embarrassment that comes with a birthday dinner. Dont worry Shaun, there are plenty more birthdays down the road for us to embarrass you.







As we left Three Forks the weather began to change. First it was raining, then a bit of slush, which then turned into grapple, and then finally turned into snow as we reached city limits in Bozeman. Abby was finally going to get some snow!

Abby fell asleep during the car ride back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house, but she was pleasantly surprised to wake up to all of that white stuff falling from the sky. She was dressed and ready to play within minutes and once outside, she jumped right in… literally. Out of nowhere she fell backwards into the snow and started making snow angels. By the time I came back out to see her, she was having Shaun push into the snow instead of falling on her own. Abby threw a few snowballs and because the snow was falling so fast and in large flakes, she helped daddy write her name in the middle of the street. Then to end the night, Abby helped Grandpa build a snowman. It wasn’t a complete snowman, due in part to the stickiness of the snow and the fact that it was pulling up grass as they rolled it, but Abby loved it.



Lucky for us the snow finally fell and Abby got her wish! She had so much fun that she was asleep the minute our car started rolling back to the condo. What a wonderful end to the day.

Christmas Vacation In Montana… The First Three Days

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If you know how far California is from Montana, then you know it takes at least a day and a half to get there by car with two children under the age of four. It was an adventurous trip with an unlikely run in with a local from Dillon Montana. Needless to say we were happy to arrive in Bozeman safe, sound and somewhat sane. After settling into our condo rental we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Taylor’s house for dinner and a chance to catch up. As you can tell, dinner was yummy.



After dinner and a few laps around my parents house the girls were finally ready to go to sleep, which means Shaun and I were well past that point. The following morning we slept in as best we could and then headed over to Grandma and Grandpa’s to hang out. Shaun and I had the chance to sneak off for a bit to spend a few hours to ourselves too! The girls had the chance to open Christmas gifts from Aunt Diane, Uncle Barry and Great Grandma Prueter and we had an amazing dinner at Santa Fe Red’s, a Mexican Restaurant in Bozeman.







It was a casual day but that’s how vacations are supposed to be. Shaun and I had time to ourselves, the girls had time with family and we had time to relax. The only thing missing was snow. Yup… not a single flake in the air or on the ground. Its been an unusually warm winter in Montana so far. I am now doing a snow dance so that Abby can play in the snow she keeps talking on and on about. Fingers crossed!

Christmas Day 2011

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Merry Christmas everyone! It was a wonderful Christmas in the Wharton house full of presents, love and yummy treats. Santa came to our house and the girls were certainly excited to see all of the goodies underneath our tree. Santa also left a lot in our sttockings, which were “hung by the TV with care”. We don’t have a fireplace, so this was the next best place to put them.

Abby was excited to open presents at first but then I think became a little overwhelmed by it all. We have to remember that she is only three and while she understands a lot there is still plenty that she doesn’t understand. But, she was very thrilled with the Sleeping Beauty Doll and the Leap Pad Explorer that Santa brought. Ellie enjoyed it all and really got the hang of opening presents, so much so that I think she liked opening them more then playing with the actual present itself.







After presents we ate a bit of the brunch Daddy made, cleaned up the aftermath of present opening and headed over to Grandpa and Nana’s house for Christmas dinner and a few more presents. Fiona’s father, Neal joined us for dinner as well. It was very nice to see him again and catch up! It was his first time meeting Ellie and Abby has grown by leaps and bounds since we saw him last.



Dinner was fantastic! Nana Fiona made the most amazing creamed corn I have ever had! Everything else was delicious too, from the green bean casserole to the cauliflower with cheese and the very tasty ham. After dinner we opened presents while we waited to make room for a yummy dessert. Abby and Ellie were given a princess kitchen by Grandpa, Nana and Uncle James and shopping carts for each of them from Aunt Brittany. I think those items were the hit of the day!

When presents had been opened and our tummies found enough room for a little bit more to eat, we enjoyed a lovely cake from Portos Bakery thanks to Aunt Brittany. The rest of the evening was spent visiting, enjoying presents and taking in as much as we could before Christmas passed us by. Once it had, the next items on our list was to get ready for our trip to Montana. So Merry Christmas everyone and here is to Montana!

Christmas Time Is Here

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Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas is in the air! This week I pulled out the Christmas bins and decorated the house. Today Shaun pulled out our tree (yes its fake and no I am not thrilled about it) and set it up to decorate. The girls were very excited about the tree, especially Abby. I have to say I am very excited this year because Abby is now at that age where she is starting to understand the idea of Christmas and of course, Santa! She asks all the time about Santa and now every morning when she wakes up she asks if its Christmas. Its cute now, but lets hope it doesn’t wear out its cute factor too soon. I love that she is so excited and even though Ellie doesnt understand yet, the excitement is infectious. Ellie squealed when she saw the tree and all the lights.
I have to say, Christmas is even better with small children around. I love seeing their faces light up when they see things or you talk about Santa and Christmas day. I truly enjoy experiencing the magic of the season through the eyes, of my children. What a blessing it has been! So in that spirit Welcome to the Christmas Season and enjoy the beauty this time of year brings!

Christmas In Montana Part Five

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It had to happen, leaving that is. Our hotel room was emptied, the girls were packed up and now it was time to hit the road. First we had to stop at my parents house to pack up and give Abby some of the time we promised for her to play in the snow.





Abby has played in the snow before, but at that time the snow was melting away and could only be found in smaller patches. This time she was surrounded by that lovely white stuff. Abby was loving every minute she had in the snow and of course looked adorable all snuggled up in her snow gear. At first she touched it slowly but then began to dig in. Because it had been so cold, the snow was grainy and very difficult to pick up. I tried to help her make a snowball but to no avail. It was so cold that it would not stick together. It didn’t matter though, she was enjoying it. That us, until, she realized mommy and daddy had gone inside the house and left her out with Auntie Jillian and Grandpa.

During the trip Abby had become a bit needy of us, especially Shaun so when she discovered that we were no longer by her side, she was not a happy camper. I know that I shouldn’t giggle but the look on her face was priceless. Am I a bad mom for wanting to laugh and then take a picture of our little girls upset? I know, I am mean, but just look at that face! You have to get a picture for posterity. Trust me, one day I will use this along with many other pictures to embarrass her the first time she brings a boy home (which will be at age 40, just kidding).



After play time in the snow, packing the car and saying our goodbyes we were on the road again. I was definitely sad when we left, but I had to tell myself that we would see them soon. Our trip that day was a short one. Our stop that night would be in Pocatello, Idaho which would allow us some time to see Grandma Pat (Great Grandma Pat to the girls).

We stopped at her place for a few hours, visiting and catching up with her. She invited us for dinner, making sloppy joes for us. Abby loved them! After dinner we sat and talked, watching the girls play on the floor. Grandma Pat then offered Abby some ice cream, which we all know she couldn’t resist. Abby was even more thrilled to see that she got to eat it out of her very own cone! It was messy but Abby did well and I know enjoyed every minute of it.





After some pictures, snuggles and laughs it was time to go. We headed to the hotel for some much needed rest. In the morning we headed out on the road again, our destination… Las Vegas. We thought it would be nice to spend our last night of our vacation in a lovely room in a fun city. That night we stayed at the Lion’s House as Abby called it (the Signature at the MGM Grand). We had some very yummy room service which was worth every penny, watched some TV and Abby had the best bath ever. Our room had a huge jacuzzi tub and where there are jets, there are huge amounts of bubbles. Abby had a blast being surrounded by bubbles and on several occasions I thought I almost lost her in them.



Our stay in Vegas was the perfect ending to a perfect trip. My heart was still a little heavy but I had a lot of wonderful memories to look back on. Shaun could not have given me a better Christmas gift. I can honestly say that I am one very lucky person and blessed to have the family and husband that I do.