Tag: Christmas Eve

It’s Christmas Eve!

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Its Christmas Eve! Pretty soon the munchkins will be in bed and Santa will be bringing lots of presents!  Lots and lots of wonderful presents, some of which Santa and Mrs. Claus had to travel all the way an a ferry boat with two kids in the sleigh to pick up the only present Abby wanted for Christmas. I know it will be worth every moment though. Cant wait to see the looks on their faces!
Until then we decided to bake and decorate our cookies for Santa, enjoyed some dinner at Red Robin in our jammies (well, just the girls) and we drove around to look at Christmas lights. I love the little traditions that we are starting with our girls. Once we finished all of the fun and excitement, it was off to bed to have dreams of sugarplums dance in their head!
While the cookie dough was chilling for the sugar cookies, mommy baked some amazing peanut butter cookies. Santa’s new favorite.

Abby and Ellie in matching Christmas Jammies. My favorites!
Ready to decorate some cookies!
Cookie decorating is serious business.
One of the finished products!
The goodies are all plated and ready for Santa and the reindeer.
Ready for bed and hoping that Santa will put lots of presents where they are sitting.
Pretty Christmas tree
After many hours of building one Barbie Dream House, one near miss of Ellie catching Santa in the act of prepping the tree,  wrapping and more Santa finally made his stop at the Wharton House.

Christmas Eve 2012

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Christmas Eve certainly snuck up on us this year. One minute it’s Thanksgiving and the next thing you know, it’s Christmas already! Christmas Eve was fun this year. Our morning was pretty simple, with pancakes for breakfast and Christmas cartoons to enjoy as we gobbled them up. After eating I pulled out the mixer, my recipes and every decorating item I own to prep for cookie making. We had to make sure that Santa had a yummy treat when he came to visit the house!

Once the dough was chilled, the cookies were cut and baked and they had time to cool, cooking decorating commenced. Abby and Ellie had many colors of frosting to choose from as well as different types of sprinkles, confetti and more. They used anything and everything that they could get their little hands on. Once every single cookie had been used as a painter’s canvas, we cleaned up and headed over to Grandpa and Nana’s house to visit and have a lovely Christmas Eve dinner. 

Dinner was wonderful. As always Nana cooked some yummy food which included ham, green bean casserole, cauliflower and cheese and her yummy potatoes. I tried not to eat like a pig but it was hard. Ellie dug in and cleared most of her plate, which isn’t her typical way of handling dinner time. I don’t think either Shaun or I were complaining. After dinner we watched some TV and a few of the holiday classics. Then it was on to presents!  Abby and Ellie received Barbies galore as well as games and some fun stocking stuffers too. Grandpa even gave each of them a huge tub of cotton candy!

Pretty soon it was time to go home, set out the cookies and carrots for Santa and his reindeer and head to bed so that Santa could come and visit. Abby left a note for Santa too, asking him a few questions. It was very cute. I think that she was hoping that if she left a nice note that Santa would stop by and leave lots of goodies! As you can see below, “Santa” was pretty nice this year. I think she will be very happy with what she sees tomorrow morning. Until then, an early Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve in 2011… The Relaxing Whartons

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Christmas came upon us fast again. It was Thanksgiving and then before I knew it… it was Christmas Eve! Even though I felt ahead of the game several weeks before Christmas, I still felt rushed once it was here. Luckily our Christmas Eve was quiet and relaxed. Grandma Zoe came over to spend the evening with us eating a lovely dinner and opening lots of presents. The girls were very blessed by Santa and Grandma Zoe. From adorable Peppa Pig toys and clothes from Europe to books and art items the girls have a lot of new and lovely things.

Because we are heading to Montana in just a few days, we decided to keep dinner simple and ordered and pre-made meal from Marie Calendars. I have to say… pretty tasty for a dinner that came out of a giant box! I liked it a lot and it was pretty mess free.









After wonderful food, lots of gifts and time spent together with Grandma the girls headed off to bed. Before snuggling in for the night Shaun and I checked NORAD to see where Santa was. At that moment he was in Northwest Territories, Canada! Not too far from California! So, we rushed them quickly to bed so that Santa wouldn’t miss our house. The excitement kept them up for a bit, but eventually they fell asleep.


Once the girls were out, the tree was turned back on and filled with gifts from Santa and Mommy and Daddy. I went to bed excited by the idea that in the morning the girls, especially Abby, would wake up excited to see what was under the tree! One of the many joys of being a mom of young children. Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas with The Whartons in 2010

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Christmas is a busy time for the Wharton Family, as I am sure it is for many families. We are still making our own family traditions, but there are a few that we already have. For our family, everything starts in full force on Christmas Eve.

Abby was primping and getting ready for the festivities of the night.

For the last several years, on Christmas Eve, we would head on over to The Oliver home for some Christmas festivities and then head over to Grandpa and Nana’s house for the remainder of the evening. This year we were unable to attend the festivities at the Oliver home, but we still had the chance to spend the evening with Grandpa, Nana, Auntie Brittany and Uncle James for some dinner, presents and of course a lot of laughs.

The girls had a lot of fun opening presents. Ellie made out like a bandit with some adorable outfits from everyone. She also got a sleeping bag with a matching pillow just like Abby’s. Now she has something to snuggle into when she is at Grandpa and Nana’s house. Abby also came home with a few new outfits but the two hits were her Cash Register and her Art Easel. Abby just had to open the cash register right away and play with it. Between that and all of the ripped up wrapping paper to roll around in, Abby kept herself very busy.




After a fun evening we headed home so that the girls could go to bed and sleep. Abby knew about Santa but at this point she still doesn’t understand the whole concept. This made it very easy to get her to bed on Christmas Eve. I know that will change by next year. Once they were in bed and sound asleep, Shaun and I brought out all of our presents and decorated the tree. Yes, the tree stood there completely bare until Christmas Eve. I knew Abby would be all over the ornaments so I left it alone until Christmas Eve. I was kind of nice to have everything completely decorated as a surprise for the morning, so much that I thought about making it a tradition. But then I realized that meant going through most of the Christmas season without a decorated tree and I didn’t like that idea.


The next morning everyone was up bright and early and very excited to see the tree and all of the presents that Santa brought. Abby was amazed at the tree and kept saying “Oh Christmas!” and “Presents!”. That sparkle in her eye as she stared at the tree with all of its ornaments and the presents underneath was priceless. I love Christmas for all of the wonders that it brings, but now to see it through my daughters eyes, I have a whole new love for it.

This year Abby was pretty good about opening presents. She would get distracted from time to time by the ornaments on the tree but for the most part she was excited to open things. Santa brought her quite a bit from clothes, to movies, toys and a few dolls. Ellie also did a great job too. If I tore a little piece to start she would grab it right away and pull hard. Although once unwrapped, Ellie’s toys were secondary to the crinkling and rustling of wrapping paper.





Generally I would not talk about the Christmas gifts I received, but this year was different. Shaun once again out did himself. Through out all of the holiday craziness, I was getting things together for trip out of town after Christmas. We had decided to take a trip up to Mammoth for a few days and then over to San Francisco. It was going to be a much needed getaway.

When it came time to open my present I found a very cute scarf, gloves and a book that after first glance was an itinerary that was approved by Shaun, Santa and some of the North Pole staff. It was extremely cute and clever. Then I had to look through it again and realized that the itinerary wasn’t for our supposed trip to Mammoth and San Francisco, it was for something else. Shaun had tricked me and had quite a few people in on it as well. Instead we were heading to Montana to spend time with my parents and sister! It was the best surprise I could have asked for and made my Christmas. No present would have been better! I do have video of by reaction, but I refuse to post it in a public forum. Sorry! After this surprise I was floating on cloud nine and I couldn’t stop thinking about everything I needed to do. We are leaving for Montana in a day and a half!

In the afternoon, Grandma Zoe came over to open presents and have dinner with us. She brought lots of goodies for all of us and boy were we lucky! Shaun and I loved watching Abby open everything from new clothes, most of which would be very useful in the snow up in Montana, to toys. Grandma Zoe got Abby a cute Monkey backpack for traveling. Better yet was a cleaning set that included a mop, broom, bucket, vacuum and caddy. Now Abby can help mommy clean up her messes around the house! Grandma also got Abby a tricycle, bike helmet and pads. While she doesn’t quite know how to use it , Abby was very excited just to sit on it and ring the bike bell. I know she will be zooming around outside on it in no time!




After dinner it was time to make an appearance at a friends house for a Christmas party and then it was off to bed. We had a lot to do in one day to get ready for our trip!

Christmas Time 2009

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I have to say that Christmas is my most favorite time of year. It has nothing to do with the presents although I love to give them, its more then that. I love the lights, decorations and the general feel of holiday time. Despite the cranky shoppers I love shopping and enjoying the holiday foods. Because of this love I was very excited to actually get into the Christmas spirit this year for the first time since Shaun and I have been married. The Christmas following the wedding, we were just moving into our house in Seattle and instead of a tree we were surrounded by boxes to unpack. Last Christmas most of our decorations were in storage and the apartment we were in was too small to put a tree up.

This year was different! Boy oh boy was it different and in a very wonderful way. The weekend following Thanksgiving we went over to Grandpa Patrick and Nana Fiona’s house to help decorate their Christmas Tree. Abby was a bit overwhelmed at first but got right into the spirit of tree decorating moments later. She definitely helped put a few ornaments on the tree, but then decided to help and remove them too. Oh well, she had a blast and Shaun and I enjoyed watching her. I am sure we snickered a bit as our beautiful little girl helped to be a somewhat counter-productive.

Nana and Abby taking out ornaments to put on the tree.

Decorating the tree.

That same weekend, we also went out on got our Christmas Tree. After two years of not having a tree at all I insisted that we have a real, live tree for us to enjoy and decorate. We found it quickly and before we knew it, it was in our house ready to decorate. Unfortunatly, this decorating venture would not include Abby as she needed and nap and was too cranky to enjoy it. I am sure she didn’t miss a thing though and there will be plenty of Christmas’ to come to enjoy tree decorating time with her. So, Shaun and I spent a little quiet time together listening to Christmas music and decorating our tree. It certainly turned out beautiful.


The weeks following flew by and as always the holiday season passed quickly. Before we knew it, Christmas Eve was upon us and we were off to Mary and Tom’s for their annual Christmas Eve party. Abby had on her beautiful Christmas dress and a very special coat from Great Grandma Prueter and I swear she looked like a little Shirley Temple. Unfortunately we arrived late and all of the commotion had Abby a little out of sorts, so we could not stay long, but we had a wonderful time none the less. Afterward, we went over to Grandpa Patrick and Nana Fionas to open presents and enjoy the remaining hours of Christmas Eve and the first few of Christmas Day. Abby had a wonderful time and boy was she one lucky girl, so many lovely presents. Although in typical toddler fashion, the paper and boxes were more fun to play with then the toys. Despite that, her favorite was a Winnie the Pooh bath toy which she hugged to pieces. Auntie Brittany gave Grandpa Patrick a new digital video camera, so the rest of the night was spent having fun with that and recording all of Abby’s adorable moves. As the night went on, Abby wore out and it was off to bed. Time to wait for Santa to come!

Abby all dressed up in her finest Christmas wear.

Abby looks like a cute little tea cup.

Sharing some Christmas cookies with Nana Fiona… YUMMY!

Abby loves her new Winnie the Pooh bath toy! Fresh out of the box and she is already snuggling with him.

Yay for wrapping paper! It’s what makes for the best Christmas ever when you are a toddler!

On Christmas morning, we woke up at the normal hour… around 9am. Luckily Abby is still crib bound and doesn’t get excited over Christmas yet and that means mommy and daddy can still sleep in! Trust me, we plan to enjoy this while we can. With our help, Abby made her way out into the living room to see what Santa left for us. She was very excited to look at all of the presents and get into them, but when it came to actually opening them… she lost her interest. Abby did love the toys and clothes that she got from Santa, Mommy and Daddy and her grandparents but it was the two of us that opened most of it for her. (One toy after another seemed to distract her from the task at hand.)

For breakfast Shaun made several types of egg souffles which were yummy and we enjoyed quite a bit. Luckily he made enough for plenty leftovers through out the day. In the afternoon, Grandma Zoe came over with her presents and to spend Christmas dinner with us. Around that time I started not to feel very well, but it appeared to be morning sickness. We had a great time opening gifts though and dinner was pretty darn tasty. Gotta love Honey Baked Ham!

Abby loves her flower from Daddy!

OOOHHHH… lots of presents to open!

OOOOOOHHHHHH!!! I love this one!

Abby really loves her new Ernie friend, its just like the one Uncle James has and lets her play with!

Catching Up After the New Year!

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Greetings and Happy New Year!

Well I said I would get everyone caught up on what has happened since I last posted and that is what I plan to do. I think I have basically left everything out from Thanksgiving until now. So here I go!
Thanksgiving in the Wharton house was quiet, fairly uneventful and wasnt even spent at home! I think after moving, adding Abigail to the family and not being completely settled yet made us want some quiet time away from it all. So there wasn’t too much to report there. It was nice to have some quiet time with Abigail and Shaun and just forget the stress we have been under.

Abigail seemed to enjoy her time, although she slept a lot. We helped her celebrate her First Thanksgiving by dressing her in her cute little turkey “onsie”. Hehe… our little butterball!


Before we knew it Thanksgiving quickly slipped by and all of a sudden Christmas was upon us. This year Christmas felt a little detached for me, as we were still in housing limbo, my parents were far away and it was the first without my Grandpa Prueter. It hit me hard and for the first time in my life, I actually had the blues at Christmas. I was determined, however, to keep the blues from getting the best of me. I continuously reminded myself that this was Abigails’s First Christmas and it would be a joyous occasion. Which it was.

Christmas Eve was spent at Mary and Tom’s (Shaun’s Aunt and Uncle, mine too now!). It was wonderful to visit with family and see all of the Oliver’s and Wharton’s together. After the party we came home and I stayed up way too late packing and getting ready for our getaway(more about that later!). It was our plan to leave early in the morning the day after Christmas and I knew Christmas day would be a busy one. I also had to throw in some holiday baking and try out the recipe that Patrick gave me for Molasses Cookies. They came out great and made some wonderful snacks on the road. Thank you Patrick and thank you Grandma Pat.

Abigail, dressed completely in red and looking a lot like Santa’s little helper in her red Santa boots, gets ready to leave her first of many Christmas Eve parties at Mary and Toms. By the time we got home she was passed out and ready for Santa to come!

Christmas day started off at a decent hour. Give it a few more years and I am sure that wont be the case! We opened presents at home and enjoyed our version of a Christmas tree. We opened gifts from my side of the family and all I have to say is that Abigail beat both Shaun and I in regards to the gifts under the tree, not that there was a competition! Daddy also gave her a very special gift from Tiffany’s. The first piece of jewelry a little girl receives should always come from her daddy. Now she has something very special to wear when she gets older. It was so wonderful to spend this time with Abigail and I know we will cherish her first Christmas always! Jack even enjoyed the day too and got a stocking full of toys from Grandma Taylor as well.

Its hard to see it among the presents but there is a little tiny tree in there somewhere.

Even though Abigail is far too young to remember or understand Christmas, it certainly looks as though she had a lot of fun! It was all of the bright colored wrapping paper.


After opening presents at home, we headed over to Patrick and Fiona’s house to celebrate. We had a wonderful breakfast complete with sausage, bacon, danishes, and Fiona’s famous egg souffle. Abigail received several books and outfits from the family and an absolutely adorable dress from her Aunt Brittany. James and his girlfriend Samantha were there as well and spent plenty of time holding and playing with Abigail. Although it seems that James always makes her cry!! (Just Kidding..its a bit of an inside joke.) I think Abigail is loved by all and I know as she grows older and understands it more, she will appreciate it and love every moment of it.

Uncle James certainly loves his niece! Its show in the amount of time he likes to spend with her and hold her. He also seems to like to share things with her like Grandpa’s new hat! She’s too cute!

The Wharton’s together at Christmas! Unfortunately Brittany was unable to be in the picture, that’s OK though, well get one of all of us soon!

After we had brunch with everyone, we made our way to the final house of the day. Around 4pm we arrived at Zoe’s house ready to make a tasty and simple Christmas dinner. Shaun and I worked in the kitchen making the stuffing and mashed potatoes while Grandma Zoe had the chance to spend some time with Abigail. We ate a lovely dinner and then opened gifts afterward. Abigail received a handsome amount of clothing, books and toys from Grandma Zoe. She’s set for quite some time! More importantly though is the amount of love that she is given. That is truly what makes Christmas special. That night we spent time together until about 9 or 10pm and then had to head home. Shaun had planned a getaway to Park City Utah for us and we needed to finish packing.

Not sure what this was all about… but I think it has something to do with the shirt…


Grandma Zoe and Abigail… look they match!

The next morning, Shaun and I jumped into the car with Abigail in tow and headed toward Park City. It was a bittersweet trip as I was excited to go but I also knew that even though we wouldn’t be far from Montana, we wouldn’t have the chance to visit with my parents due to their schedules and the fact that this trip was planned at the last minute. The drive through California and Nevada was nice, just a little bit of snow on the ground. Just outside of Las Vegas we stopped for a break and it started to hail and snow for a little while.

Across the California desert… the moutains appear to be getting a bit of snow!

Crossing over into Nevada… this is the first time that Abigail has been out of state! Only 3 months old and a national traveler!

Just outside of Mesquite Nevada, Shaun let me open a pressent he had placed under the tree with a note attached, banning me from opening it until we arrived in Park City. It was a little purple box, beautifully wrapped I might add. When I opened it I found a little scroll inside and the message the scroll contained blew me away. Shaun had written a note, letting me know that we werent going to Park City at all. We were actually on our way to Montana to see my parents!! He got me good!! Apparently everyone else knew about this, except for me! Unfortunatly we were driving when it happened so he was unable to take pictures or video of my reaction, but lets just say that I was at a loss for words, aside from saying “really??”, over and over again. Yes I cried… but most of you already knew that. It was the best Christmas gift ever! That night we stayed in Salt Lake City and the next day Shaun planned to drive from Salt Lake City to Bozeman.

The trip to see my parents was incredible! The weather going up was a bit crazy at times, but we survived. We arrived in Bozeman late Saturday night and the next morning we were over at their house with bells on. Even though it was a few days late, we had the traditional Christmas breakfast of German Pancakes and enjoyed each others company. Mom, Dad, and Jillian had the entire day to cuddle, hold and play with Abigail. They even had the chance to babysit Abby while Shaun and I took a drive. We ended up in Trident, which is the headwaters of the Missouri River. The Jefferson, Gallatin and Madison Rivers come together to form the beautiful Missouri river. This time we had the chance to see it completely frozen over! Seeing them spend the holidays with Abby, especially her first, made my heart soar. Shaun is the best husband in the world for giving such a gift.

Interstate 15, North of Tremonton… trust me it was worse then this, but I wasnt thinking about my camera or pictures at that point!

Stopping to get a bite to eat in Pocatello… in the Jack in the Box parking lot. Hey when you need to eat, you need to eat!
All bundled up and warm.. which is good considering its only abut 10 degrees out! Her cozy sleeper was a Christmas present from daddy! He did a great job picking something out for her! She’s adorable!

The Headwaters of the Missouri River… completely frozen over.

Me…

Shaun…

The next day, Grandma Prueter, Aunt Diane, Uncle Barry and Mike (who was visiting for the holidays as well) came over from Anaconda to visit and have lunch. We went over to the Baxter Hotel in downtown Bozeman to Ted’s (Ted Turner’s restaurant). We had a lovely lunch and enjoyed each others company. Abigail did a wonderful job and was a little lady when it came to sitting in the restaurant. Grandma Prueter was very proud and extremely happy to get the chance to see Abigail again.

Great Grandma Prueter getting the chance to spend some time with Abigail… such a special moment!

Aunt Diane (Great Aunt Diane to Abigail if you want to get technical) spends a little quality time with Abigail.

Shaun and Abigail laughing it up. What a cute smile! She is growing so fast, its hard to believe it!

Mike, Jillian and Shaun at Ted’s in the old Baxter Hotel.

The rest of the trip was spent hanging out and enjoying family. We didnt really do too much, but that was all I could ask for. We had talked about driving out to the road through Yellowstone that goes out to Cook City, but the weather stopped usfrom doing so. One night Shaun and I ran to Target while the Taylor’s spent more time with the little one. We went into the store with chilly but nice weather. When we left, you could barely see out through the front doors. Within a half an hour a major storm blew through causing a blizzard. It was a fun ride back to my parents house!

My parents street after only about 45 minutes of the blizzard… it was lots of fun!

Abigail sitting with her Grandpa Taylor, doing one of two things… 1. attempting to eat the cupcake on her shirt or 2. staring at her little toes and trying to figure out how to reach them. She’s only 3 months old, what do you think she is actually doing?

On New Years Eve, we jumped into the car (me with tears in my eyes) and headed home. Our intent was to stay in Jackson Hole that night, but unfortunately the weather prevented that as well. Pesky snow! Instead we stayed in Pocatello, Idaho. This did work out though, as it allowed us to stop in and visit with Grandma Pat, who was absolutely thrilled to visit with us and meet her great granddaughter for the first time. That night we stayed in Las Vegas and ended up there for two nights due to holiday traffic.

Abigail and Great Grandma Pat meet for the first time. Grandma Pat looked so happy to have us there. Put a smile on my face!


Coming home was bittersweet but I felt blessed that I have a husband who was so thoughtful. It truly made my 2008 end with a bang and start off my 2009 with nothing but love and a smile on my face. Happy NewYear!!