Tag: Ellie

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!

Decorating the Tree

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Due to my surgery and recovery, decorating the house and the tree for Christmas came a bit late this year. I had done some of the house beforehand but quickly ran out of time. So, we completed some of these things a bit late. The last thing on our list to do was the tree. Because we intend to travel up to Montana to see my family after Christmas, we were once again stuck to using our artificial tree. I completely understand why we use our artificial tree when we travel after the holiday, but I can’t say I am a fan. I grew up enjoying a beautiful, fresh tree that fills the house with the lovely scent of pine so not having one can be a tough pill to swallow. I know there are things in life that are far worse than not having a real tree but I had to complain for just a moment. But I digress…

This was the first time that Abby and Ellie really had the chance to join in and do some decorating on their own (under the supervision of Shaun and myself of course). Both of the girls caught on pretty fast and were decorating pros in no time. I am very proud to report that not a single ornament was broken this year during the decorating process. Although based on the curiosity I saw this evening, there might be a few broken ones in our very near future. Oh well, that’s why the special ones are out of reach. Despite all of the chaos at times we had a blast and enjoyed some family time together.

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!

Abby and Ellie’s Christmas Show

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As the girls grow older there are more things that you get to enjoy as a parent. Now that both Abby and Ellie are in dance we get to enjoy even the small things that his has to offer, like Christmas performances  The classes don’t spend too much time working on the Christmas dances and it takes place at the studio as opposed to a performing arts center like recital but its fun to watch! 
I have included both videos below for you to enjoy. They are a little choppy, so I apologize but it was a tight fit and I didn’t have the best seat in the house. They sure looked cute though and made mommy and daddy very proud. Ellie did a great job for her first performance too. She didn’t dance the whole time but she also didn’t burst into tears. Every little step is a good one.
In the end the night was a fun one. The girls had a great time and so did Shaun and I. They are growing up so fast but we are loving every minute of it. Now that I have seen all of this, I cannot wait for the recital!

Dasher and Minnie Mouse

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It looks like Dasher decided to head back to our house and spend the day with Minnie and Rapunzel at Minnie’s house. Abby and Ellie were pretty thrilled to see Dasher spending some time with some of their favorite Disney friends. I hope Minnie was a good host and offered him some maple syrup!

Dasher and the Reindeer

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Dasher came back for another day at our house. This time he rode in on our cute little reindeer that sits in top of the piano. He stayed there all day and Ellie had several long conversations with him. Some of it was about Christmas the rest I couldn’t hear because she whispered it to him.  It certainly put a big smile on my face.

Meet Dasher the Wharton Family Elf!

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This year we started the Elf on the Shelf tradition with Abby and Ellie. We sat down together last night and read a book that explains the elf, why he comes to our house and just how magical he is. Our Elf made it all the way from Santa’s workshop to our house and after thinking long and hard, Abby and Ellie came up with his name. Ladies and Gentlemen I would like to introduce to you… Dasher the Wharton Family Elf. For his first day in the house, Dasher made himself comfortable perched high up on the TV unit. It looks like he tried to get into Minnie’s mouse but I have a feeling she wasn’t home. He has been watching over Abby and Ellie all day and in return they have talked with him and told him a few things they want for Christmas. It was cute to watch. I cannot wait to see what happens next!