Christmas at home

Our Christmas this year was great. Pete's mom flew into town for the week and we spent time with my parents too. It was my family's year with the in-law's, so my brother and sister were both in Utah. But, luckily we live by my parents, so we get to celebrate with them every year. We also got to spend some time with Pete's brother and his family, we loved it.

We spent Christmas day at our home, which was so nice. We unwrapped, played, ate and enjoyed the day with each other. The kids got just what they asked for (thanks to Eddy) and spent most of the day occupied with their new toys.

The kids loved having their grandma Knudtson here. She spent everyday playing and teaching them new games. They were really sad when it was time for her to go home. They cant wait for her to come back.




The kids waiting to go and see what Santa brought. I love the sleepy faces.



Cant get there fast enough!



Can you tell who is her favorite Princess? She was a happy little girl!



This is just what they asked for!



I just loved her reaction. I wish I could get that excited!




The kids with Grandma and Grandpa Tolman on Christmas day.



The kids with Grandma Knudtson, all dressed up for church.

We love Eddy...

Eddy is our family's elf and he spent the holiday season with us. He quickly became a part of the family and it was hard to say goodbye. He showed up shortly after Thanksgiving with a book that explained why he was visiting us. He returned to the North Pole every night to report to Santa how our family was doing. When he came back in the morning, he was always in a different spot!

He was great to have around. I often found the kids talking to him about many things. They would tell him about things they were doing, about changes in their wish lists and also about the behavior (mostly the bad) of their siblings. They made sure he had good food each night ( see the oreos in the picture!). He was the very first thing they looked for everyday.

We miss Eddy, but cant wait for him to come again after Thanksgiving this year!

Bike rider...

Miss H was so excited! We got out her sisters old bike and she immediately took off. She tried to keep up with the kids and didn't want to stop. Now we hear this all the time, " Mom, I'm a big girl. Could we go for a bike ride?" So cute.

She is such a little picture poser.

Santa came to our town!

We went to see Santa come through the neighborhood, something the kids look forward to every year. They love to run along with the fire truck, wave to Santa and get the tiny candy canes!

Dance...

Miss S is also taking dance twice a week and got to participate in her studio's holiday performance. She danced in a jazz routine and was also in the ballet number. She is in her second year of jazz/tap and in her first year of ballet. She is loving it! It is really cool to see the improvement between this year and last year, what a difference!

She is especially excited because in this dance studio, during your second year of ballet you get to participate in a Disney event. During your second year of ballet you get to dance down mainstreet during the filmed taping of the holiday parade. So, next year she will be able to dance down Main Street at Disneyland! When will you ever get that chance again! We already cant wait.

She is in the class with one of her very best friends, Mackenzie, which makes it even better. I am so glad she gets the opportunity to do such great activities.

Soccer tournament

Miss S played in her first soccer tournament and did a great job! She played mid field and forward this year. She is on the best team. They are amazing girls, friends and soccer players. Most of them have been together for 4-5 years now and they love each other. There is never any fighting, hurt feelings or cliques! They have so much fun together and it shows - they placed #1 in the number one bracket this year for the normal soccer league.

Collective Soul!

I have to admit, I am obsessed. Pete surprised me and got me tickets to see my favorite band, Collective Soul. They played in a really small venue at a casino in Oroville. It was so much fun to see them in such a small setting. I fell in love with their music my senior year in high school, (sigh) so long ago in 1994. And now seeing them live has made me even more of a fan. Maybe, just a little bit obsessed. But, I cant help it. They are awesome. Thanks Pete, for such a great night and memory!

Pete and I snuck down a back staircase and watched as the roadies loaded the guitars into a truck. There was a limo Suburban waiting for the band and we could see their drinks sitting on a table. We waited for a minute and then went out to see if we could meet them. A couple of the roadies came back out, saw us and then reported us to their tour manager. We were quickly escorted out of the area, but not before we saw their bass player Will Turpin on the phone right by us. I got in a pic of their guitar cases!

We weren't supposed to take any pictures, so I had to take all of them sneaky without a flash. They didn't turn out too bad.