Christmas Fun

Shaun and I have just been saying that this may have been the best Christmas yet!  The girls are at such a fun age for everything to be so magical.  They were so excited all month long, and would write out their lists to Santa, we decorated sugar cookies, and we had fun watching classic Christmas movies.  I think another thing that's made this holiday so nice is having Christmas in our very own home.  I can't stress that enough after so many years of living in someone else's basement.  And yet another factor that was so nice was the great variety of toys and gifts the girls got.  They were on cloud 9, and that meant we were on cloud 9, and that made this Christmas just about perfect in every way.  

Nothing is more amazing and fun than to see your children so extremely happy!

Christmas Eve Nana and Papa came over and had dinner with us, and then the girls were able to open their presents from them.  Since I grew up always opening gifts with my family on Christmas Eve, it's nice to do a little of that with my own family.  They also opened up one special gift from us (matching Repunzel pj's seen below), and then we went on a special drive to see Christmas lights at Bull Run Park.

 Ella and Amelia enjoyed opening their gifts from Nana and Papa, a microphone for Ella and a truck with blocks and horses for Amelia).

 My cute girls in front of the tree in their Christmas pj's.  

 The drive was eventful.  It started out great, and the girls were looking for Santa in the sky (another great memory from my childhood I'm happy to see continued).  But about 15 minutes into it, Amelia threw up all over the car and herself.  Uuugh!  She had been a little lethargic, but it really surprised us.  We're still not sure what it was, but she seemed better afterwards, and wanted to keep going on the drive.  We drove through Bull Run Park where they make a mini wonderland of lights.  The girls were in heaven (minus the pukey smell in the car of course... oh well, it made it memorable for sure).

When we got home, the girls were exhausted, and thankfully Amelia seemed to be on the mend, so we read stories, said prayers, and it was off to bed for them.  But we still had a long night ahead of us, plus we had a car to clean out:(

 After some hard work and a visit from a certain someone, our house was ready for Christmas morning!  Shaun and I watched "elf" while we worked on being elves ourselves.  Santa brought the girls scooters, and Ella got her dragon and her leopard.  Amelia got a baby doll and a giraffe.

 Shaun's mom sent the girls home made blankets that are so soft Shaun and I are coveting them a little, and hats and pajamas.  She also sent the dolls from Frozen which was perfect since the girls in the movie are sisters and resemble my girls a little in their personalities.

 And then, the moment we'd all been waiting for.... CHRISTMAS MORNING!

Amelia was thrilled with her scooter.  She calls it her "cooter."

 I think she was almost as excited about the candy in her stocking as she was the scooter.  That girl and food.  Apparently she's not sick anymore.

 The super soft blankets from Grandma C

 ... and the Frozen dolls

 Shaun's sister sent super cute dresses that the girls ended up wearing Christmas Day

 And she also sent My Little Ponies and these fun Doggy purses that Amelia is "modeling."

 Ella made me a picture that said, "Ella loves Mommy." with a flower on it.  Seriously, may have been the best gift I've ever gotten.  Shaun also spoiled me and got me a necklace and earrings and a gift card to my favorite store (Talbots).

 Hats from Grandma C

 Ponies from Stephanie

 and the look of joy on Christmas morning

 Ella's favorite gift this year was her leopard, a last minute addition to her Christmas list.  I was laying beside her two nights before Christmas when she told me she wanted a leopard with black spots that sits on it's bottom.  Thank goodness Santa knows how to find last minute leopards.

 The girls also got footie pi's from Grandma, and here they are singing with papa's microphone.  

These girls were in heaven... and so were we!

So Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Temple Lights

We went with Emily and her son, Riley, to visit the temple lights last Saturday.  After a fun date night the night before, I got a little spoiled without children.  And then, bam, three children under the age of five.  It made the night a bit hectic, but the temple was still absolutely amazing!

We couldn't officially have Christmas if we didn't fit in a visit to see the Festival of Lights at the Temple.  It truly is a magnificent sight.  All of the beautiful lights, wonderful exhibits, movies, concerts, nativities from around the world, and a live nativity outside.  Wow!  However, we decided to go the Saturday before Christmas on a gorgeous evening with mild temperatures.  Sounds great, right?  Actually, not so great, not when you throw in a bazillion people (apparently we weren't the only ones who had this idea) and three children ages 3,4, and 5.  It was exhausting!  But nonetheless, I'm glad the girls got to see and feel the beautiful spirit at the temple.  I think I might have felt a sweeter spirit with a few less people and children that weren't so impulsive and needy, but you can't have it all.  Ella was pretty good actually.  I think she enjoyed walking through and seeing the exhibits on service and missionary work.  But note to self, next time DO NOT go the Saturday before Christmas.  I'm still so glad we got to have this opportunity.  I'm so grateful for this beautiful temple that Shaun and I were sealed in.  I know it is Heavenly Father's house on earth, and it truly is a sacred place.  In a world filled with turmoil and stress, the temple is a true sanctuary.

Santa Clause is Coming to Town

The girls with Santa at Chick Fil-a

My girls got to see Santa not once, not twice, but THREE times... in ONE weekend!  They went to Chick Fil-a with nana and papa and Santa was there.  There was also a Santa cow so maybe that means four Santas.  The next morning, they had breakfast with Santa at Ella's school.  Ella and Amelia were able to pick out a gift for each other and some close family at the secret workshop, and they sat with Santa together (last picture).  Then that evening, we went to our ward Christmas party and the girls saw Santa again.  I don't know what to say, he spent his whole weekend in my town apparently, so everyone else must have been out o' luck.  Let's hope with all those Santa visits he knows what the girls are asking for.  Let's see... scooters, How to Train Your Dragon movie and dragon, and five real horses... a a real Leopard.  Hmmm, that sounds like a tough list.

National Christmas Tree with Friends

We went out with our good friend, Emily, and her "special" friend, Ryan, last weekend.  We had a great time.  Seriously, I don't know if I've laughed that hard in a long time.  We went out to dinner in Crystal City at a fun little Thai place, and then headed to see that National Christmas Tree.  Shaun and I hadn't been to see that National Christmas Tree since our first Christmas we were married, and it was a beautiful evening to be out walking.  Ryan and Emily make a great couple, and we're hoping he's around to stay.  He makes Emily happy, and that makes us happy.  It was so fun to have a kid free evening.  We even ended up at the Silver Diner at the end of the night and the merriment and laughter continued.  Thanks Emily and Ryan for a fun evening out.  We hope we were cool enough to warrant a second double date with you:)

O' There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays

Well, call me a nerd, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Holidays.  And I love making my home feel festive and beautiful.  I can't really help it.  My mom is the exact same way.  I remember Christmas feeling so magical for so many reasons, but high on the list was the atmosphere the Christmas decor created.  The lights on the trees, the candles in the windows, they make everything glisten and bring such a special ambiance to an otherwise ordinary space.  Even in college I loved coming home to a home so decorated.  So I come by it honestly I suppose.  

We did boxwood wreaths on the mirrors in the living area and I love how it turned out.

One of my favorite elements of holiday decoration is the Nativity.  After all, that's the reason why we have Christmas.  I like to have reminders in my home as many places as possible.

This nativity set was given to us by Shaun's mom the first year we were married and I LOVE it!

 The view when you come in.

 I went with mercury and candles for my table, and added a little more boxwood to my chandelier

 Upstairs we put our fake tree with all of our silver and gold ornaments.

I love the way this looks at night with all the soft white lights.

The little tree in the front window was a new addition this year, and it works perfectly in that spot.

 Chalkboard art is all the rage now, so I attempted to be artistic and made my own little Holiday sign when you come in.  It was fun, and I can change it out with the seasons.

 On our front door I did our tree card, another fun holiday favorite!

 And when you walk in the front door...

 And here's the basement.  We did the colored lights here and decided this is where we will have our Christmas morning.  After all, Santa will have to come down the chimney to leave the presents, and stockings are hung on the mantel with care.

So there you have it, the Calderwood Casa 2013!

~Happy Holidays~