Sentimental Christmas thoughts at 2am

Well, it's 2am, and I'm sitting in the living room writing this by the light of the Christmas tree. Eleanor woke up at 1:30 and I just couldn't get back to sleep once she was back in bed. I don't know what it is about sitting in a quiet room with just the lights of a Christmas tree keeping the darkness at bay. It's such a peaceful, happy feeling for me. I think finding joy in the simple things is very Christmasy, and what could be simpler than little white lights in the darkness? :)

I was lying in bed, trying to go back to sleep, but my heart was just full of all these happy thoughts, I just felt so full of emotions.. I couldn't. I had to get up and write it out. Yesterday we watched my favorite Christmas movie, a Muppets Christmas Carol. I just love that movie. It's so well done. They do such a good job sticking to the real story of the Carol, and even use exact lines from the book from time to time it makes it feel very authentic, the songs are beautiful and well written, and the muppets make it very accessible to the younger kids. And hey, it's got Kermit. :)
One of my favorite songs in the movie is 'Bless Us One And All', the Cratchet's sing in their home during the visit of the Ghost of Christmas Past. The lyrics really got to me today. Makes me want to be a better person, appreciate what I have and to share what I can with others. I don't know that it makes as big of impact when it's not coming from the mouth of Kermit and Miss Piggy but here's the verse that really stuck with me this time.

"Bless us all who gather here
the loving family I hold dear
No place on earth, compares with home
And every path will bring me back from where I roam"

There are so many other good lines, I think it's my new favorite Christmas song, but that was the verse that literally made me get all teary eyed watching it today. I'm so grateful for what I have. I look around and can't believe how blessed I am. And its not just the roof over our heads, the food in the cupboards, and the ability to give our children what they need... but I'm so lucky to be so loved, and have people to love in return. Another favorite line from the song is "I look into the eyes of love and know that I belong". I can't imagine anything greater.

We left our house a week and a half before Christmas to make it to the train and then up to the cabin, and so I had to have everything done early this year. Not a lot of last minute shopping in Brian Head Utah. :) And because I haven't had to worry about getting anything done since mid December, I've had this great opportunity to just sit back and enjoy this time. I've spent this week baking, making crafts with the kids, watching Christmas movies, and just spending time together. It's snowed more than I can even describe since we got up here, and it's been so beautiful to watch the winter wonderland going on outside.

Anyway, just happy to be happy this night.. it's now 3am, and by the time I get to sleep I'll have been up for almost 2 hours, and I'm sure I'll think I was crazy tomorrow morning, but I just had to. And now, take a couple minutes and watch the song below. :) I promise it's worth it. And if you feel like it, leave me a comment about what you're grateful for, I'd love to hear it.
Goodnight.. and bless us one and all.

More Christmas Magic

It's getting closer and closer to Christmas! And the fun we've been having!

Ainsley wrote a letter to Santa
(in it she wrote what she wanted and that she loved him very much)

We flew to Las Vegas to begin our crazy travels. Tom hates flying and gets very paranoid we're going to miss our flight. Usually I convince him to get there at a more reasonable time, but with the new security measures I figured better safe than sorry. So we arrived entirely too early, and walked thru security without a hitch.,(there wasn't even a line) only to find our flight had been delayed an hour! It was quite interesting keeping a 3 yr old and a baby entertained until the plane arrived. Ainsley had a lot of fun with the bear she brought to keep her company on the plane.

When she wasn't giving him to her dad for safe keeping.
We were traveling to get to Williams Arizona and the Grand Canyon Railway.
They do the Polar Express there. :)
It was great! While we waited for the train to arrive we met Mrs Claus!
and colored some reindeer.
Ainsley was SO excited, when we first saw the train up the tracks, she kept screaming
'It's COMING!!!'

the chef welcomed us to our car
Ainsley loved the train.
She got a cookieand hot chocolate

Nora got nothing... so she ate her lion. :)The Girls!
They read the Polar Express story over the speakers, and brought around the book so we could see the picture, Nora really wanted it.

The girls sat with Grandma Baba for a while.

Me and the Hubs

We drove by the North Pole and waved to Santa

Santa got on and gave the kids a bell

Nora crashed the second we drove away

Getting ready for Christmas

We've been having a lot of fun getting into the
Christmas Spirit.

The first weekend in December Ainsley had a Christmas dance recital, and Santa Clause was there. :)
Ainsley was super cute, she told me she thought she might be shy, but she went right up to him, sat on his lap and told him that she wanted 'a white kitty that walks'.
I don't know where this desire came from, but out of the blue she started saying that she wants a 'white kitty that walks' I kept thinking she'd change her mind or start asking for other things, but she's been quite consistent. :)

For your viewing pleasure, my ballerina elf.

Her dance partner Meira

We put up the Christmas tree!
We got a new one this year. Tom had been asking for us to get a bigger one for years and I finally broke down and agreed.
I thought it would be too big for our house, but turns out I love it!

Ainsley LOVES our tree. When we were putting it up she was running around the house yelling "I'm SO excited, I'm SO excited, I'm SO excited!" She loves to stand there and look at the tree. She tells me at least once every day how beautiful our tree is. And I agree. :)

All over my tree are little lace circles my grandmother made that look like beautiful snowflakes. They make up the most of my decorations. It's simple. But I love it. I love that each of the other ornaments on the tree mean something. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Here are the two for my girls. There's a silver spoon with '2007' on the stem for my Ainsley. And above it to the right is a little green mitten that says "Baby's First" for my Eleanor.

Another of my favorites. This is from our trip to Europe the year after we got married.
We saw a lot of things, but the Eiffel tower was the one I was most excited for. Every time I see this it makes me think of kissing my husband in the most romantic city in the world.

My mother made these out of real sheep wool when we lived on a ranch with sheep.
I love them, and hope to always have them and give them to my kids when they get older.

an ornament from my childhood.
I can't remember a year when this wasn't on our tree.

And with the Christmas tree, goes the Christmas village!
My grandmother hand painted all of these, and they are very special to me. One year I'm going to set it up with snow and more people. This year I thought it looked great on the top of my desk.
I think these two are my favorites, a Bakery and a Bookstore!
(though I love my antique store, flower shop and school too)

Ainsley loves to help me in the kitchen.
She's the cutest little assistant cook. So of course, we made cookies.

and decorated them :)

Our two favorite cookies.
Ainsley's 'Gingerbread Girl with Blue Hair'
and My 'Flamboyant pirate'

We also made a real gingerbread house for the first time!
I've done them with graham crackers, but never the actual gingerbread before.

and luckily Aunt Roxanne came over to help us decorate :)

Recent Random Happenings

The Three Musketeers!
Ainsley's two best girl friends are Meira and Brooklyn.
They have more fun than their parents can understand.

Nora has started eating rice cereal. She was a fan from the start.
Though she will take breaks between bites to chew on her hand, toes or pajamas.. really whatever she can get in her mouth.This is her 'GIVE ME MORE' face.

Since then she's been taking a lot more of these.

It snowed like crazy right before and right after Thanksgiving

Ainsley told Tom she wanted to swim 'in a pool of snow!' so he got our pool out of the garage and filled it up. Wrapped around her little finger. ;)

SNOWBABY!

We found a Princess Story time.
Let me tell ya, she was in heaven.