Life as We Know it..... Keeps Changing: The first of three Christmas celebrations

We are headed to Colorado for Christmas this year. We will be spending Christmas Day up at the cabin with Ty's family, and celebrating an early Christmas with my family. Tyson and I decided to have Christmas at our house as a family before we left. It alleviates so much stress of packing presents, worrying about losing tiny important pieces, and overwhelming the kiddos with too much stuff all at once. After emailing Santa and asking him to come early to deliver the kid's presents we got strait to work. Our house was decorated the week before Thanks Giving, Christmas songs were playing, and the holiday spirit was in full force.

Lexi got an advent calendar and had to eat 3-4 chocolates a day so that she would be done with it by Christmas eve. (she didn't mind). We went to visit Santa THREE times at Disney land. He was a good Santa. Probably the best I've ever seen. Both the kids loved him. Gauge actually cried when I took him off his lap. We got an awesome picture.

The weekend we were doing our "Christmas" was perfect. On Friday night, we surprised the kids. We got them ready for bed as usual and then had lexi find a golden ticket under her pillow for the "ford-edge express" (thank you pintrest, and chelsea stewarts!). She was so excited. We packed popcorn and hot chocolate then headed out. We went to the live acting out of the nativity in Brea. It was so awesome. They even had a camel! I don't know who just has a pet camel hanging around in their backyard on Southern California, but they found one. Lexi was thrilled. Then we got more hot chocolate and cookies and headed out to look at the most lit up neighborhood I've ever seen. It took about an hour to see all the awesome decorations in this neighborhood. The kids loved it and so did I. There is something so magical, beautiful and spectacular about looking at Christmas lights. It is one of my VERY favorite things.

The next day we baked goodies and delivered them to our friends, made sugar cookies for Santa, and had a fancy Christmas Eve Dinner (too bad everything turned out just ok, not spectacular, at least the kids didn't notive). We let the kids open up their one present (pjs, every year), after we sand some christmas carols. That night I told Lexi the story of baby Jesus birth while I was putting her to sleep. It took her 3 hours to fall asleep. Meanwhile, "Santa" was downstairs building her tramp.

Lexi's note to santa

one last peek at the presents before bedtime

the loot

she was disappointed when she came down stairs, until I pointed out her note...

I didn't get any pictues on the trampoline, but the kids loved it!! They played on it for hours. (one of the perks of CA, play outside, all year long!)