Christmas Morning 2011

I didn't think Christmas was going to get here fast enough, and that's a huge leap for me because I love to linger in the holidays for as long as possible. But, by golly, Madelyn was chopping at the bit to open presents! Presents! Presents!

We had a real nice, quiet morning with just the four of us. It was laid back and relaxed. Normally we spend the morning opening presents and having breakfast with everyone, but this year, since the Packers were playing in the evening, we decided it might be a nice change of pace for us to get together with everyone for the big game. This proved to be an excellent plan, as it afforded Madelyn an opportunity to open and play with some of her new toys, and then open more later.

We were especially blessed this year because we thought Grammy and Papa were going to be out of state, but as it turned out, Papa didn't have to have surgery! That was truly the best Christmas gift for me! As a matter of fact, I do believe finding out that he didn't need surgery was the best moment of my year! :)

 

Feeding Santa's Reindeer

Recently, Madelyn brought home some reindeer food that she and her classmates made during school. It came with instructions to put it out on Christmas Eve so Santa's reindeer could fuel up on the big night.

Getting Ready for Christmas

This Christmas has been especially fun for Madelyn. She has been so excited about the holiday season (I am sure you recall the "Christmas Bedroom" video) and she wants to be a part of each step in the preparation.

I thought it would be fun for her to color some wrapping paper for the present she so perfectly picked out. (Okay, well, she had some help from me, but she did help choose the picture.)

She had fun designing the wrapping paper and wrapping it (again, a little help from me). We called it "Designer Wrapping Paper" and she felt quite proud of it. :)

(This was one of Daddy's gifts: a personalized iPhone case.)

  

Winnie the Pooh

Madelyn has started to really get into plays at Valley Youth Theater. We had heard from many friends with small kids that the Christmas production of Winnie the Pooh was really cute. Grammy insisted that she and Madelyn have a girls' day out for the play and lunch. We were excited for Madelyn to get this special opportunity with Grammy (and it afforded us a little extra time to get ready for our annual Christmas party).

Madelyn had a great time (and I think Grammy did, too)! Thanks Grammy!

Family Pics 2011

Each year we try to get a nice family picture taken for our Christmas cards, and this year was no different. I have been addicted to Groupon, and was fortunate enough to find one for holiday pictures on location at a local park. I love a good deal!

Here are the pictures we chose, as well as the final Christmas card:

Polar Express

Every year since Madelyn was born, we take a trip on the Polar Express. It's truly a magical time, and I can't imagine not fitting it into our busy schedules.

This year we decided to head back to the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel for the night. It really is so convenient to be able to walk across the courtyard to dinner and breakfast. We also tried Spenser's Pub after we checked into the hotel. We all enjoyed a beverage before getting settled in our room. We had a great time talking and laughing, and of course, Madelyn was the hit of the pub with her Hello Kitty shirt. ;)

Madelyn was really excited when we got to our room because she found out that she was going to have a big bed all to herself! She quickly got it set up so no one else could use it.

We got to spend some time outside as well. It's always nice to haver space where Madelyn can stretch her legs. We enjoyed time in the (minimal) snow with a sky full of sunshine. It was a beautiful day!

This was the first year that there wasn't much snow, but there was just enough for Madelyn to run in and taste (much to Daddy's dismay).

In celebration of the Packers winning the Super Bowl, we asked Grammy if she could make us matching Packer jammies! They turned out so cute! And I must say, we were the talk of the train. Many people commented on how cute we looked, and three different families even asked to get their pictures taken with us. Seriously? So, I guess somewhere out there we have become part of someone else's scrapbook. ;)

This was the look on Madelyn's face when the conductor said Santa 

wasn't going to make it on the train this year.

Fortunately, he was just kidding, and said Santa would soon be on the train after all!

The best part of the trip (as always) was getting to see Santa on the train. He noticed right away that we were in our Packer gear, and stopped to talk a little longer than normal (that made other people very jealous). He confirmed that the Packers are indeed the team of the North Pole. Santa and I laughed together and I told him all I wanted for Christmas was another Super Bowl win. We just love that man!

 (Santa's telling me that the Packer's are the official team of the North Pole.)

 I KNEW it!

Madelyn was extremely excited to go see Santa after the train ride, which if you recall previous years' posts, this was a HUGE deal. Fortunately, we knew the way, and got in line quickly and didn't have to wait too long to see him. The photographer was gracious enough to let us take one picture with just Madelyn, and another with the whole family.

It all made for an exhausting adventure, and Madelyn was out as soon as her head hit the pillow....

Christmas Bedroom

Yesterday, I went up to Madelyn's bedroom to put some laundry away, and I noticed she had all of her tiniest toys scattered about her room. I wish I would have taken a picture, but just imagine about 50 Little Pet Shop pets, 100 barrettes and hair bows, and approximately 8 pairs of socks strewn from one end of the bedroom to the other. I asked her what she was doing, and she said, "I'm decorating my room for Christmas!" I mentioned how much she has really gotten into the Christmas spirit this year in a previous post, and boy is it true! I stopped and sat with her for a while, and enjoyed such a sweet moment. And then, as I looked around her room, I thought to myself, "What a mess." I asked her if she thought we needed to get some real Christmas decorations for her room, and she agreed we most certainly did!

So, after work today, I stopped at Target to see what goodies I could find. And in case you're wondering, Target has no shortage of Christmas decorations. I came home with a trunk load of decorations! It really was just my excuse for buying more Christmas decorations (because you can never have too many).  The three of us had such a fantastic time decorating her bedroom! We listened to Christmas music and danced around the room! Chloe even joined the fun by rolling around on the floor.

Once everything was in its place, the first thing Madelyn said was, "Let's show Grammy & Papa!" I told her that since they were out of town, we'd have to take a video and send it to them. She decided to give a "Christmas Bedroom Tour," and I have included it for your enjoyment below. :)

Matthew, Not Matthews.

Out of the mouths of babes....

Kelly: "Madelyn, do you want to go to Matthew's birthday party on Saturday?"
Madelyn (wide-eyed): "Clay Matthews?!?!"

Madelyn sure does love her favorite football player, Clay Matthews!

Winter Dance Recital in Whoville

Madelyn had her first winter dance recital this weekend at Glendale Glitters. She had two dances, one tap and one ballet. The tap dance was to Trim Up the Tree from the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. The outfits were cute (see previous post regarding homemade tutu), but the hair was cuter! When Madelyn's teacher was describing how she wanted it done, I was a little skeptical, but it turned out really cute. Fortunately, since I was out of town, one of the other dance moms did Madelyn's hair.

Kudos also goes to Chris who did an awesome job making sure everything was extra organized for this special night.

Our videographers (Grammy & Papa) got stuck fighting the crowds for a spot, so they weren't able to tape her tap dance. But I am including a link to one of the other mom's video so you can get an idea.



Madelyn's second dance was actually a Daddy-Daughter dance, and it was adorable! The dads did a great job learning the dance, and the daughters were so cute dancing around in there pajamas and tutus!



Thanks, Papa, for getting this on video! :)