To: Mom... From: Santa

Tonight we began our Christmas traditions. One is to go out to eat at Mandarin Garden Chinese. Strange I know, but it started a long time ago and we have just stuck with it. I swear we have been going for Chinese around Christmas for fifteen years or so. I got Kira dressed up in her Christmas dress because I want her to have every opportunity to wear it. On the way home she fell asleep and she just looked so precious I had to take these pictures of her. She woke up while I was taking them but they are still cute none the less. Looks to me like Santa gave me the best present of all this year and I got to peek early.

Sitting Up

My little girl is learning how to sit. She can sit for a minute or two by herself. Sometimes she gets to excited and throws herself backward or leans to far to one side and tips herself over she is not very stable but I think this is a great step in the right direction.

Ginger-Bread Houses

Every year for the last several years my Mom, Cass and I have gotten together with Julie, Maria and Angela to make Gingerbread Houses. It has been a really fun tradition. This year Maria brought her friend Bev and Cass brought her friend Jessica. We all had a great time, My houses this year was a village but I didn't realize that my houses were going to be 2" tall, but oh well they were probably sturdier that way. Jessica's tree was probably the most artistic, Cass put candy on hers to make it look like a rock hut, Maria did a Barn for horses, Bev made a Dog Shelter and Ang did a traditional house. It was a lot of laughs as we made a huge mess.

Later on the next week, Kira and I got together with Stacey, Julie, and Megan to make Ginger Bread houses also or in their cases Grahm Cracker Houses. They had a difficult time getting them to stay standing. Stacey's was doing the best till it also colapsed. I think we all did a great job. Thanks Girls for such a great time.

Festival of Trees

Every Year we go to Festival of Trees for Dance. We dance on a rather small stage, that has a weird floor but its a great time every year none the less. This year was really hectic. Nothing seemed to being going very smoothly for me, Kira and My mom that day. We didn't leave exactly when we wanted to, then everything seemed to take twice as long as we got down there and we couldn't find a parking spot once we got there, so we were supper late and to top it all off my purse got left in the Cafe Rio in Ogden so I had no money, camera nothing. Thankfully we were able to go and pick my purse up later with everything still inside it. So I had to take these pictures with my moms phone. The Ginger Bread Houses were Crazy, I could never do anything like that. My houses were 2 inches tall and still had issues. The Christmas tree is done out of a Cake and Fondent, so amazing. I loved it. Didn't get really any pictures of the trees but they were beautiful too.

My Little Girl and I had a great time although she really didn't like the music. I heard she screamed the whole time the girls danced.

Christmas Pictures

So Angela, Jordan and I got together to take some Christmas pictures of Kade and Kira together. We took them at my house, because my tree and wrapping paper matched their outfits. They both looked so cute in their christmas attire. I love Kade's little sweater vest. We were able to get some really cute pictures of them without paying the big bucks to have them done at Kiddie Kandids or some where like that.
Kade has the cutest smile. He is such a cheeser, when he does smile.He got a little too excited and tumbled off my ottoman and nearly face planted it. Lucky for him I have mad skills and caught him inches from the ground and took a picture at the same time. Go me!
Kira can't just smile in a picture she has to make all kinds of funny faces, and gurgle and all that fun stuff.
This is my favorite picture of Kira. My angel.
Look at how cute they are together. I love this photo. After this one Kade was enjoying playing with Kira's ears too much to get another picture of them together, but at least we got one.
Thanks Ang and Jordan for coming over it was fun.

More Trees

Christmas Trees Four and Five are now done. I did one at my In-laws and one at work. My In-Laws have probably never had so fancy a tree before. I love the turquoise and brown. I was going to use this theme for my tree next year, but it worked beautifully for her tree this year.
The one at work is an inside joke for those of us that work there, because everything has to do with the store: like we have blind tilt wands as icicles, and fringe and tassels from making drapes, christmas trees made out of the spools of thread, an Angel with a finial for a head, and all the fabric is scraps from making drapes. We look at it and laugh, but I don't think others appreciate it as much as we do.

Glitter Toes, Kira's First Snow and Bath time

On friday after Festival of Trees (Post to come) we (Kira and I) went to Glitter Toes. We do this every month. It is so much fun the girls all get together and we have our toes glittered up. This time we had dinner and treats. Sherry, Stephanie, Jessica, Dana, and I all dance together. I swear we have known eachother since we were kids, but I don't think I've grown-up yet so thats not hard. Denise is such a sport for doing all of our feet. This month we all chose red.

It has officially begun cold weather here in logan. I can't decide what I hate more. Snowing and a bit warmer or No snow and trully bitter cold and WINDY, ugh. Well Kira seems to be enjoying it. At least she likes to look at it, it seems to mesmerize her.

Kira is getting so big now, I am not laying her down in her little tub, but sitting her up. She seems to really like it now that she can see what is going on. I like it a lot better also because her screams seemed to echo in that small bathroom.

Putting Up Christmas

So the Saturday after Thanksgiving we put up Christmas at Grandma Dana's. She has a lot of decorations which cover every available surface in her home. Aunt Cassidy held Kira while we got to work on getting everything organized. The process took both Saturday and Sunday to do, but was well worth the effort.

Aunt Cass was joking arround putting Kira on a sled used in decorating the house. Amazingly it was about the right size.

This year, My moms Christmas tree is multi-colored. I think it turned out very pretty and is the first of 5 trees I will be decorating this year.

Kira really enjoyed looking at the lights and ornaments hanging on the tree. Especially the sparkly ones.

Then on thursday we all moved to my house to put up Christmas. It was nice that I got so much help. I decided to do red black and white on my tree this year. Which has quickly become on of my favorite trees.

My new tree topper. I think I like that one best of all.
Love it to peices.

Thanksgiving

So we went to Grandma and Grandpa Hansens for Dinner first. It was at 2:00 it was really good. It was nice to have all the family there. Kira had on this adorable dress (She had to have a Thanksgiving Dress. Duh!). We played games and just hung out it was a really good time. At about 3:30 we left to go to Salt Lake to visit family. Dinner was at Franz and Carlyn's. Mara was finally going to be able to see Kira, since on previous trips she was ill. We ate desert, some took naps, talked and then after all that went home. It was definitely a memorable evening.Kira and I. Isn't her dress adorable.

My Angel

I definitely think Kade enjoyed Thanksgiving. He had a great time playing with his mash potatoes. Well at least until he rubbed it in his eye.

In Salt Lake, just talking with family. Kira was passed from person to person, much like I was I expect.

The festivities were apparently a little to much for these two.