The Kandells: 2008

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

12.31.08

2003 New Years Plans :

Roadtrip with roomates to Las Vegas.

Shopping all day for perfect New Years outfit.

Getting ready from 7 pm til 10 pm then finally "going out"

Trying to meet "cute guys" EVERYWHERE

Staying up til 5 am laughing with my girlfriends in our hotel room.

Driving home the next day on 2 hours of sleep.

2009 New Years Plan :

Drop kids of Grandma at Grandpa's in Centerville

Dinner reservations at Ruth's Chris at 7:45 pm with my sweetest.

Pick up the kids by 9:30 to get them home to bed by a semi-decent hour.

Movie in bed with Eric and hopefully make it to 12:01 before I fall asleep.

Does that make me old that the latter sounds so much better??

Happy New Years All!

Tomorrow the resolutions begin.... actually I am starting all mine Monday, I can's start on a Thursday, has to be the beginning of the week.

We had a great Christmas morning, a lot of firsts, our first Christmas with just the 4 of us, the first in our own home, and our first in our new house. The kids were so excited about presents they didn't fall asleep until AFTER midnight so at 9 am we had to WAKE them up. Anyone else have to wake their kids on Christmas morning? Didn't think so.

Just like when I was a kid, we did stockings first, the kids were so pumped with their toys from their stockings,w e could have been done after that. Ady was so grateful too. She kept saying "thank you thank you" It's so much more fun to give gifts to a thankful child.

Then we ate our traditional Christmas breakfast, and headed in to start on the gifts under the tree.

Ady wanted the Tinkerbelle movie so bad, she dug around under the tree looking for a DVD shaped gift, then said "Maybe this could be the Tinkerbelle movie" as she tore it open. She was so happy to FINALLY get it.

Max got an ELMO live and a small train set and was so pleased with those that we could not get him to open any other presents, he just wanted to play with those.

And Ady got all things princess, Eric, I think I have heard the word "princess" 100 times this morning.

After we finished gifts, we hurried and packed up and took off for my parents, they were calling my brother Spencer who is on his mission in Africa at 11 am, and we wanted to get some talk time too, but when we got to Centerville, it was 12:30 and they had not been able to get through to him in Africa yet. We tried all day and could never get through. It was so sad.

Both sets of my grandparents and Brady and his fiance were there to talk to him, and we never got through.

We opened presents and continued to try to call Spencer but by evening we decided to head up to my parents cabin in Wyoming and try again the next day.

At the cabin the next day we finally got a hold of Spencer mission president who got a hold of SPencer and had him call us at the cabin in Wyoming. We were so happy to finally hear his voice and stories. We miss him so so much!!

Then we got to have some fun snow time at the cabin, their was tons of it.

Did I mention the 2 hour drive to the cabin took 4 hours since we got stuck in a blizzard??? Insane!

{snow time}

{games}

{baking}

{cleaning the dishes}

We had such a great time!! Thanks mom and dad!!

{Family Ornament}

{Adyson's Ornament}

{Maxwell's Ornament}

{This post is really only for my own journaling.}

But if you like these ornaments or like the idea of getttting personalized ones for your family or kids, I get them from a little shop in Bar Harbor, Maine (via the internet, obvioulsy)

You can visit them HERE

I give them as gifts to my parents and inlaws every year, as well as do them for our family and we always love them.

Christmas Eve

We had such a fun and memorable Christmas Eve celebration with my family tonight. Since we have been up to Centerville for a party already this week and are heading back there tomorrow morning (after our own Christmas morning at home) my family agreed to do Christmas Eve at our home.

We did our family tradition of doing fondue. Eric made a mexican cheese fondue as well as a swiss cheese and artichoke {pictured below} as well. He also made delicious herb chicken drumettes. It was so yummy.

Then since we were out of town this past weekend, we did a mini-celebration for Eric's birthday and my family gave him gifts. Ady helped open them.

Then after that began "the traditions". In our family around 7:30- 8:00 pm the my parents call "the elves" and then we all go to our rooms and wait until we hear a knock, and outside our door is always brand new, comfy Christmas PJ's to wear on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. As we got older (and knew the elves were my parents) we would wait right behind the door with our hands on the knob, just hoping to catch my dad. We never could... ever. So tonight they delivered both pj's for us and our kids but my whole family as well. SO we all got dressed in them.

{Max and Ady's Christmas pajamas and slippers}

Then after everyone is dressed, we all get together again in the living room and exchange our sibling gifts. My parents always thought it was nice to exchange gifts between brothers and sister the night before so we could fully appreciate the gift as well as each other. And so the thank you and gushing dosen't get lost in the hustle and bustle of Christmas morning. So we all exchanged our sibling gifts and my brothers and sisters gave their presents to Ady and Max.

{Austin loved his new tie, too bad he has to have my mom tie it.}

{Christa and Brady}

Then after the gifts my dad usually tells the Christmas story from the Bible. But this year since we were trying to get my kids involved, my dad paraphrased the story and Ady, Christa and Breanna did a puppet show of the nativity.

{Max checking out the donkey Mary and Joseph rode}

It was a great night with the family, we of course missed Spencer (my middle brother) who is still serving his mission in Mozambique Africa. But we cannot wait to talk to him on the phone tomorrow. When he left Max was only 5 weeks old, now he is as big as Ady and has full sentences. I can't wait for Spence to talk to the kids.

After everyone left Ady kept following me around with this present, begging to open it. I did not give in, tomorrow she is not even going to know what to do with herself. I really think Christmas may be just as exiting to be a parent of young children.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Snowy night followed by a SNOWIER day.

When Eric and I got home from vegas last night, the kids were feeling a bit cooped up so Eric and I bundled them and they went out in the backyard to make snow angels, and a "Frosty" the snowman. They were in heaven. They helped Eric shovel, and got to ride on their sled.

{Ady the snow angel}

It was pretty chilly out so Eric got the fire pit going so we could hang out next to some warmth.

{A shot of our tree through the back window}

Anyway, the kids made a snowman with dad last night but I came in early so I never took a pic, but by the time we woke up this morning, it had snowed so much more, Frosty was a lot smaller. Then the rest of the day today, the snow just kept coming and coming. We went to Target just down the street at noon and that took us forever cuz of all the snow, we have stayed in the rest of the day. But, I am actually loving the snow (which is kinda a first for me) I am pumped we will be having a very white Christmas.

Check out Frosty!!! Can you make out his stick arms???