Merry Christmas

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! We had a great low key two days.  I worked just a little bit on Christmas Eve, due to I lost my voice and since a good part of my job is calling people it just didn't work out ... lol.  We stopped by my parents house to exchange gifts an went to our first Christmas Eve Candle Light Service.  Santa parachuted down from the ceiling and our Pastor told a funny Christmas Eve Story he made up about our city.

Candle Light Service

We even got a Santa Picture in!

Cole wrote a note to Santa,

I whipped up some cookies for him too!

Christmas Day we opened gifts, then off to the movies we went.  We started this tradition last year and I hope we can keep doing it every year.  This year we went to see Walking with Dinosaurs, the boys enjoyed it ... me not so much lol I fell asleep.  We ended our night with a simple dinner and then we loaded up in the car for Fantasy lights!  It was a perfect way to end Christmas!

Christmas Gift Time!

Family Movie Time!

Fantasy Lights!

I hope you all had a wonderful day with friends and family!

What did you do for Christmas?

Merry Christmas Eve

Click here to view this video

This is a funny 7 Second Video of me and my co-worker Teri at our last event.  We had a Flip Book station.  To make the book you made a 7 second video of funny faces, the camera then took like 50 photos that then was made it a flip book that made the photos come to life when you flipped through the book!!

Merry Christmas All!

God Bless you all and I pray you all have an amazing day!

It was a Merry Christmas

It was an amazing holiday and celebration for with the family. My blessings started a few days early then the day.  As many of you know my husband's car engine died and we had been trying to figure out what to do.  My amazing bosses told me to tow it to a shop to have it looked out and find out how much we would need to get it up and running.  Sadly the extent that it needed was a lot and really not worth it.  So my bosses went over and beyond and surprised me with a new car!  They blessed me so much I can't even say in words how much they are special and answered my prayers.  I am so excited to show off my new 2009 Jetta Wagon.  It even has leather and heated seats, being the cheap girl I am my car didn't have any bells and whistles (Ricks' did but not mine).  It is so nice to have 2 reliable cars and things are really started to turn around here!  We have one more announcement to make but I want to wait a few more days just to let it happen so I can make sure it is what is to be.

We had a fabulous Christmas, this year has been a rough one financial so I was buying little things here and there to make sure we had gifts come Christmas.  I saved and got some great deals on Black Friday also.  Rick and I just kept it low key for this year and enjoyed the kids opening gifts.  One of Rick's cousins sent a Gift Card for the movies and we took the whole family Christmas Day to a movie, it was great to have the card that paid for the whole experience.  What a Great day!  Hope you all had a blessed day and enjoyed your family!

Christmas Eve we saw my parents who gave the boys gifts.

Rick stayed up ALL night and built the lego's Planes & Trucks.

Santa Cookies & our Christmas Eve PJ's.

The boys enjoyed opening gifts!

Mom & Dad and the Mess to clean up!

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Christmas Break so Far …

It has been a very busy time around here as I’m sure it is at your house too!  This has been a pack it in Christmas Break at our house.  Here’s a little look at what we have been up to!

Santa came to Rick’s work so we stopped by to say hi!

Cole’s school put on a beautiful Christmas program!

Christmas Eve we stopped by my parents house to exchange gift since they were spending Christmas elsewhere.  The boys loved their new legos and a Telescope for Cole.

Christmas Eve night the boys opened their one present the new PJ’s.

Rick worked Christmas Eve at the Football game and came home in time to take the boys and me to Fantasay Lights.  Who knew Christmas Eve would be so crowded!  It took us a 1/2 hour to get in and then we took about a 1/2 to drive around.  The person behind us was riding our behind to go forward faster. I say if I spend this much I’m taking my time .

Christmas Morning was an explosion of paper and gifts.  You can see my feet with the coffee to prove I was there since I was picture taker … lol. 

Christmas night we bundled up the boys and hit the zoo for Zoolights!

Cole’s school bought a few rows at the Thunderbirds Hockey game so we took the boys!  Since Rick works security there his boss grabbed the boys and took them to the front to shake hands with the players.

Wowzer and we still have a few more days until peace comes back to my house.  How I can’t wait for school to begin soon .

What are your plans this weekend?

Christmas Wrap Up!

It's over and it flew by!! I have been very blessed my amazing bosses gave me an amazing bonus on Christmas Eve. I was able to go out shopping and get great things for everything! All I have to say is Fred Meyers ROCKS. I usually never shop there with the prices are too high. BUT they had the kiddie center open, so I was able to drop them off there and do all my shopping and actually they had some GREAT deals. Mom even bought a gift for herself (I knew Rick wouldn't get me much) I got a vacuum cleaner for 60% off :). YUP mom has to take care of herself.

Christmas eve my parents did a stop by with gifts! I think I may start a NEW tradition of Christmas Eve dinner we'll see if I can get everyone on board for that :). Caden accidentally broke the plastic arm on Cole's DS so my parents got him a DS lite :)

After my parents left we hit Fantasy Lights! This is a treat we do each year! The boys love it and it is the best to drive around the park and see all the lights and hard work that went into it.

Jake got a new doggy bed from my mom, "Santa's Helper Rick" built the art set for Cole, mom made cookies for Santa and finished wrapping the gifts. Christmas was just us and we had a lot of fun together!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! (click pictures to enlarge)

Traditions ... Do you do them or Not?

As many of you know I'm a nut about making traditions and making and preparing a meal to share with the family. Ever since I rented my first house I wanted to do the Holidays at my house. Me making all the treats and everyone showing up.

Christmas is the time of year I look forward to every year, a month before I start planning what I'll make and people sitting around opening presents and just being with one another.

3 years ago my parents said they were going to a 2nd cousins house of mine. I was crushed, I had the meal planned everything. I knew we had a family member who was ill they wanted to spend time with them. Now yes this person lives about 5 minutes from me and we can see them year round but I gave in. Yes with Rick pleading with me not to make a big deal. Ok just this one year! Then last year I did it to myself got all prepared and found out my parents were going to celebrate with this 2nd cousin and their family again. It took a while but I sucked it up (ok pretended to). I thought ok just one more year, but I kept my family at home and decided that I needed to make a new tradition.

So here we are again found out yet again my parents are going to the other families house instead of mine with the kids. I'm making my way to new traditions and enjoying the day with my husband and boys and of course the new boy! I can't say that I'm not bummed that my dream of this huge family get together at my house won't be happening. Along with not a big dinner since the boys are still young there sadly is no reason to make a big dinner. So even though I wish it was just a holiday party they were going to and spending the actual Christmas day with the kids I'm just going to sit back with my hot cocoa and just relax. Ok really I'm trying just let me pretend in my bubble. This year was less tears .... lol :).

Merry Christmas everyone! So now the big question: Tradition is it a big thing for you?

Merry Christmas to All and Hope there are Little tears!

LOL Christmas usually involves me busting into tears ... I know as my parents would say stop being so sensitive. So this year will be different right? Oh come on it's family it will lead to tears even when they are not here to celebrate with you. I'm going to be calm and serene and enjoy the peace, yeah right what house do you think I'm in?

So I'm thinking it's all behind me we'll do Christmas in the morning with my parents then they will leave and we'll do our Christmas dinner. Well at least that was the plan then it was switched to them stopping by Christmas eve after Rick is off work. Well there goes going to church for Christmas Eve. And during all this Rick tells me the reason my mom thinks I don't want to got to Christmas at her cousins house is because of my weight! Merry Christmas to me queue the tears. Ok little back ground I've always struggled with my weight, I lost 80 lbs for our wedding then of course got pregnant on our honeymoon, finally lost most of the weight and guess what pregnant again. So here I am baby #2 and far from where I would love to be. No sob story just the way it goes, so fast forward to now. I still go to parties mind you I even went to this persons house last year at the same weight I am now! So no I am not avoiding the party due to weight I'm choose not to go to someone's house that is not my immediate family. I want to enjoy my Christmas with the people close to me and I'm not sorry you wont be here but I'm going to enjoy my day so please no more hits!

The Christmas Sasuage Breakfast is ready to go, we've opened up our Santa Gifts. The kids are enjoying some leapfrog gifts, all the DVD's and Dad is going back to bed before he enjoys the Wii. How come they can go back and lay down while we stay up with the kids taking care of them? Hmmm yup the hits keep on coming and I seem to be the whacking tree!

KYS I know you're locking yourself in your bathroom please make room, mine is too small and doesn't have a window for easy escape. I need to go hide, no more hits please I really want to have a nice day. I'm taking my over-sensitive fluffy arse to go sit on the couch. Yup I'll have a coffee and cookie with that and anybody that has a comment well I have a cookie you can chew on instead .... LOL just playing sorry been one of those days and it's only just begun.

P.S. Just because it would be fun mom bought the boys slinkies! Oh joy metal that you can swing around your head and throw at people link a slingshot! Oh joy my world is going to be wonderful right?

Santa Presents out ~ Check

Presents wrapped yes each person has their own theme

Come on you knew I was crazy like that!

Christmas Eve

Monnie and Bapa stopped by to exchange gifts

Cole is in love with his new DS!

Santa Cookies are out~

Thanks Rachael for the premade dough she rocks!

Santa loved his cookies and milk and his cool plate!

Opening Santa Gifts!

Big thanks to Kmart Layaway for our Wii.

And of course black Friday, Santa loves Black Friday!

And I leave you with my Christmas morning tradition

Sausage Casserole (recipe below)

Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

6 to 8 slices egg bread, crusts trimmed
2 lbs. link sausage, cooked and drained
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lg. onion, sliced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 c. milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
5 eggs, beaten

Alexis Note: I buy a loaf of french bread and tear it up. EASY. I buy the sausage rolls, I use dried onion flakes, since there is more bread I use 10 eggs and skip the mushrooms! It's up to you experiment!

Bake:

Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan or casserole dish with Pam.

Line the bottom with bread. Arrange cooked link sausages on top.

Sauté onion in oil over medium heat until clear, about 2 minutes. Add mushroom and sauté until limp, for 4-5 minutes.

Arrange over sausages. Whisk together eggs, milk, and soup.

Ladle over the onion mixture. Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Bake, uncovered, until heated through, about 40 minutes.

Serves 4.