Christmas in Marysville

On Christmas Day we traveled to Marysville. Thankfully this trip was a lot less eventful than our drive to Stow! Our first stop was Great Grandma and Grandpa Staley's for an afternoon visit.  After that we headed to the house to relax and spent the evening with Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Shannon and Uncle Travis, Uncle Paul and Aunt Kristen, and all of the cousins. It was a full house, but a great time as always!  That night some bad weather moved in so we spend the next day snowed in and LOVED it!  It was great to have a low key day to just play, visit with Mom and Dad, and relax with nowhere to go.  We couldn't have asked for a better Marysville trip!

The girls couldn't wait to get into their grandparents' arms. This photo was taken seconds after pulling in to Grandma and Grandpa Staley's house.

Our one and only family photo from Christmas.

Grandma and Grandpa Staley. They are in their 90's and still hosting their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren (that's a lot of greats!) for Christmas each year.  I love this photo of them laughing at something silly and will always cherish it.

Later in the evening, eating dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  All of the grandkids except for Norah ate together (Norah was stuck with the grownups since she still requires some assistance with eating.  Next year Norah!)

Every year all of the grandkids participate in a gift exchange.  This year Avery had Sophia's name. We heard Sophia loves dress up clothes, so we got her a fun fairy outfit and then I made this superhero cape and mask for her.  It's far from perfect, but I had the best time making it!  She looked adorable and wore it proudly.

Norah playing with the new zoo train she got from the Uptons

As I mentioned earlier, Avery got a tent from the Texas Pilands for Christmas.  After sleeping in it for a couple of nights she said, "Mom, I really need a sleeping bag for that tent.  Do you think Santa could bring that for me?".  I explained carefully that Santa had already finished all of his shopping for this year and it was a little too late, but maybe next year she could ask for a sleeping bag. She was a little disappointed, but handled it well.  I was smiling inside though because I knew that by total coincidence, Grandma and Grandpa had already gotten her a sleeping bag (none of us had any idea that she'd be getting a tent. They just knew she'd love a sleeping bag).  It was a fun surprise for her!

Erich took a quick scan of the living room during the present opening mayhem.  Mom and Dad distribute the presents and then let everyone dig in at once because if we all took turns the kids would go nuts and we'd be there until 2am.  It's always a hectic, chaotic, wonderful time!  Thanks so much for your generosity Mom and Dad!

The annual grandkid picture. From top to bottom: Katie, Spencer, Norah, Karly, Will, Avery, Sophia, and Oliver.  A good looking group of kids.  Avery got that Rapunzel wig from Grandma and Grandpa and rarely takes it off.  I'm beginning to forget what her real hair looks like. 

That wraps up our tour of Ohio Christmas extravaganza.  We loved every minute of our time in Marysville and were sad to leave.  Time with family is always cherished, but time with family at Christmas can't be beat. We are so grateful for the memories we got to make with our girls and our time in Stow and Marysville.  It was a great Christmas!

Christmas in Perrysburg

We got home from Stow and were able to spend Christmas Eve at home unpacking, repacking, and getting caught up on some last minute details (Santa still had some presents to wrap!).  That night after the kids were in bed Erich and I exchanged our gifts in front of the tree by the light of the fireplace... a tradition we have come to love. The girls usually sleep from 6:30pm-6:30am, so when we put them to bed Monday night we expected to be up with them bright and early Christmas morning, especially with the anticipation and excitement of the day ahead.  We were a little shocked when we woke up at 7:30 and we were the first ones up.  I think our traveling wore them out and finally we ended up waking them up at 8am (that's MAJOR sleeping in at this house).  

Norah popped up the minute we opened the door and was ready to start the day in her cute Christmas jammies

Avery got this tent as a Christmas gift from Uncle Evan, Aunt Passa, Cara, and Jacob.  She splits her nights about 50/50 between the tent and her bed. You never know where you'll find her in the morning!  She's not quite as quick to wake up as Norah.

Santa came!

First things first, before stockings or presents we pause to read the Christmas Story.  Since the girls are still a little young to sit through and comprehend the story straight from the Bible, we read a children's book that tells about Jesus' birth in a way they can understand.  We love all of the fun that December brings, but our family is built on the truth and love of our Savior and we never want anything to overshadow that.  As our kids get older we hope to incorporate more Jesus into our family Christmas traditions.

After breakfast and the Christmas story we moved on to presents. Avery had quite the long list... among it was a dream lite, a Cinderella dress, and a Doc McStuffins doctor kit. She was thrilled to get all of those things

The Doc McStuffins kit was a late addition to her list but something she wanted sooooooooo much.  Turns out Doc McStuffins is more popular than we realized and it was hard to track down!  Thankfully we were able to snag one online that arrived just in time.  She was a little excited :)

Every year we get Avery and Norah each an ornament that reminds us of them.  Norah's ornament this year is one of my favorites. A cute little banana split... a throw back to her first birthday party smash cake.  It's super cute!

Norah's big gift this year was the Little People Princess Songs Castle.  I can't wait for her to play with it! But for now, she's had so many other gifts to play with from the grandparents that we haven't even busted it out of the box yet.  We'll save it for a rainy day!

After Avery and Norah opened their gifts, Avery had a couple presents for us that she made at preschool.  She decorated the bag herself and Erich was quite impressed by what was inside! (an ornament with Avery's photo on it)  After that we got showered and dressed, packed up the car, and hit the road for Marysville. It was a great, low key Christmas morning!

Christmas in Stow

We always look forward to traveling to Stow for a Christmas visit! Of course it's wonderful as usual to see Nana, Papa, and Aunt Nikki, but we were especially excited to see Uncle Evan, Aunt Passa, and cousins Cara and Jacob who travel in from Texas every year at Christmas time.  This year we were extremely blessed that Erich was off work for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  We spent 3 days in Stow, came home for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning in our own home, and then spent 3 days in Marysville.  It was busy, but perfect! Well, almost perfect... With that much traveling something was bound to go wrong, right?  Friday morning we packed up the car, loaded up the girls, and hit the road for Stow. Not even 10 minutes into our trip we got a flat tire.  Thank goodness we hadn't even made it out of Perrysburg yet. Even though it was a frustrating start to our holiday travels, we could see God's hand of protection on our family... rather than getting stranded on the side of the road on the turnpike in the freezing cold, wind, and snow (the weather was horrible that day), we were still in town when it happened and were able to slowly creep our way to a nearby tire store.  They told us it would be at least a couple hour wait, so we bundled up the girls the best we could and walked to the Target that was down the way.  Of course, this was the one time I had failed to pack Avery and Norah's hats and gloves and that walk to Target was long in the cold wind. I felt so bad for them!  But we made it and then we killed a couple hours walking laps around the store, eating lunch in the Target food court (wouldn't recommend it folks!), and buying hats and gloves! (lesson learned)  The time went by faster than we expected and soon Belle Tire called to let us know the car was fixed and ready to go.  The kind people at Belle Tire were in the Christmas spirit and fixed the tire for FREE!  What a blessing!  Erich was caught off guard that there was no charge and wanted to do something special to thank them, so he grabbed the cheesecake I had made to take to Stow and gave it to them in gratitude (sorry Pilands!)

In their new hats waiting for the car to be fixed.  We were bummed that our plans were delayed, but took it all in stride and still managed to have fun killing time at Target.  We finally got on the turnpike and ran into blizzard conditions... we saw lots of cars in the ditches and prayed for safety as we slowly made our way to Stow.  Along the way Avery had some intestinal issues (I won't go into detail, but let's just say the nerves from our crazy morning caught up with her and her tummy didn't take it well) that also required a lengthy visit to the rest stop.  All things considered, our usual 2 hour drive took almost 6 hours and we've never been so happy to get to Nana and Papa's house!

Aunt Passa reading to Avery, Norah, Cara, and Jacob. It was so fun to have these 4 cousins together!

Nana and Papa got the girls matching Rapunzel nightgowns. What a hoot.  

They got quite a bit of snow in Stow and Cara was dying to go out and play in it since Texas doesn't get snow.  Nana was prepared with boots in the perfect size for Cara and Avery and snowsuits for both of them too. I was impressed!  Here they are getting ready to brave the cold and have some fun.

Aunt Nikki got home just as the girls were making snow angels and couldn't help but join in... even though she was just wearing jeans and tennis shoes.  What a fun Aunt!

Cara and Avery trying to make a snowman (the snow was too light and fluffy and wouldn't pack, but they had fun trying)

Daddy, Uncle Evan, and Aunt Passa all took turns pulling the kids around on the sled.

Avery and Norah opened their gifts Saturday night.  Here's Avery and Nana with Avery's new owl hat. She loves it.

Avery opened all of her gifts first and then it was Norah's turn.  Avery also wanted to open all of Norah's gifts and had a hard time with the fact that she needed to let Norah do it herself.  This picture is a classic.  Avery is watching miserably from the sidelines and Norah is having a blast opening her gifts!   The huge smile on Norah's face is because she peeked into the gift bag and saw a familiar face staring back at her... Abby Cadabby!  Nana and Papa got her a talking Abby Cadabby doll and she was in heaven.  She immediately pulled it out of the bag and took it straight over to Papa because she wanted it out of the box NOW.  The entire time Papa was working on it she just stood there and yelled a happy excited yell.  Once she finally got her hands on it she didn't wan to put it down.  It was a hit!

A short video of excited Norah wanting that Abby doll!

Playing with Nana

Opening more gifts with Daddy.

Aunt Nikki and Avery wearing her owl hat and owl jammies (thanks for the pj's Aunt Nikki!)

Avery and Cara fit in this huge gift bag. It was really heartwarming to see the two girls together. From the minute we walked through the door on Friday they ran to each other and hugged like best buds and then ran off playing within seconds. In years past they've had some issues with sharing and taking turns. This year they both just seemed so much more grown up and played perfectly together almost the entire visit.  It was so much fun, and made me a little sad they only get to see each other once or twice a year.  They definitely share a sweet bond!

Uncle Erich and Jacob.  Poor baby Jake was the only boy with all those girl cousins but he did a great job holding his own!  We hadn't seen him since he was just 6 months old, so it was fun to get to know him and his personality.  Such a cutie!

Our attempt to get all 4 kids in one photo.

Uncle Evan and Jacob testing out Jacob's new power tools

Nana and Papa... we love you! Thank you for loving us so well.  It was a great Piland Christmas!

Disney On Ice

The next thing on the schedule after the preschool program was Disney on Ice!  The show didn't start until 7 and Avery is usually in bed by 6:30, so she felt like a big kid getting to stay up late! We weren't home until well after 9pm which is a really late night for her. She did great!

We had a babysitter come for Norah and she was sweet enough to take a family photo of us as we were getting ready to head out. We told Avery she could wear a princess dress (a real treat since she normally isn't allowed to wear those out of the house) and she chose Ariel.  

Waiting for the show to start with Daddy.

Showing how close we were to the ice.  Since this was a very special occasion and Avery won't be going to Disney World until she's a bit older, we decided to spring for front row tickets.  Oh my, we didn't realize how close we would be. It was awesome, but also took a little bit for Avery to adjust to.  The only thing separating us from the skaters was that little wall (about 18 inches tall).  We easily could have reached right out and touched the characters (and at times we did when they reached out for high fives!).  It was a little overwhelming for Avery at first, but she adjusted and especially loved when all of the princesses came out to skate.

Eyes glued on the skaters. She loved it.

Mickey and Minnie... the stars of the show!

Cinderella and Prince Charming with Pocahontas and John Smith in the background

Belle and the Prince.  It was a wonderful night of fun and a special time for us to spend with Avery.  That little girl is growing up fast and this is a memory we will cherish with her!

More Christmas Fun

December flew by as we went from one fun activity to the next.  First up, our annual gingerbread house tradition.  This isn't something that Erich or I grew up doing, but we decided a few years ago that we wanted to start our own little family tradition of making a gingerbread house together every Christmas season.  Avery loves it and was looking forward to it this year.  Norah was a little young to participate (She would have easily choked on the candy rather than decorate with it), but next year I'm sure she'll have a great time helping.

Avery and Momma working on it.  Daddy builds the house, Momma puts the icing on, and Avery has full creative control when it comes to decorating with the candy.  She put every single piece on by herself this year without an ounce of help. She did a great job!

Showing off her masterpiece (still in progress)

Norah may not have been able to join in the gingerbread house fun, but she found plenty of ways to spread Christmas cheer. Her favorite was carrying tubes of wrapping paper all over the house.  I don't know why she was so attracted to it, but the girl loves wrapping paper!  She was hilarious... just carrying it around all over the place like it was a walking stick.  Sweet silly girl.

Avery's preschool class had a Christmas program for their family and friends.  It was a brief performance in the sanctuary of Christmas songs, poems, and acting out the Nativity. Our sweet little girl got to be Mary and if that doesn't make my momma heart soar, I don't know what does.  She did a great job and was so proud to be taking care of baby Jesus! This photo was taken in her classroom before the program as they were lining up to walk to the sanctuary.

Mary getting ready to go kneel by the manger and lay baby Jesus in it.

Performing one of the many cute Christmas songs. She did a great job!

Christmas Time is Here!

The last few months of the year were a blast for our little family of four. We went straight from apples and pumpkins and Halloween to Christmas in full force... decorating the tree, visiting Santa, gingerbread houses, preschool program, and lots of traveling.  It was busy and action packed, but wonderful!  The weekend after Thanksgiving we got the house decorated for Christmas. Erich carries all of the huge totes up from the basement, I decorate, and then he carries all the totes back down.  It's definitely a joint effort!  We tried to get that all done while the girls were napping and saved the best part, decorating the tree, for when they woke up.  We played some classic Christmas tunes (Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole... my favorites!), got hot chocolate for everyone, and got to work.

I'm not sure why Norah is missing her shirt, but love this picture of her playing peek-a-boo from behind the tree

Mommy and Daddy hung the fragile ornaments on the top half of the tree and Avery had the special job of hanging all of the "Norah proof" ornaments on the bottom half.  Norah is at the exact age that makes having a Christmas tree hard... she's just old enough to want to touch everything, but not old enough to really understand "no" and "gentle".  All things considered, she did great with it.  She only broke one ornament and it wasn't a sentimental or expensive one :)

Finishing touch!  We always save the star on the top for last.  This year Avery got to put the star on with a little help from daddy.  You can't tell from the picture, but Avery is pretty high off the ground. We have an 8 ft tree. Erich had to stand on a step ladder to get her up there.  She did great (and I'm always impressed by my man's muscle power. He makes it look so easy).

A week or two into the season we took a family trip to see Santa in his little red house at the outdoor shopping mall a couple miles down the street from our house.  Avery and Norah wore their matching Christmas dresses and got all dolled up for the big man in red. I love this photo of our happy curly haired baby!

Pretty girl! Avery modeling her dress for the camera.  She was very proud that she picked out the fabric.  I loved that she was immediately drawn to the fabric that had baby Jesus and the rest of the nativity figures on it.  What a fun reminder of the reason we celebrate!  You'll be seeing these dresses in a lot of the Christmas photos.  I had a great time making them for the girls (making matching clothes for Avery and Norah was my entire motivation to learn how to sew), but since I worked so hard on them we wanted to make sure we got the maximum use possible out of them, so they wore them every possible occassion!

If ever there were a "real" Santa Claus, this guy is it.  We love him.  Last year Avery was excited to see Santa and didn't cry, but was a little timid. This year she was shy for a brief minute then loosened up and was excited to sit on his lap and tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas.  Avery had no problem coming up with quite a list of toys she wanted for Christmas this year, but the big ticket item on her list was tickets to see Disney on Ice.  From the first commercial she saw advertising it on tv months before she was enthralled and brought it up over and over again.  We weren't sure exactly how it could work out since Disney on Ice was coming to Toledo December 19th but Santa doesn't come to our house until December 25th.  Avery was sure Santa would pull through for her!

What do you know... when Avery said she wanted tickets to see the princesses ice skate, Santa pulled a pretty red envelope out his coat that had Avery's name on it.  See... I told you he was the real deal!

Avery posing with Santa and her three front row tickets to see Disney on Ice the following week. (Norah stayed home with a sitter since the show started long after her bed time) I know that Christmas is not about Santa or presents or ice skating princesses. We don't want Avery to ever get the impression that anything trumps our love for Jesus as we celebrate His birth at Christmas time.  However, I also don't think there's anything wrong with embracing the joy and magic of Christmas fun... like visits to Santa and fun surprised.  I'll admit this brought tears overflowing for me.  It was just SO neat.

Avery may have warmed up to Santa quickly but Norah was sure to keep her distance the whole time.  She wanted nothing to do with Santa, just like she wants nothing to do with anyone she doesn't know. Norah is going through a huge separation anxiety stage so we had a feeling she wasn't going to love the Santa this year.

We were right.

Everyone needs a screaming baby on Santa's lap photo, right?  Aside from Norah's meltdown it was a fun little visit to Santa's house and a great way to kick off the Christmas festivities!