Christmas 2012

As always, Christmas was a magical event this year. We were so lucky to have daddy home for the whole month of December. The first we spent in Disneyland and the guys had things pretty well under control out in North Dakota so he got to stay home and play with us. The girls had a fantastic time helping us set up the tree. They loved seeing all their ornaments and often mommy would find empty spots and then clumps of ornaments that had been sneakily moved down to promote better viewing for little people. Mommy has issues so of course she moved them back to make things look even but soon enough they found their way back to where the ladies liked them.

 This Christmas brought our first meeting with the man in red. Santa Clause himself came to our Smith Family party this year. Both ladies were very cautious as he came in and scurried to sit with Grams who was nearby. After watching some of her older cousins Mya decided that this wasn't a scary thing and hopped right up on his lap. She was all smiles as she asked him for a GPS which mommy and daddy were a bit surprised by.

Sadie, on the other hand, was quite torn about the whole experience. She really, REALLY wanted the candy cane that Santa was handing out but wasn't sure she wanted the interaction that came prior to getting it. Eventually she gathered the courage and made her way up to his lap. She's still sporting her lamb ears from the Nativity earlier that evening. She was pretty thrilled by them.

 Christmas morning came and was done much too quickly. I love to savor every minute and so for this mommy it is hard to see it come and go so quickly. I am not complaining, it was overflowing with smiles, family and an abundance of gifts. We were so very blessed.

 Daddy and I got a kick out of the morning's festivities. The girls were immediately attracted to their stockings and the large gifts that Santa left for them on the couch. They made quick work of those and as Mya turned to find another present from under the tree she almost stepped on a tiny little kitten curled up in a towel in front of the tree. It startled her and she looked at us wide eyed and exclaimed, 'There's a kitty right there!'  It was too cute. Mrs Clause sent a letter with this little kitten explaining that she had found him in the barn with the reindeer and knew that they would be very sweet to him and take good care of him.

 They quickly agreed that his name should be Figaro and proceeded to smother him with as much love as he would allow.

 Proof that Mommy was actually present for the festivities.

Figaro quickly made himself comfortable underneath the tree. If he was every missing this was the first place to look. The girls quickly caught on to this and I discovered Sadie army crawling out from under the tree one day with the cat tucked tightly under one arm. He's going to have to be a tough little guy.

 I love this face, it's the 'Mom, please stop taking pictures of me.' face.

Although Santa clause brought her many exciting surprises and a kitten Mya was still puzzled by why there was no GPS under the Christmas tree. After some discussion and a call to Nana's house we discovered that Santa had a little mishap and the GPS had tumbled out of the sleigh and landed at Nana's house instead of making it to ours. She was glad to hear it and giggled as she told people that Santa had dropped her GPS like Russel from the Pixar movie UP.

Santa Clause thrilled Sadie with her very own Donald Duck. She was thrilled to have a 'Big Hug Donald' of her very own. He accompanied us for the remainder of the day, making visits to all the relatives houses.

Grams, Grandpa and Uncle Tyson came to visit us and the girls were excited to give Grandpa his very own Dude Crush.  That afternoon we headed over to Grams and Grandpa's house to talk to Uncle McKay who is serving a mission for our Church in Stockholm, Sweden.  He is currently serving as an office Elder which gave him access to a computer and a more lenient time frame. 

We were blessed to be able to spend a couple of hours chatting with him, hearing his adventures, getting a tour of the office, and just laughing with him. It was so fantastic. What a blessing it is to have the technology that we do. He was blown away by how much the girls had changed. I can't blame him, I see them every day and wish I could push a pause button to keep them right here with me. 

 Sadie was a little shy, she gave him a little hello and then decided she wanted to hang out in the other room. Mya on the other hand was quite the ham. She had lots to say and plenty of funny faces to make.

 As always these ladies were spoiled by their grandparents on both sides. Grams and Grandpa made their wishes for Dream lights come true. They were beyond thrilled and immediately took their new cuddly blankets and dream lights into the bathroom, closed the door, turned off the lights and had a Dream light party. This was quite the exclusive party, not everyone warranted an invite; daddy was in but mommy was excused after she took this picture.

 Daddy and his girls playing their new game.

 We spent the evening at Nana's house. It was so much fun to have Auntie Kim, Uncle Glenn, Tate, Finn, and Auntie Mallory there to play with. The girls loved their new castle from Auntie Kim and they also had a blast watching Tate race his cars on his new race track.

These little cousins are such sweet friends and it is so much fun to watch them together. They enjoyed each other's toys, shared wonderfully and are just a joy to see together.  The day, as I said came to and end much too quickly, but was full of love and that's what it's all about.