Home with New Toys

We came home with time to play Friday night.  We might have visited Grandma Olson longer but there was snow in the forecast and I wanted to be home before it possibly started.  Mena completed her 63 piece Olaf puzzle that came in her stocking; she kept asking me for help and I kept telling her I was busy and she needed to keep trying.  I put her off enough that she did it herself like I thought she could.  She was so proud when she told me!

Maggie and Mena each painted a picture on the Easel.  Maggie's is the rainbow and Mena's is the abstract lines/circles/arches.  The easel was a great idea; now to just find room in the apt to leave it set up!  It folds but it's still big so we'll just leave it set up and ready to use.  The girls used it to play school, too.

Christmas with our Extended Family

We arrived in Yutan around noon.  We had a delicious meal with the family and then got to the presents--the best part according to the kids.  The weather was nice enough that the kids could run around outside which helped burn off some of their excited energy!!

The girls opened their gifts so fast or maybe I was helping them too much for me to get very many pictures!  Maggie was most excited for her new Frozen scooter and Mena was most excited for her new Frozen clothes.  They both used their new Frozen earphones with their tablets and both wore their new Frozen clothes on Friday.  We spent the night at Grandma and Papa's and then visited Grandma Olson on Friday.

Grandma was excited for her new necklace that I'd brought back from China for her and Papa was excited for the mug with Mena's painting on it for his coffee.  The cousins also liked their gifts.  They were glad we let them all open at once rather than waiting for one kid at a time to open.  I suppose if we wanted to torture them one year we could make them take turns opening--haha!

Mena took pictures of me opening my new sweatshirt, gloves, and worry beads that Grandma made me.  Aunt Beth took a family picture for us and later Mena snapped a picture of me in my new sweatshirt as Maggie and I came down the hall.  Little bit of finger makes the picture unique :)

Christmas Morning

 

Around 8 am on Christmas morning I heard Maggie say, "Mena, wake up.  Mena, Santa came! Come on!"  I got up and grabbed my camera in time to snap a picture of the backs of their heads as they exclaimed over their new easel.  Maggie was super excited for her Frozen microphone.  Mena wasn't sure what to think of the loom she got.  They also each got a book, slinky, crayons, puzzle, lip gloss, pez candy with Elsa and Anna at the top, and gold fish.  I forgot to get a picture of them with their gifts!  Oops!

Also, forgot to mention that our Elf brought these new pajamas from Santa earlier in the week.  He was a silly Elf and put the jammies on the floor of mom's closet along with the book that mom had read to the girls the night before.  We thought he was telling us that they did a good job listening and going to bed nicely :-)

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, the girls and I lit the Advent Candles during the family Christmas Eve service at St. Paul.  We ate a sack supper that I'd packed at the church and then helped in the nursery during the 7 pm service.  When we got home I told the girls they had to put their pajamas on and then I'd let them open a gift.  I ended up deciding to let them open all the gifts from me.

They were both excited to have new dresses that came with matching doll dresses.  They liked the books and games.  Their favorite was the new tablets I bought them.  At first Maggie wasn't sure what she was opening and Mena had to tell her what they were.  Then they were both super excited.

They went to bed pretty easily knowing that Santa couldn't bring them more gifts until they had gone to sleep.

Mena's Ornament

Sunday, Mena brings home a present for me from school and puts it under the tree after I say I want to save it for Christmas morning.

Monday morning's conversation reveals what the present is!  Mena says, "Mom, if you wait til Christmas to open my gift then I won't have very long to hang my ornament on the tree!"  I responded, "Do you want me to open it now?" To which she replied, "Yes!!"

It looks beautiful on our tree 

Durham Train Museum

Grandma treated us to Runza for lunch and then we visited Durham Train Museum.  The girls enjoyed the visit but I can tell they move through the exhibits a lot faster since we've had a membership the last year.  I'll find somewhere else for us to buy a membership to in 2015.  The tree was huge and you can see the girls' smiles as they are having fun!

Preschool Christmas Celebration

Dawn is the daycare director.  Maggie was turned around looking at the parents rather than listening to Dawn :)

Miss Jennifer read the story of baby Jesus.  Maggie scooted over she she could see right between the girls' heads and paid attention to the whole book.

Her class sang and danced to "There Was a Baby Jesus."  All the kids really got into it.  Miss Marne is a great teacher.

Maggie's 4 Year Check Up

This year I waited until my semester was done and took Maggie in for her 4 year check-up a month after her birthday.  Maggie is 41.75 inches tall (83%) and 41 pounds (84%).  Dr. Bernhardson said she's well proportioned and a healthy 4 year old.  She got 4 shots; 2 in each thigh :-(  She was not a happy camper even when she got to pick 2 prize box items and 2 stickers!  On top of that Dr. B said that her cold was a sinus infection and he put her on medicine.

Sophia the First Cupcakes

Walgreens was selling Sophia the First Cupcake gift packages so we bought two.  The girls each got an apron, spoon and spatula that they can keep to reuse.  They each made 6 mini-cupcakes.  There ended up being more frosting and sprinkles than there was cake in each!!  Mena was very focused on making hers while Maggie was intent on taste-testing every part of the process :-)