We are pretty much ready for Christmas - good thing because there's not much time left. We started delivering goodie-plates to families in the ward last night. It was fun, and we got a few nice things in return (oranges and fresh eggs!!!!!). We plan on taking more around tomorrow, too.
We enjoyed our ward party at the beginning of the month. The primary kids provided the entertainment, so I led all the singing (ward and primary) that night. Britt was left to chase Emilee since she was not willing to stay in one spot that night. When Santa came at the end, she wanted nothing to do with him. In fact, she didn't even want to be in the cultural hall while he was there and would start to fuss each time we walked back in. She's just not sure about that guy. I think we need to watch more Christmas movies so she'll get used to seeing him.
We also got a good tip from a neighbor. She told me to go to the railroad park in Scottsdale while Britt's out of school. So, we looked it up, and I got really excited to go. We went last week and had a blast. We had our brother-in-law take some family pictures for us, so we have some cute ones now. Then, we just went around the park. It was actually sprinkling somewhat so that made it a little more fun to work with. Part of the park is just a city park with normal playground equipment - Emilee loves that. But, the rest of it is dedicated to TRAINS! We took a train ride around the whole park. It was a miniature train, but perfect for young kids. Emilee was more wide-eyed than smiling, but I think she still enjoyed it. They also had a carousel that Britt and I each took a turn on with Emilee. She LOVED that (of course she's ridden on them before, too, so she knew what to expect). I would love to go back to the park. Especially while they have their Christmas lights up --- major electric bill for them. We'll see if we can make it some evening before the lights come down.
with Daddy
dancing in the rain
with Mommy
The downside to going to the railroad park is that Emilee spoofs about it all the time now. She'll say, "choo, choo" randomly. While that's not so bad, it is annoying when I put her in time out and she starts repeating that to the corner. Not much of a punishment if she's pretending or remembering good times. ;)
Whew. Lots of writing from me. Those are some of the high points of this last month. Also, it looks like baby #2 is a BOY (for those who haven't heard that from Britt yet). We're excited for that. We've been telling Emilee that mom has a baby and it will be a boy. Hopefully she'll understand it better by the time he's born. I definitely feel him moving around now. Britt's waiting eagerly until he can feel the kicks and punches on the outside. I, on the other hand, could wait indefinitely for that to happen.
Emilee's favorite phrase has progressed from, "uh,oh" to "oh, no." It's cute the first billion times, then, I start thinking, what's all this "oh,no" business mean? She's also starting to say, "o-kay." Like when she asked me for milk, and before I could answer, she said, "o-kay." What's even better is that was what I was going to say.
We are excited for Christmas at the end of the week. We try to keep telling Emilee it's about Jesus' birth, so I don't think she's recognized that all the presents under the tree will be part of Christmas as well. It will surprise her when we say it's time to open them. We love and miss all of our friends and family. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
