Ringing in the New Year...almost

We didn't quite make it until midnight, but we still had a fun New Year's Eve. We partied out at Mandy and Chris's with lots of food, games, and some dancing on the Wii.That's right, even with a kid on my hip I rocked it! :)Watching the fireworks in the freezing cold.Does someone look a little tired? No, not the 1 year old up three hours past bedtime.

Grandpa Coons

Isn't he the cutest Grandpa? Jordy calls him Papa Toons (too bad Kalee had to be a grown up that day and go to work)

Sleepovers!!

Over the Christmas break, we had Layla sleepover with Caidence. We put them to bed watching "The Little Mermaid" and hoped they would fall asleep watching it. I went to bed and just as I was drifting off to sleep one or the other would come tap me. "I have to go to the bathroom. I need a drink. I want cheese." I finally went out and turned off the tv once the movie was over and turned off all the lights and told them "goodnight." Again. 12:30 I wake up to hear clinking in the other room. I go out and see Layla playing with blocks in the dark. I tell her it's time to put the blocks away and go to sleep. Well, in Layla fashion, she tells me in her sassiest voice "Just a minute, Michelle." I took the blocks from her and told her goodnight, and she stood in the corner pouting and mad at me. But I didn't hear from her again. Then at 4 am, Caid comes in crying. But it's the crying where she is still asleep so she can't tell you what's wrong, and I'm tired and don't want to fight her. I don't see sleepovers any time soon in the future.

Merry Christmas!!

Waiting to go out to see if Santa came......and he did!!When we helped Santa bring the 4-wheeler in on Christmas Eve, the battery wouldn't work. I told Zach just to bring it in anyways and that Jordyn wouldn't even notice. She hopped right on it, started grunting, and kept saying "MOVE!! MOVE!!" Good thing Caidence is good at sharing and taking her for rides in the Jeep. We went to get a new battery and it's as much as a new 4-wheeler!Testing out the trampZach did good on my stocking (and spoiled me with the rest of my presents)! I gave him a list this year which said Mt. Dew and Snickers Almond. He sure knows me!We restocked my parents stash since my kids clean them out every time they go overDespite the Chandler smile, he is happy :)This little girl would not open a single present! We finally opened them for her and I took half of them back down to storage for next year. She was too busy stealing from my stocking since she didn't get any candy in hers. They only got boring stuffers: socks and underwear, toothbrush and toothpaste, books, sippy cups, bath body paintCaid: Barbie Jeep, coloring stuff, board games, a chef set, movies, purse and wallet, snow gloves, Sing-a-ma-JigJordyn: Barbie 4-wheeler, mini tramp, sit and spin, Baby Alive, movies, puzzle, Mr. Potato Head, coloring stuff, a purse and walletYep, this is pretty much where they have spent the last week!I had to film her reaction when she saw that Santa brought her "big pink car to drive"
(For some reason when I watch it, there's no sound so hopefully you can hear her screaming thru the whole video)

Traditions

Since Zach was little, his family had a tradition of sitting on his dad's knee on Christmas Eve and then everyone would say something nice about them and then his dad would give everyone a dorky present, dollar store or something similar. They kept doing it through the years but once everyone was married and had kids, it ended up being a 3 hour long event so we decided everyone would just start doing it in their own individual families. So this was the first year of Zach having the kids sit on his knee. And it was about a 30 second event. He gave each of the girls a My Little Pony, and he even got me a present. I got a Sonic gift card for drinks, because he said I'm "Super" Sonic. :)Along with pajamas, we gave the girls a body pillow and blanket. I bought them months ago, had them hidden in the laundry room, and one day walked in to see the girls playing on them. I quickly hid them and hoped they would forget. Then not too long ago we were walking thru Costco and Caid pointed at the bin of them and said, "Look mom! That's what you got us!" I guess I need a better hiding place next year.Christmas Eve jammiesAnd once the kids were in bed, it was Christmas Eve puzzle time!! And a little Chevy Chase Christmas Vacation in the background.

Eldredge Christmas Eve

Having two Christmas Eve's (since we do Zach's family's the on the 23rd) means two nights of eating non-stop in a row. We ate tons of good food and then on to the white elephants!Jordyn drew the first number so she got to pick the first white elephant, and she picked the massive box in the middle. It ended up being this beauty, a giant purple glittery grasshopper off of the Murray City Parade float. She wasn't so sure about it, but that's good because Brielle fell in love and named it and took it home and slept with it and introduced it to everyone who came to her house.Caidence's white elephant was a box of spaghetti and sauce. You would think that we don't feed her at our house because she was so excited!Cory and his "pull my finger" SantaAlex's fuzzy pink wheel cover that should go perfect in his truckMorgan got some awesome antlersFor the real presents, my parents gave Caid a Barbie and my mom made her a bag to carry her Barbies in. She has not gone anywhere, including bed, without that Barbie bag since!Jordyn got a baby doll and bassinet