Holidays

SO my last post talked about how I am starting a tradition with Kingston of being thankful each day in November for something. I also talked about not starting Christmas celebrating until after Thanksgiving. Well, I am here to say that wont be lasting! Haha. We decided to fly to Seattle for Christmas this year. The first time EVER for Chez and the first time I will have been at my parents house for Christmas in 5 years. We fly out on the 16th and I got to thinking how we wont be able to enjoy our Christmas tree and decorations for more than 3 weeks if we wait to put them up after Thanksgiving. Not to mention, Chez will be in Salt Lake for a couple days to watch a Jazz game in a couple weeks and we are also going to Disneyland again. SO, I decided to put everything up this weekend. That will give us a good month to enjoy our decorations and bask in the joy and happiness of the season. We have already started listening to Christmas music and watching Christmas movies. It probably also doesnt help that we have seen Santa a few times in the mall already now and neighbors already have their Christmas trees up. We dont have any plans for Thanksgiving so I will just make a little dinner for our little family and probably have a Christmas movie on. Nothing wrong with that. For those of you who remember a couple years ago our Christmas tree fell over while we were decorating it. I kept telling Chez it was leaning but he wouldnt listen haha! He didnt find it so amusing when the tree fell but I was cracking up. So funny. So I posted a picture of it to go along with my post.

Thanksgiving

These days Christmas celebrations seem to begin earlier and earlier every year. I am not complaining about that because I do love Christmas but I worry that my own children as they grow up, will not see the importance in the Holiday that comes right after Halloween.....Thanksgiving. I saw Santa in the mall yesterday. Kids were getting pictures taken with him. Some people might have been completely offended. I on the other hand was more just shrugging my shoulders and thinking, well I guess it just gives kids more time to ask Santa for what they want. I guess that was my way of rationalizing it. Because of that though, it made me decide to do my best to teach my kids about Thanksgiving as well as help them realize that while Christmas is very important, it is not just about Santa, presents and decorating. One of Kignston's favorite movies is called "Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas". It teaches the true meaning of Christmas. One line says, "Christmas is not about candy canes, Christmas trees, or lights all a glow, it's about sharing, caring, and family." For those who are religious, it is also about celebrating the birth of Jesus. I love to decorate for Christmas and participate in all the fun and traditions but I will always wait until we have celebrated Thanksgiving. There are those who do like to start their Christmas celebrating right after Halloween through December and I have no problems with that. I am always one to keep an open mind and I would love to hear how you all celebrate these three holidays-Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. This year I will be starting a new tradition. The day after Halloween, I will teach Kingston about Thanksgiving and each day he will write or say something he is thankful for. I will probably also include some type of craft or baking to make it fun for him and Kenna too once she is old enough to understand. With that, I want to share my thanks for the wonderful family I have. Family is what is most important to me. Happy Holidays!

Disneyland November 2010

We went to Disneyland the next day after the beach. The resort we stay at in anaheim is so nice. We really love it there. The decorations were sort of in transition at Disneyland. Some places had Halloween decorations and some places had Christmas decorations. It's A Small World ride is closed for an entire month to decorate inside for Christmas. The Pirates of the Carribean was also closed but not sure if it's for Christmas decorations though. We had fun even without those rides. KIngston's favorite ride is still Big Thunder Mountain. He took Mickey on all the rides with him and talked to him the whole time. After each ride, Kingston would look down at Mickey and ask, "did you have fun on that ride Mickey?". Kenna on the other hand was so sick. She threw up and had diarrhea the whole trip. I am thinking she might be lactose intolerant. She might also have an ear infection. She goes to the doctor on Monday so hopefully we can get some answers. The throwing up and diarrhea has gone one off and on for a couple months now. Besides all of that, the kids still enjoyed their trip.

Huntington Beach

The day after Halloween, we drove to California. THe first day we hung out at Huntington beach. I love to watch my kids at the beach. They love it there and always look like they are having the time of their lives. Kenna loved running in the waves as did Kingston. We buried Kingston, Mickey (Kingston's new best friend), and Kenna (which she did not like at all) in the sand. Good times.

Halloween

This year for Halloween we were going to check out the Townsquare mall where we live in Vegas. I heard they had a lot of fun things going on there but when we got there, it was a mad house. You would have thought you were at the greenbelt in Idaho Falls on the 4th of July. So, we turned around and went to our friend's house and trick or treated in their neighborhood. We stayed out too long there and didnt have a chance to take the kids around our neighborhood but at least we got to pass out candy for an hour. Kingston chose to be a knight this year(last year he refused to wear a costume). This year I was going to dress Kenna up as a princess but last minute I decided to dress her up as a Steelers cheerleader. I also dressed up as a cat as usual. I know it's plain but it's also easy to do. Kenna really loved trick or treating. She held her bucket the whole time as if it were her purse. Kingston and his buddy ran from house to house. They had a blast.