Christmas 2012

We had such a great Christmas this year. Matt's parents, Craig and Patti, and Matt's sister, Natalie, all came to visit.

Charlotte, Grandpa, and Elise

Natalie, Grandma, and Elise

Elise loves when Grandma brings sticker books.

 We had fun together. We watched some Christmas movies, ate good food, had tons of treats, and just talked together.

lots of Christmas movies to choose from

 We also went to see the lights at the Mesa Arizona Temple. The girls loved it.

me and Charlotte
She was mesmerized. 

Matt and Elise

It was crowded when we went, but Elise had the best view!

Mesa temple

me, Charlotte, Matt, and Elise

Charlotte, Natalie, Grandma, Elise, and Grandpa

Elise and Matt listening to the message at the Nativity

 Then on Christmas Eve we went to Bass Pro Shop. We were just going to look at the fish for something to do, but it turned out to be a lot more fun than I had expected. They were doing Santa's Wonderland, which meant free, fun activities for Elise. Plus, she loved all the dead animals and tents and things. (We had two no-go's with Santa so far this year, so we opted not to wait in the long line this time and just skipped him altogether. Maybe next year.)

Free carousel rides? Yes, please! Elise rode the bear, Natalie rode a moose, I stood by Elise, and Charlotte enjoyed the mirrors and lights. 

"Wave, Elise!"

Natalie on the moose

Then Elise got her ATV on.

Really big fish!

There was a real, live bear there! Just kidding, it was stuffed.

huge Christmas tree decorated with antlers

Grandpa playing some shooting video game

We were trying to take a picture sans flash so you could see the huge fish, but Charlotte was too busy looking around to stay still enough.

Elise loved the duck bench.

Natalie and Elise trying out this tent.

Fox!

comfy sleeping bags

decorating cookies with Grandma

Yum!

Grandpa, Matt, Natalie, and Charlotte just relaxing

Charlotte says, "Mom! I want to go home. All this camouflage makes me feel like a redneck!"

Grandpa and Charlotte

Then there was Christmas Day!

stockings

Candy for breakfast? Okay!

I don't even know what that is Matt is holding, but it's a Christmas present from me to him. He always wants stuff I don't understand, like random cables and connectors and adapters.

sweet Charlotte

baby's first Christmas

Charlotte isn't so sure about those other two.

enjoying her stocking stuffers

Elise was the master unwrapper. She unwrapped all of her presents, all of Charlotte's, and helped some with Matt's and mine.

Elise reading Charlotte's new book to her

new ball

Natalie gave Elise this panda. Elise said, "I love it!" It was just what she wanted.

plush hippo stacker from Grandma and Grandpa to Charlotte

Elise got Goodnight, Gorilla from Grandma and Grandpa.

Elise practicing with her new scissors
Besides the panda, all Elise asked for for Christmas was scissors. If we had given her just scissors and candy, she probably would've been very pleased.

Charlotte enjoying her baby gym

Merry Christmas! Now we get to find a place for all these new toys and enjoy the leftovers from Christmas dinner.

Sisters, Sisters

Elise and Charlotte have become good friends these past few months. Seriously, I'm so glad they love each other so much. Elise has made Charlotte cry a few times with a squeeze or a nibble, and Charlotte has made Elise jealous with her irresistible, attention-grabbing ways, but overall they adore each other. Charlotte watches Elise all the time and gives her the best smiles and coos, and Elise is always cuddling and loving on Charlotte.

Elise clobbering sharing with Charlotte

love

Elise has become quite the little mommy these days. She sings to her babies, rocks them to sleep, pushes them in Charlotte's swing, nurses and burps them, changes their diapers, gives them baths, cuts their nails. She copies whatever she sees me do.

Elise nursing her baby doll

Elise is getting so grown up! She speaks so clearly now. If she would add in a couple words like the and to, she would sound like an adult most of the time.

Elise is my big helper.

She really wasn't trying to strangle her, although that's what it looks like here.

Elise helps keep Charlotte entertained during tummy time.

Charlotte is getting so big too.

chubby baby

I love these smiles! And she even started trying to laugh the last couple of days.

Charlotte practicing using her voice

I love it when she coos like this. It's my favorite thing, maybe ever.

Elise cuddling Charlotte and Charlotte loving it

Sometimes Elise still wants to be the baby. It's easy to forget how little Elise is when she looks so big compared to Charlotte. But most of the time, Elise is all for being big. The other day she told me, "Mommy, Daddy, Lisey [her nickname and what she calls herself] big girls. Charlotte is little baby." I thought it was funny, but when I told Matt, he wasn't too excited about being called a big girl.

my two big girls and my baby
(You can decide which is which.)

Love this kid!

Elise is learning to do all kinds of things, like help me clean up. She's great with a spray bottle (filled with water, of course).

"No, don't spray Mommy!"

Charlotte is learning all kinds of new things too. I think her favorite is her newfound ability to get objects into her mouth.

I love my sweet girls!

Elise reading to Charlotte

Santa vs Santa Cow

Last weekend, Matt was working for a few hours in the morning, and I wanted to do something fun with the girls. I heard about breakfast with Santa at an elementary school nearby, so I decided to bring them. I had already told Elise about it when I remembered that we had a tire that had a screw in it and was slowly going flat, which we were planning on getting fixed that afternoon. I decided to drive on it anyway.

The three of us rolled in with a deflating tire. I bought Elise a doughnut. She usually loves doughnuts, but she ate less than a third of it before she decided she was done. I can't have doughnuts because I can't have gluten, so that was a waste of a buck. Then we got in line to take a picture with Santa. And waited. For over an hour. With a two-year-old and a two-month-old. Elise pretty much just ran all over.

At one point Elise was playing right by me on a tetherball pole she had seen some older kids playing on (we were in the school's gym). I'm not sure how, but she managed to slice two of her fingers wide open on some part of the pole. She was bleeding all over when a nice woman came to the rescue with two bandaids. Her toddler daughter even gave Elise a hug to help her feel better.

We finally got to the front of the line, and Elise didn't like Santa. I guess I forgot to talk up the part about her sitting on his lap. She sat sort of near him, wouldn't look at the camera, and gave me a goofy grin.

the best picture I got from breakfast with Santa

She loved the mini candy cane Santa gave her, though. Later, in the car with her face all messy, she flashed me her best smile and looked right at the camera.

candy cane face

 Then today we went to Chick-fil-A for lunch, and this Santa cow was there. Elise loved it. Couldn't get enough. Didn't hesitate to sit on his lap, then gave me another great smile (which is a new thing, she has never really smiled at cameras until very recently).

Elise and Santa cow

I thought Santa cow was much creepier, but whatever.

Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo

We went to the Phoenix Zoo this morning, even though it was a little cold and more than a little rainy. We had free passes, so we knew we could leave whenever we wanted and it wouldn't be too much of a bust. I kind of wanted to leave a few minutes after we got there, but we ended up staying and had a really fun time together. It was Charlotte's first trip to the zoo, and she was a trooper.

Giraffes are always a favorite.
And Charlotte is wearing Elise's hoodie because I forgot to bring her her own jacket. Mom fail. And the Moby wrap. Double mom fail.

Elise and Matt looking at the tigers

All the big cats were out today. They didn't seem to mind the cooler weather  or the rain.

I've never gotten such a good look at the lions before.

I love how excited Elise was.

Matt and Elise with the rhino

Elise, Charlotte, and me with the tortoises
The more I got rained on, the bigger my hair got. . .

all of us with the tortoises
We also saw some tortoises mating, which we tried to ignore, but they were really loud. Elise and Charlotte didn't notice.

This elephant was swaying like it was dancing. I didn't know elephants really swayed.

Z is for zebra and that means the end! Really, this was the last thing we saw, and we were ready to get warm and dry at this point.

What a fun day! I love Saturday adventures with my little family.

Dare to Dream

I'm so excited to be taking Elise to Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream. We've been to another Disney On Ice show before, and it was so much fun. I'm even more excited now that Elise can sit still a little longer and is more interested in shows. I think she's really going to enjoy it, and Matt and I will too.

Here's the info if you're interested in taking your kids. These shows are amazing. Use discount code RAPUNZEL for $5 off tickets. (Excludes VIP and Front Row seats. No double discounts.) Redeem at ticketmaster.com, US Airways Center Box Office, or call 1-800-745-3000.

DISNEY ON ICE PRESENTS DARE TO DREAM

Takes Adventure To New Lengths With Magical Moments

From Disney’s Newest Fairytales and a Timeless Classic

COMING TO PHOENIX, JANUARY 9 - 13, 2013

Featuring the Ice Skating Debut of Rapunzel from “Tangled”

WHAT: Join a celebration of royal proportions when Rapunzel, Tiana and Cinderella star in the all-new ice skating production of Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream!  Relive memorable moments from Tangled, The Princess and the Frog and Cinderella as a cast of world-class skaters brings the romance, humor and adventure of the films to life in this contemporary skating spectacular.  Combining the contemporary stories of two modern-day princesses, Rapunzel and Tiana, with the classic elegance of Cinderella, Dare to Dream whisks audiences away on exciting journeys where dreams really do come true. 

Experience Disney’s hilarious hair-raising escapade, Tangled; as Rapunzel, her unlikely companion, Flynn, and Maximus, embark on an uproarious journey that takes adventure to new lengths!  Boogie to the beat of the bayou with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen in a magical, musical journey that all begins with a fateful kiss.  And fanciful dreams become reality as Cinderella meets her Prince Charming, with a glass slipper fit for an unforgettable fantasy come true.  All your favorite princesses take to the ice in a spectacular finale at the ultimate Disney Princess event of a lifetime!  Experience the beauty, sparkle, and spirit when Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream comes to Phoenix!

WHEN: January 9 – 13, 2013

Wednesday, January 9^th – 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, January 10^th – 7:00 p.m.

Friday, January 11^th – 10:30 a.m. & 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 12^th – 11:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, January 13^th – 1:00 p.m. & 4:30 p.m.*
*Spanish Language Performance on Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

WHERE: US Airways Center – 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004

TICKETS: Ticket price levels are $14, $18, $25, $40 (VIP) and $70 (Front Row). Opening Night 50% off discount tickets available for “Buy One Get One Free” (excluding VIP & Front Row seating and limited to 6 tickets per order). Tickets are available for purchase online at Ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at 800-745-3000 or in-person at the US Airways Center Box Office.

To discover more about Disney On Ice, go to www.DisneyOnIce.com, or visit us on Facebook and YouTube.

About Feld Entertainment:
Feld Entertainment is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting live touring family entertainment experiences that lift the human spirit and create indelible memories, with 30 million people in attendance at its shows each year.  Feld Entertainment's productions have appeared in more than 70 countries on six continents and include Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey^®, Feld Motor Sports, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!.

Disney characters and artwork © Disney.

I am a Feld Family Ambassador, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my opinion within this blog, as well as keeping you advised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment has provided me with complimentary tickets to Feld shows and opportunities to attend private Feld pre-Show events. Even though I receive these benefits, I always give an opinion that is 100% mine.