Gingerbread Christmas Tree

Keith loves to cook and he loves that Zayda and Garrett seem to really enjoy cooking too. So, Keith bought a gingerbread christmas tree kit to do with the kids. I think Keith enjoyed it as much as the kids did. It turned out really cute but Garrett still doesn't understand why he can't eat it.

Celebration Crossing

Every year at Christmas time, Nana and Papa take all of their kids and Grandkids to the Indiana State Musuem to Celebration Crossing. This year Kiersten was the new addition to the day. Unfortunately, Brady had to stay home because he had the flu. The kids all got to ride on the train and then see Santa. Aunt Laurie rode with Kaden and Mommy rode with Garrett. Nana rode with Zayda and Aunt Sabrina rode with Kiersten. Nana always gets the kids matching outfits and this years was my favorite. They were all so cute. Zayda had quite the list of requests for Santa and he told her to be sure and keep being a good girl. Garrett wasn't scared of Santa at all but was very curious about his beard and his glasses. We all had a great time.

Lion King

This year, Zayda got a very special Christmas Present. She got to go see the musical production of A Lion King with her Grandma, Nana and Mommy. The evening began by getting all dressed up and enjoying a wonderful dinner at The Scholar Inn. The food was incredible especially the Chocolate Pie!!! Zayda thought it was pretty neat that she was at such a FANCY restaurant. She was so good while we were there. Next, we headed over to the Murat where the musical was playing. People just went on and on about her - her dress, her red sparkly shoes, her baby doll (which had matching shoes) and how cute she looked. Of course she ate up all of the attention and it was quite obvious that the 3 other women she was with were quite proud of this little girl. It was an evening that I know I will never forget and I hope she will remember forever as well. When the production began, it started with the song the Circle of Life and Zayda was wide eyed with her hands over her mouth in complete amazement. I was teary eyed in awe of this beautiful little girl who was completely in the moment of this amazing production. During the intermission, Zayda asked me if I had ever seen anthing like this - I grinned and said NO (even though I had been to productions before, I had never experienced the pure joy of a 4 year old watching her first show) and she said she hadn't either but that this was amazing!! An amazing evening indeed!!!

Zayda in the BIG chair at the "Fancy" Restaurant.

Zayda in the fancy restaurant with her Grandma.
Zayda at the Murat with her Nana.

Cookie Time

We had play group again this week and since the Santa project went so well, we decided to tackle cookie decorating! Beth is a very brave mom to have 5 kids armed with icing and sprinkles in her house. They loved it - especially Corbin and Zayda. After cookie time, they took a break and watched some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Then they played and played.

Cindy's Christmas Party

Our friend Cindy works for Adult and Child Mental Health Center and every other year, they have their Christmas Party at the Children's Museum. It was great!! We had so much fun and there weren't any lines to wait in. Zayda and Garrett got to see Santa. We all enjoyed riding on the carousel. Garrett especially enjoyed the slide in the Winter Wonderland exhibit and Zayda really enjoyed cooking in Santa's kitchen. We had a wonderful time. Cindy won a Wii in the Christmas drawing and Brittany and Christina we very excited about that!! At the end of the evening, Garrett and I went down the yuleslide together and we raced against Zayda who is now tall enough to go down by herself. Thanks for taking us Cindy!!

Playdate Santas

Recently, a few of the girls that I work with have put together a play group. We have had so much fun together. I think us women enjoy play group as much as the kids do. This past playdate, we decided to get a little crafty and we made some Christmas ornaments that look likes santa and are made from the kids handprints. They turned out sooo cute!!!

This is "Jack." His mommy is Amanda. Zayda says that this is her friend Jack but that his real name is Jackson Alan and his mommy calls him that a lot. Now, I don't think that this innocent face could cause that much trouble - do you?

This is Marilynn with her son Caden. He will be 2 years old in January. Zayda calls his mommy "Marlin."

Marilynn has become the storyteller of the group. For some reason, no matter whose house we go to, Marilynn reads books at all of them. The kids all just keep taking her the books.

This is Beth and her son Corbin who are helping Zayda make her Santa. I think Corbin and Zayda are truly in love with each other. Their faces just light up when they see each other.
Here are the finished products. Garrett's santa on the left and Zayda's santa on the right. I think they might be the cutest santas ever - if I do say so myself.

Gandolf Thanksgiving 2008

Well...First I have to apologize for being the slacker that forgot to take pictures at the Gandolf Thanksgiving. I know it's hard for you to believe but somehow I got to chatting and then forgot to take some pictures. We all had a great time and the food was wonderful. Unlike the Johnson family, my side of the family is much smaller. We had a new addition to the family this year - Jackson Ryan to my cousin Traci and her husband Ryan. He is way too cute and I was truly honored to have been there for his birth. Every year for Christmas, we draw names between the two families for our Christmas exchange. It is always a hoot to hear people talk about what they should put on their lists. Normally, the cards get passed out pretty early but we all just end up talking so we end up drawing later in the evening. My mom is always a wonderful host for Thanksgiving and she always plans our Thanksgiving for the weekend before or after Thanksgiving so we can all stay and not have to go to several different places. It makes for such a wonderful day. Kylie and I even got to beat up on our little brother who was home from Purdue. Thanks mom and dad for such a wonderful day.

Johnson Thanksgiving 2008

This is the one time every year that the entire extended Johnson family all get together. We always enjoy seeing the cousins, aunts, uncles and friends that we really only talk to once a year. Just to put it in perspective, there are usually around 80 people there. It is getting even more hectic with all of the recent additions to the Johnson family in the last several years. It was a lot easier to visit when you weren't chasing toddlers. But, none the less, we do a lot of talking and even more eating. Zayda was her usual help in the kitchen with her mashed potatoes which has become tradition that she gets to use the mixer. She added dumplings to her list this year by helping Ashley and Uncle Terry. Keith's Grandma, who we loved dearly, was the sweetest woman you would ever meet. However, unlike most Grandmas, she wasn't a very good cook. But, the one thing she could make was dumplings. So, in honor of Grandma, Ashley makes Grandmas dumplings and this year Zayda got to help. Let me just say, Grandma Johnson would be proud. They were great!!!!!

A Thanksgiving Feast

Every year, Zayda's school has a Thanksgiving Feast with their class. This year her Grandpa was able to come with us. Thank goodness he was there because it was hard work with 15 month old who likes to throw food and pull off the table clothes. Not to mention trying to carry 4 plates and strap a booster seat to a chair. I think Grandpa enjoyed it as much as we did.