God bless us everyone...

Merry Christmas Everyone! It has been a magical morning that melted into an angry afternoon (but what else would you expect from Christmas day, it is not complete without laughter, excitement, joy, tears, heartache, and a much needed nap). 

The girls woke up early and were ready to get started with the presents (Apparently they didn't forget what to expect even after a full night's sleep). Everyone was so excited for each little thing when they walked out they didn't even notice all the rest of the stuff.

We almost overlooked this amazing new doll house, while we looked at candy canes and bandaids in the stockings instead. However, with a little prompting, they managed to see the giant thing in the middle of the room. It was quite entertaining then.

Miles got a bouncing donkey from Santa. He was contact to sit and jump on it sporadically throughout the day. Every time he walked by during the day he would stop to take a short ride before continuing to his destination.

The girls each got a dress up outfit. Allie a rock n roll get up and Hadley will now play the role of Anna for the next month or so. They were both so happy to get such fun toys.

Grandma and Grandpa Meldrum gave them a treasure hunt followed by one stupendous play kitchen. They wanted to play for a long time before we could wrangle them back to the party (I suppose that means this was a great gift).

Grandma and Grandpa Shaw gave the girls their very own scooters! They both wanted to get them put together so they could ride around the neighborhood. 

They also wanted to wear their new church dresses they got. Nothing better for a vigorous race around the cup de sac then your church clothes.

Both Allie and Hadley asked Santa for a bike for Allie, so how could he hold back on that one? Allie loves her new wheels and is ready to cruise the neighborhood and cause trouble (watch out big world).

The best gift of all was a new magic kit for me! I really got something off my list this year (that doesn't always happen), and it was fun to play with the kids. They all really liked the top hat that every good magician has to wear. After some practice, we may be able to have a magic show at the Meldrum house soon.

It was a great morning and we all survived the afternoon (there may have been a few tears from multiple Meldrum's). Overall it was a great day! We look forward to what the next year will bring.

Christmas Eve 2014

December 24th is a very long day. Our children have been building their excitement for Christmas for the past 25 days and are now on a continuous razor edge of jubilation and despair. In order to try and keep them on the happy side of life, we scheduled a full day to keep their minds occupied.

Since it is Grandpa's birthday, we started with a morning session for opening presents (that way the kids can play with Grandpa's new toys all day).

Opening the gifts was a joint effort. Plenty of little hands involved in the process.

We spent plenty of time creating lego houses and playing with the new toys.

Hadley really liked the head lamps. She wanted to wear it all day (there may not be any battery left when she gets done with it).

After presents, we got dressed for a family hike (to try and burn off some excitement and energy)!

Everyone was all smiles on the way up the trail. We went to hole in the rock which is a short walk but a fun view at the end. 

The girls liked to climb around the rocks at the top. 

Grandma and Grandpa survived the hike (despite the multitude of ailments that they now possess).

Miles came away nearly unscathed (the giant bruise on his head was a leftover and not new). He really wanted to run around by himself without any help. We gave him lots of time at the bottom of the trail to explore instead.

After dinner we had the rest of Grandpa's birthday and got to eat cake!

There were so many candles it nearly set off the smoke alarm!

After dinner we had a Christmas eve program with nativities, jammies, and signing.

Joseph (Miles), Mary (Hadley), Jesus, and the Angel (Allie).

Showing off their new Christmas pajamas curtesy of the Shaws. Last thing on the agenda was to drive around looking at Christmas lights. What a wonderful evening and a fun filled spectacular day!

While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads

Now that all the family has arrived, it is time to let the chaos begin! The girls are out of school, and exploding with energy and excitement. Grandparents are eager to show off their new tricks they learned. Fun is ready to be had.

Hadley was ready to make Christmas cookies. She likes most things related to treats and is always ready for a little more sugar in her life.

Everyone helped make delicious cookies, and they even managed to stay mostly clean!

Grandma helped apply the icing! Allie liked the full thickness icing layer (at least one inch if possible), but Hadley preferred the minimalist approach (about one dot of icing before eating). The girls have very different personalities like that.

We went to the Temple to enjoy some amazing lights at night time. 

Everyone got nice and bundled up for the adventure.

Melanie was definitely a crowd favorite. 

She always had someone hanging on her or asking her to follow over this way or that way.

A new day brings new candy creations (thanks to the creative minds of grandparents who feel there is no amount of sugar that is too much for our children).

Hadley and Allie made candy reindeer. They looked nice in the pictures (when you work, you miss the candy fun because it is all gone by the end of the day).

We are off to a delicious start for our family time this Christmas.

Here comes Santa Claus...

As we continue to get ready for the outrageous excitement of Christmas, we had to make one more special trip today. We went to visit the old man himself, Santa Claus. Apparently he was very popular (as we had to get a ticket and come back a few hours later) but we all managed to have a good time (even if it pushed back nap time).

We all got to ride the merry go round as we waited. The kids wanted to pick their own animals to ride and had a good time going in circles.

Did I mention, Miles thought it was lots of fun?

After a few rides the kids were all ready to see Santa. 

They managed to wait in line patiently and wait for their turn.

They all had a great little visit and told Santa what they wanted for Christmas this year. Miles was very happy to hang out with him too (maybe having a grandpa with a beard helps). Now we just have to see if he can remember which chimney to bring the presents down in a few weeks!

You... Light up my Life

It is so fun to be continuing traditions that we have made the last couple of years being here in Mesa. We attended the Gilbert Balloon Glow and had so much fun.  We started off the night taking a free horse carriage ride around the mall, a highlight for the kids for sure!  

 After the carriage ride, we walked over to the balloons to watch them light up.  We might have lost each other for a while, but we reunited and saw some of the balloons go from flat on the ground to lighting up bright and big.  They don't fly, just glow.

A favorite for sure was the butterfly balloon, even if we did not get a great picture.