The tree is up! The presents wrapped! Simply saying Christmas shopping is almost done! YEAH!! All we need is two more gifts and we are DONE! Complete! No more stores! YEEHAWW!! I need to get one more gift for Kaitlyn and she is complete and the gift to Aunt Rachel from the kids and we are completely 100% finished with our Christmas shopping!!
The struggle now is to find something for Kaitlyn. She put things on her Christmas list that were way above the $30 limit! A kid can dream though, huh? She wanted make up, not happening! Trying to find the right thing. She is 13 and keeps asking for stuff a 6 year old would ask for. Sorry, I draw the line at buying a 13 year old a baby doll. Some people may disagree with me, but we have spent the last two years trying to get her to step up and act like a big girl. She tends to want to act like a 6 year old. Plays in the dirt, plays with bugs, pouts and throws temper tantrums, etc. I would expect this from a six year old, not a thirteen year old in her second year of Beehives and in the 7th grade! So the other day I treated her like a six year old and put her on time out. Let me tell you! She was not happy!
As the kids decorated the tree yesterday, Riley kept making a bee line for it! She pushed boxes out of the way. Richard helped her to put one bulb on the tree. She was more interested in pulling the rest of them off, but at least she got to help!
Christmas parties last week were pretty awesome! On Thursday was the Relief Society Christmas Party and it was pretty sweet. Good food, good friends, great program! I was the end of the program, talking about being sealed to the kids right before Riley was born. Everyone was very emotional, so it was a pretty special program. Unfortunately, my personality is to make people laugh. I told my story and people giggled and loved it. I was very happy to participate and to be asked to participate. What an honor!
Saturday was the Ward Christmas Party, themed Polar Express. So much fun! Richard helped cook a ham for that dinner and was in charge of the entire dinner for Relief Society. I think they made a pretty good choice of the cook for the RS dinner! Riley had her picture taken with Santa and of course she cried! Why is Santa so scary to little kids? I was stoked that she kept her shoes ont he entire night! Riley and Camille had a baby covnersation that was so cute. They were touching and showing each other stuff. Riley pointed out her shoes to Camille and Camille showed Riley how to crawl correctly! It was just so cute!!
Sunday we went to church as usual and did our normal thing. I turned in the Barbie for the family the RS is buying gifts for this year. We decorated the tree before and after dinner. I love it! Still a few things left to decorate, but it looks great!! I do have some gifts to finish making, but that is it.
That night, I put Riley in her crib and started to put away the clean clothes on my bed. Pretty soon, she was on her knees peaking at me over the top of the crib. Turned away for another second and she is standing up, looking at me! Needless to say we had to lower the mattress!! She can still stand up in there, but no more worries about her landing on her head!
This week is going to be a busy one too. Tonight I am assembling the Graham Cracker houses for Tuesday, decorating a little more, wrapping a few more gifts, baking cookies for the office cookie exchange, and preparing to go on vacation the 14th through the 26th! Plus we have to make two wedding cakes and get everything ready to cater a reception on New Years Eve!! CRAZY!!
