Christmas Eve

We had a very nice Christmas eve spent with lots of family and yummy food.  Peter and Andrew cooked a delicious dinner.  We started off with appetizers of crab cakes and pork tenderloin pot stickers then the main course of beef tenderloin stuffed with lobster, twice baked potatoes, spinach salad, corn, and rolls.  We had a great night eating, talking, laughing and tracking Santa on the NORAD website.  Being with family and making memories is truly what this season is about!

Abby with her Auntie Greta before church

Uncle Mikey and Olivia

My mom with all of her "kids"

Abby making Santa's cookies

Livy was tired from the long, busy day

Grammy Susan and Abby tracking Santa's whereabouts on NORAD

Tracking NORAD....doesn't Olivia looked thrilled

The dinner table

The "kids" dinner table

Abby before bed with Santa's milk and cookies, plus some carrots for the reindeer

The "before" Santa arrived shot

Catching up with an old friend

It seems like every time I go home to Colorado, no matter how long I am in town for, I never have enough time to see everyone I want to see.  My best friend Josie always makes it a point to see me, and even travels to my part of town with a newborn to ensure we are able to catch up, even if its only for a little while.  I was so happy that I was able to spend some time with Josie and meet her brand new baby boy, Ryland!  He is precious, and the girls really liked him!  Olivia was a bit jealous when I held him, but she quickly got over it when Ryland was nice enough to "share" his paci with her.  

Abby loved holding baby Ryland....he slept through the whole thing, even with Olivia grabbing at his paci and stealing it from him.

Josie and myself, not the greatest picture of me but its the only one we got!  Who would have thought that when we became friends in elementary school we would hanging out together with our hubby's and kids 20+ years later!  Crazy!!!

Estes Park continued

While we were in Estes Park we had the pleasure of having dinner over at the VanHorne's house.  They are good friends of Andrews parents.  In fact, Andrew's dad Peter worked with Gary at the YMCA while they were in college and this is where Peter learned his incredible cooking skills.  So, needless to say, dinner was fantastic and the girls' had a blast paying with all the toys Ms. Renee saved and with their very cute kitty!  It was a wonderful night, and I am so happy I was finally able to meet the VanHorne's!

My girlies before heading out to dinner

They really love each other...

...so do they!!!

The infamous cat in the bag.  This cat kept Abby and especially Olivia entertained all night long!

Olivia and "Ghetto" playing

Silly girls

The fun drive home.  Thank you to Peter who drove through the snow storm all the way back to Highlands Ranch!

The view from the car on the way home from Estes Park

Sledding in Estes Park

While we were in Colorado we were lucky enough to get away from the city and stay overnight in Estes Park.  Andrew's parents have friends who live there and work at the YMCA there, so we were lucky enough to be able to get a house at the Y-camp to stay in overnight.  It had an absolutely amazing view from the porch.  A trip into the mountains during Christmas time would not have been complete without a little playing in the snow, and that's just what we did.  As soon as we got there Abby piled on the snow clothes and headed outside with her sled to try out the white powdery stuff.  The first day we were there it was gorgeous outside, but still cold enough that snow from the previous storm was still on the ground. Then, the second day we got to see some real snow and enjoyed it again.   It was very nice to be able to get away for a day and we had a wonderful time!  We are even talking about going back in the summer to check out some of the summertime activities the Y has to offer.

The view from the porch of our house

Abby laying in the snow

Abby with her sled

Enjoying some hot chocolate after playing in the snow.  Abby told me she loved the snow until the "snow crabs" started biting her fingers.

The second day brought a pretty decent size storm and about 6-8 inches of new snow when all was said and done.   I was so happy that Abby was able to get this experience after living in Florida and Arizona!  She had been talking about the snow and all the things she was going to do in it for weeks leading up to our trip to Colorado.

Catching a snowflake with her tongue.  Its pretty much a must!!

Daddy, Livvy, and Abby sledding

Just the girls

While Abby LOVED the snow and all the things it had to offer, Olivia wasn't so sure.  She didn't really cry, but she kind of just stood there in one spot the whole time and wasn't really sure what to do with herself.

Sitting on the sled was almost as fun as actually sledding!

Now she is starting to get the hang of it a bit.  She only did this for a little while before she stood up and just stared again!

Family picture.  Andrew and Olivia were cooperating.  However, Abby and I were not!

The Nutcracker

The sunday before Christmas myself, my mom, my sister Ana,  Grammy Susan, and Aunt Beany took Abigail to see The Nutcracker.  Abby absolutely LOVED her first ballet.  She was literally on the edge of her seat and enthralled with the entire performance from start to finish.  When the lights came on during the intermission, she looked at me and said, "I hope its not over yet Mommy!"  This is definitely going to be a new Christmas time tradition for us!

Mommy and Abby all dressed up for her first ballet  

Grammy and Abby

Abby and her Grammy's enjoying some dinner at Noodles before the ballet

Me and my sister Ana

On our way into the theater, Abby was so excited

Abby and the Nutcracker

Our group:  My mom, Ana, Me, Abby, Susan, and Mary

Abby with her stocking cookie during the intermission

Randoms

Here are a few random shots of the girls'.  They were doing a "happy" dance by my mom's Christmas tree.  This is truly what this time of year is all about!

My girls snuggling together!

Rudolph's Revenge

While we were in Colorado for the holidays we had the opportunity to run a 10K with Andrew's Aunt Mary and Andrew's Dad Pete.  We didn't break any records for speed, but we all finished and it was a beautiful day for a run.  My mom even ran over the the race site from her house and ran the last mile with us.  Running at altitude in the cold is fun, but I am glad to be running in flat, warm, oxygenated AZ again!!

Andrew, myself, Mary and Peter