We had a very Merry Christmas at the Trussell House this year!
This year we took the kids along with Grandmas, cousins, aunts and uncles to the Polar Express! The Mount Hood Railroad does a fun re-enactment of the Polar Express. The kids wear their pjs and board the train. The chefs serve cookies and hot chocolate,they read the book over the speakers, the conductor punches their tickets, the train goes up to the North Pole and you can even see the elves working in the toy shop! Then SANTA boards the train and meets each child and gives them a sleigh bell! On the way back you sing Christmas Carols! It was so much fun, the girls just loved it especially MaKenna. It was so fun to see the wheels in her mind turning. At one point the train got kind of bumpy and was swaying and she said, "mom, I think we are on the ice" (like in the movie)! It was so cute, she really believes and it is fun to see their excitment.
Kenna glued to the story book the chef was holding
Of course we also did all of our traditional Christmas traditions. Watched the Star Trees being lit at Willamette Univeristy, went to our church's nativity exibit, MaKenna sang at our chruch Ward Christmas party and SANTA came there as well! We decorated cookies for SANTA and made gingerbread houses! On Christmas eve, we remembered the true meaning of Christmas by watching Joy to the World and remembering the birth of the Savior, then they kids opened their Christmas pjs before loading them in the car to drive around and look at lights. Our plan worked perfectly as the girls fell asleep and we were able to do our duties and be in bed by 11:00pm :)
Mommy and Kenna went on a date to see some of her friends perform in the Children's Nutcracker (or the "peanut cracker" as Ella calls it). Now she wants to start taking dance too, so we'll see about that in 2011.
It's a pillow...it's a pet....it's a pillowpet! "just what I wanted mommy"
Christmas morning when the girls woke up, they opened their stockings and gifts from SANTA, then family came over for crepes and breakfast and more gift opening! We had Christmas dinner at my sister Mary's house! We just feel so blessed to have such wonderful family and we were able to celebrate this special time of year and remember Jesus and the spirit of giving and peace!
We hope you all had a wonderful Holiday season and that 2011 will bring you a year full of great memories!
