Merry Christmas 2014

Phew.  Another Christmas is in the books.

Christmas Eve day meant a lot of excitement, saying goodbye to Elfie, and this year's gingerbread creation.

Bedtime didn't come until after 9.  First, Aaron and Emily played Secret Santa to a needy family, dropping off bags of gifts to them.  Then after a Christmas Eve feast of crab legs and soup, the two played not-so-secret Santa and dropped off cider and gifts to our friend Brad, stuck with police patrol duty on a cold and very snowy night.  Then it was time to decorate gingerbread trees for Santa's cookies that evening. By that time, the phrase "too excited to sleep" described Emily perfectly.

I love Santa.  These cookies are for you.  I love (you). Emily

Christmas morning started with waking at 6:11.  

 Santa came through with the desired tee pee, sleeping bag, and scarves.

 Lots of goodies in an overfilled stocking.

 And lots of good things from family and friends.  From Mom and Dad came walkie talkies and a snap circuit game.  There were puzzles, a Leap Reader pen with books and a map, Simon, Sleeping Beauty DVD, horses to play with, craft and science kits, books to color and books to read (just to name a few).  She scored big!

 At 6:15, she declared she was ready for bed.  The incentive might have been the new sleeping bag on top of her bed.  She was worn out from a day of playing with all the good stuff!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

More Festivities

Saturday night was spent at the Sun Valley village to listen to carolers, ooh and aah over the ice statues, and cheer on the lighting of the tree.  We warmed up with cookies and cocoa as a slow snow fell, making it the perfect evening out. It ended with another Santa spotting.

Good thing, because it was a rough morning.  Emily was innocently laying on the floor completing a puzzle when her beloved puppy came over and puked all over her back.  Then she headed outside to play in the new foot of snow that fell over night, and slipped on ice, landing on her nose.  It was bloody, scraped, and swelling but after a little break all was forgotten and there was more time playing outside.

This morning, Emily hit the ski slope for the first time this season.  We didn't go beyond the Magic Carpet, but for three hours she worked on turning and stopping and she loved every second of it.

It should be a fun two week vacation!

Christmas Performance

On Thursday, there was a kindergarten performance in the school gym.

Emily is on the right, almost at the end, in the middle row.

They sang 7 musical numbers for the crowd to hear: Red and Green, The Sounds of Santa's Workshop, Let's Build a Gingerbread House, A Kitty for a Present, Rudolph, Jingle Bells, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas.  I think most parents could have sung along, I know we've been listening to these songs sung at home for the past 4 months!

Best pal Kennedy is top row, on the end.  Notice the matching outfits?  

Yes, they planned it.  Very cute.  

Ready to give Dad a high five on the way out!

Christmas Fun... Interrupted!

It always starts with just a small cough, and then within a few hours it all goes downhill quickly!  Darn croup!

So, after it all started around 7:30 yesterday, it wasn't until around midnight that it was decided it was time to go to the ER.  Her temperature was up to almost 104, she was vomiting mucus, and her oxygen saturation was in the low 80s.  A dose of oral steroids and some tylenol was given, and then it was just a matter of waiting for them to kick in.  We were sent home just after three with everything under control, and ready to get at least some sleep.

So, of course we stayed home from school today.  Emily was actually very disappointed she couldn't go and seems to be feeling fine, except for a residual cough.  At lunch we had a bit of excitement, 

her first tooth fell out!

It is tucked away safely for the tooth fairy in the special pillow Grandma made for her.  Luckily, I was thinking ahead on this one!  Maybe Elfie will assist the tooth fairy tonight in replacing it with... well, something.  

Pony Promotion

Back when Emily started at Swiftsure, there was this white Welsh Pony named Stuart Little that Emily has always had the desire to ride.  The instructors' comments (more of a warning, actually) have always been, "Oh, you have to be a really good rider to ride a pony!"  At 11 hands high, he's dwarfed by the other horses she's ridden up till this point.  As it turns out, Stuart dislikes being led and becomes quite stubborn with a walker next to him.  As you can tell, Emily's dream came true last Thursday at her riding lesson, which was also Meghan's last with us.

Emily did great, riding by herself on this spirited little pony!  And it sounds like it could be the norm through the winter session, and come summertime it is quite possible that Emily will be ready to use this pony in hunter jumper courses.  Yes, pick your jaw up off the ground, Emily might be going over jumps on horseback.  And we were warned that there is a pretty good chance she'll end up on the ground!

We went to the town of Hailey's tree lighting with friends on Saturday night.  Emily will be proud to tell you that she was picked to help the town official turn the lights on as the crowd counted down from 10.  She also had her second chat with Santa, this time she asked for an easy bake oven.  WHAT?!?!?  She tells me later that Santa suggested it, and she doesn't even know what it is.

And here's what our Elfie has been up to -

In Full Swing

Thanksgiving was a quiet day at home with just the three of us and a complete turkey feast!  Between making something to eat, and eating, the day was spent watching the parade and playing lots and lots of board games and coloring.  By the time the leftovers were put away, 2 out of 3 Hughstons were itching to decorate for the next holiday.  By Friday night, all was done but the tree.  Saturday was rainy, but in between the showers, all three of us dashed over to the tree lot and picked out the perfect tree. This year our tree was purchased as part of a fund raising drive from the local hockey team.

 This year, the new tradition is to use the advent calendar.  It's hung up high, out of the dog's reach! The first activity was to meet her new Elf, named Elfie, that has been up to some mischief the last couple of nights.  

 The second activity was to write a letter to Santa, asking for a yellow scarf, a teepee, and a sleeping bag. Elfie was to deliver it to the North Pole for us.

We also placed the fifth handprint on the tree skirt.

 And added the girls' new ornaments to the tree.

We are officially ready to enjoy the crazy busy season that's upon us!