Christmas in the Northwest

Our first Christmas in Washington was a little different from the last few that we've had in Utah. We tried to keep it simple. On Christmas Eve we went to my aunt and uncle's house for a small, low-key party. Before leaving for home, the kids opened their Christmas pajamas from Grandma Yukish.

Atticus was festive in his Santa hat.

He was a pro at unwrapping presents.

Netty was a tired crab, but she stopped throwing a fit just long enough to unwrap her jammies.

Stephie also got new pajamas. This was the first year in a long time that Steph and I don't have a Christmas pajama picture together, but at least we got one with her and the kids.

Santa Claus brought goodies for the five of us, including Grandma Yukish. We took a picture of the loot before getting the kids up.

Visions of sugar plums...

...danced in their heads.

We thought Netty would be crabby after having a restless night, but she was actually quite happy.

Santa brought lots of candy!

And Netty didn't waste any time eating it!

Atticus didn't get candy, but he did get some baby food! He was just as excited!

Santa unintentionally wrapped the presents in paper that matched Atticus' jammies!

Atticus and Hyrum got matching outfits. My cousins confused the two all afternoon.

Pretty sure these two will be trouble-makers someday.

Meeting Santa in Person

For those who don't know, my parents are Santa and Mrs. Claus. They have a business called Simply Santa & Mrs. Claus, and over the holiday season they attend Christmas parties, assemblies, and the like. Over the last month or so, we have had the opportunity to FaceTime with Santa a few times, and Netty learned to say "ho ho ho." Finally, on the Sunday before Christmas, after a full day of church and dinner at my aunt and uncle's house, Netty and Atticus were able to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus in person. Netty was not so keen on the idea, whether it was because she was tired or a little overwhelmed by the bright red suit and white fur.

Daddy and Atticus in their matching ties

HoneyGram holding Netty and Netty holding Atticus -- Maybe not the most reverent of Sacrament Meetings...

Netty catching a nap at dinner before going to Grammy's house to meet the Man with the Bag

"Hey, Netty, where's my candy cane?"

"Don't worry, Atticus, Santa will hook you up."

Atticus took to Santa pretty much right away.

Two of my three most favorite men in the world

"Is Santa nice?"

"Yes, he is."

Claus Sandwich

Snow Day

Snow days in Washington are even more rare than sunny days (if you can believe that anything is more rare in Washington than a sunny day). We are lucky to have one day a year of snow. Less than a week before Christmas we had one of those rare days. Many schools in the area were two hours late.

I bundled her up in several layers.

We built a baby snowman

She loved seeing her footprints. Here's our footprints side by side.

 Her "Randy Moment" - Walking through the snow was not easy, probably from the combination of the 3T snow pants that I rolled under, the boots that are a size too big, the scarf the stuck out too far for her to see the ground where she was walking, and all of the added weight of the layers that threw off her balance.

Her favorite thing outside, even with the snow, is the swing.

Christmas Card