Christmas.

:( It's over. I just love Christmas so much. Izze melted my heart only about a hundred times yesterday. I love being a mom, it makes everything different, better.

On the 23rd we went to Jeremy's Grandparents Annual Christmas party. I always love going. Izze loved showing off and dancing. She was pretty darn cute.



On Christmas Eve Jeremy had to work until 2:30 am. BUMMER! Izze and I made a gingerbread house. She got pretty creative.


Then my parents stopped by and we all went to my Grandma Halliday's house. Then Izze and I went to Jeremy's parents house for dinner with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Vincent, Great Grandma Parkin, Parker, Avery and Kyson! After dinner Jeremy's mom gave the kid some Christmas Eve jammies, Izze's and Avery's matched. I taught them about tradition and told them we had a tradition of singing Christmas songs in front of the tree after we got in our jammies.



Then we watched The Nightmare Before Christmas. (Another tradition is getting a new Christmas movie to watch on Christmas Eve).



The next morning, SANTA CAME!! He brought Izze some really great stuff! She specifially wanted Wall-e and a step stool. A few weeks ago I realized she meant she actually wanted the robot not the movie... she also thinks Eve is really "Steve-uh" and that Wall-e and Steve are best friends.



This is the kitchen Jeremy and I gave Izze. (Jeremy did most the work... I really only contributed the details). I'll post more about this kitchen later.



I couldn't get Izze to go to sleep on Christmas Eve, because she has a hard time falling asleep when Jer's not here. Needless to say she wanted to sleep in, but we didn't have that option really. After three or four times of her telling us "not wake up" she realized what we were saying. "SANTA CAME!" You can't really see her face, but her hand on her little chest is so cute. She's saying "This is for me?"



She got a Nerf Gun from Santa. I was really hesitant, but Jeremy really wanted her to have it, because her cousins all have them and love them and she loves to play with their guns too. She was happy. This is Christmas Face. This is what it looks like.



When she saw Ariel she said "Wow, I love her!"



We may not be the most beautiful people in the morning, but we had a nice Christmas...



I hope you all had a great Christmas. We braved the horrible weather and visited both my parents and Jeremy's parents and went to dinner at my sister Stacy's house. Everything was so fun. I love Christmas I can't wait until next year. :D

Winter Dance Recital.

I love teaching dance. I really do, but I'm not going to lie when I tell you I love the day after my recitals. It's such a weight off. :D I loved seeing all my girls in their sweet costumes and they all did so good, I was really proud. There were two little ladies who stole my heart entirely though. I think you know why.

Izze's dance was third or fourth in the program. She just might be a born performer. This has got to be one of the cutest things ever. If you can't find her... she's the excellent bum shaker who does her own thing.

Izze's Dance Recital from Kalli Parkin on Vimeo

Avery was near the end and she did so so good! She smiled and followed along. She looked darling in her costume. I'm a proud Aunt! Avery is the one of the left.


Avery Dance Recital from Kalli Parkin on Vimeo

The next day it snowed and Utah started to look like Utah. :D Jeremy's grandma got us (and all of her kids and grandkids and their spouses) tickets to A Kurt Bestor Christmas. It was a lot of fun.

Afterwards we took Izze to see Santa. We've been talking about it since before Thanksgiving to prepare her for the moment. She has met Santa twice and she was happy to stay at a safe distance. Today she said she was ready. When we were second in line Izze started getting really nervous and fidgety and said to me really fast. "I'm scared" then "I'm going through that door" (There was a door way leading to Santa). I told her she was next and Santa was going to hold her on his lap while someone snapped a picture. She sat there nervous, but brave. When Santa asked her if she wanted toys she said no. I said, "Izze tell Santa what you want" "no..." Then she reached for me. The pictures were crap and for $19.99 I wish I would have remembered my camera! It was only in the car! But without further ado:

It's been a minute.

I guess we haven't posted in a little while. Things are really busy and I always think that's a good thing.

I'll have to update with some pictures soon. I'll just recap some fun new Izze things:

-She wants Wall-e for Christmas... turns out she actually wants Wall-e the robot not just the dvd.

-She loves Little Mermaid and some of the other princesses. I'm not sure how that happened... I don't like princess stuff at all... ever.

-She sleeps in her own big girl bed in her own room now. Jeremy and I are glad to have our bed back. My back feels so much better.

-She loves the idea of Santa and presents and giving gifts and getting gifts, but she doesn't want to sit on Santa's lap. She will go see him and say hi to him, but she doesn't want to sit on his lap.

-She told me she wants me to have another baby, but she doesn't want a brother or sister EVER! I think she might want me to have a Cabbage Patch doll or something.

-She has a lot of fun in dance, she's kind of naughty in class and gets some of the other girls to follow her and not follow along, her recital is this weekend.

-She's not interested in using the potty. She loves the idea of undies, she has Mermaid and Hello Kitty among other ones she loves, but she doesn't like her potty. I'm not pushing it, we just talk about it a lot.

-She knows who Hannah Montana is. (shhh).

-Her favorite song is Jingle Bells

-Her favorite animal is an Elephant (which is mine, they remind me of her... it's a long story ask if you really want to know). She has five stuffed elephants Taco, Pinto, Poco, Verde, and Corazon

-Her favorite tv show is Max and Ruby, although she still really really loves Yo Gabba Gabba she has just seen the same episodes too many times and would rather play with the toys and sing the songs than watch the show.

-Her favorite colors are pink and green.

She's so funny and so sweet. She gives the best hugs and kisses and says "I luz you" I luz her too.