Christmas Post

Once again, we kicked off the Christmas season right with the Carter Christmas party. 

Anda saw Santa no fewer than three times. Here she is giving him the picture she drew of the Merida doll she wanted. 

We got our first fake tree this year and I LOVE it. We even got Anda a tiny one to keep in her room for the season.  

My parents came out this year, which has been great. 

We all took the train up to Salt Lake the Saturday before Christmas to eat at the Red Iguana and see the lights. The Red Iguana was delicious, but outside it was freezing. We pulled Lilah backward to try to save her from the wind, and we all ended up purchasing warmer clothes by the end of the day. 

The lights at Temple Square were beautiful, of course, but everyone else in the state had the same idea, so we spent very little time looking at the lights and most of the time looking for each other. I still thought it was fun.

Getting back on the train was the scariest part. We got to the platform very early and froze our butts off because it was clearly going to be the train that everyone with little kids (ie, everyone in Utah) was going to try to catch, in order to get home before bed time. We were at the front of the line, and Dan, Amy, Hannah and I were relieved when we snagged the first group of seats we came to. However, when we turned around to usher Nana and Papa to the seats with the kids, they were nowhere to be seen. We had lost them in the stampede to get on the train, and I had some momentary panicked images flashing in my mind of the train taking off without them, or one of them having been injured in the rush. It turned out they had just run up the stairs as soon as they got on the train, and were safe and sound in some seats above us. We couldn't join them because of the crowd all the way back down the valley, but at least everyone was okay and in the same place.

The lights were pretty and all, but I think I might wait until after Christmas next year. 

Christmas Eve pajama time was all kinds of fun, of course. I especially liked Dan's addition of humming appropriate hymns during certain parts of the Christmas story in Luke. 

And Christmas morning was the gluttonous celebration of consumerism that every kid dreams of. 

It's always over too soon, but at least my parents will be here for a few more days, so we can squeeze out every last drop of family time they've got left in them before then. But who wouldn't want to spend as much time as possible with these adorable children? 

Merry Christmas to all. 

Anda Says

No introduction necessary anymore, I think. Here we go.

Anda: Mom, what does my belly say?

Me: I don't know. What does your belly say?

Anda: It says, "Oh, thank you for the treat."

Anda: Why we can't watch (here's the funny part) Lilah Paige NEMO! [parenthetical statement part of the original]

Anda: Is this the airplane port?

Me: Papa is going to put you to bed tonight.

Anda: I want you to!

Me: Papa is really good at putting people to bed.

Papa: I've been putting myself to bed for 54 years. Fifty-four years! Do you know how long that is?

Anda: Um...16?

Nana: How you doing over there Anda?

Anda: CHOCOLATE FROSTING!

Anda: Twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, twenty-ten, twenty-eleven, twenty-twelve...

Anda: Mom, why's she a crying baby? 

Anda: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ASTRONAUT

Anda: Monday, Tuesday,  Threesday, Foursday, Fivesday...

Anda: Why do you have a skeleton on your shirt?

Dan: I like skeletons.

Anda: I don't like skeletons. I like princesses. 

Anda: She can't go in her bed because she still has her "pet the pooch" hat on!

Me: What?!

Anda: That's from Belle. 

Anda: Mommy, why Cinderella doesn't brush her teeth? 

Dan: Anda, Mama needs your help in the kitchen. She's making a treat.

Anda: What kind of treat?

Dan: I don't know--muffins, I think.

Anda: That's a lot of sugar

Anda: Remember the other night when I eat chicken?

Me: Yes. I LOVED when you ate chicken.

Anda: But you don't love me when I don't eat chicken? 

Me: No! I love YOU all the time. I just really liked when you ate your chicken. [Thanks for backfiring, positive reinforcement] 

Anda: [praying]...Bless us to eat good food, and our neighbors...

Me: Oh, what did you draw in this picture?

Anda: It's a person doesn't have no friend and the sun. 

Me: You should draw them a friend.

[later]

Me: Who did you draw in the picture?

Anda: [pointing to the new person] That's me, and [pointing to the friendless one] that's you

Anda: [pointing to unicorn] And that's a horsecorn. 

Anda: I drew a picture!

Me: That's beautiful.

Anda: Can you put it on the frigerator and not put it in the garbage while I'm sleeping?

Anda: Am I going to have bad dreams?

Me: No, you'll have good dreams. What do you want to dream about?

Anda: Why not Dooley Dog playing at the river at Seven Peaks?

Me: Anda, what's an Indian?

Anda: They have food. We talked about that in my school. And he's very sad.

Me: Why is he very sad?

Anda: Because all his friends died. 

Anda: [pretending we are all dragons] Mom, if you are going to go outside to houses or church, you might want to fly your wings. 

[Anda is running laps around the kitchen, high-fiving Dan when she passes him]

Dan: Ok, this is the last one, so make it count.

Anda: [stops and points to each of his fingers] One, two, three, four, five, six...