Las Vegas!

After Christmas, Daddy headed back to New York and Mommy and Kai got to go see and play with family in St. George and Las Vegas. First Stop, Hurricane where we got to visit with Uncle Fred and Aunt Sylvia, Uncle Wes and Aunt Marilyn. Kandis, Jenn and I the youngest three cousins on the White side still have to sit at the kids table!! Kandis, Weston, Jenn, Bennett and Ava and Kailie and Mommy!

The Aunts and Uncles a the big adults table!

Kailie had fun meeting some of her cousins and bullying them as always!

Ava, Kai, Ryler, Weston, Gage and Bennett!

The three White rascals back together again!

Then we headed down to Vegas to spend a few days with Jenn and Chris. Poor Kai got some flu bug while there and was not feeling great, thankfully her's past pretty fast and was not too bad. Then I got it and I just felt horrible!! So annoying!

Aunt Chris tries to help the little ones take turns!

Let's all go together!

Bath time!

 The kids loved eating at this little table!

Jenn and her kiddos!

Aunt Chris with Kailie!

Kai and Ava snuggle in bed before bedtime!

Not sure if Ava is liking this arrangement!

Two crazy hair kids, enjoying their food!

Kai hangs out with sick Mommy on the couch!

We went and visited my cousin Sandy and Jenn. The girls loved this huge stuffed dog!

It was so fun to spend a few days together. Chris and Jenn kept asking me if I was pregnant because I was sick and the last time I was there I was pregnant and was trying to hide but they figured it out. This time I wasn't pregnant just sick but I did end up getting pregnant a couple of weeks later. I think Jenn and Chris have some magic spell to make me get pregnant!

Christmas Eve Eve

We had 4 Christmas's this year. At least that is what it felt like it so here is the first of our Christmas posts.

 

Kailie amazingly sitting very nicely next to a Chocolate Nativity. This is one thing we give to our friends and neighbors for Christmas along with some yummy dried pineapple which of course everybody thought we brought back from Hawaii. Ironically, I actually started the tradition of drying pineapple long before I ever lived in Hawaii! Just so we are clear, they do sell Pineapple here in Syracuse!

Back to the Nativity, Kailie kept stealing the chocolate treats as I would make them, and one time she got a hold of the container holding them and we literally had a tug of war over it, before I could get it from her she grabbed a a Baby Jesus and threw it in her mouth. Little stinker, she was so in trouble!! So now you know why I was amazed that I could get this photo with out her eating the whole thing.

Since we were flying to Utah on Christmas Eve we decided to open some presents here so we didn't have to pack them there and back.

Getting ready to open presents!

Books, books and more books. You gotta love Target's dollar area!

Opening a gift from Daddy!

I was so excited for Jared to open this present. I always try to make him at least one present and this was it this year. He has been missing Surfing pretty bad so I made him a poster to hang up in his office with a bunch of photos of him surfing. Yes there is two because the first one was darker than I wanted so I redid it and then I realized that the second one had a typo, oh well  I guess I will just have to do a third one.

Kailie opening a gift!!

As a reminder to myself, don't travel for Christmas, just stay home have Christmas and then go visit family. It is to crazy to travel and worry about gifts!!

Christmas in New York!

Well we have shown our time in NYC and visiting the Dicken's festival but what is Christmas like in Syracuse? Well seeing as I have literally spent most of December hiding out in my house since it has been snowing so much, we really haven't done much. I have never in my life been home so much, it is kind of weird but I guess that is life when you have little kids and it is freezing outside!!  

 The few times I have ventured out we have done some fun stuff.

Visiting Santa.
This time she cried for about 5 minutes and then Santa bribed her with a candy cane and jingle bells. It worked long enough to get a photo!

The pathway that I love to workout on in the summer is transformed during Christmas into Lights on the Lake so we finally made it there. The nativity scene which ironically enough was right next the Hanaka lights.

Family Portrait!

Entering the Crazy Land of Oz. When did The Wizard of OZ become a Christmas thing anyways?

Halfway through we let Kai out of her car seat which literally is a little piece of heaven for her to get to play in the car. She was just like my dogs and kept her head out of the window most of the drive.

I didn't really expect her to be that into it but she sure was!! 

She loved it!

These lights made us just a little bit homesick for Hawaii!! Especially this video!! I can't believe I miss golfing so much!!

 Sunday evening we decided to do a Christmas Party with some friends from church. Basically all the other residents in the ward. We had Gigantic Bread Bowls with a side of soup. Definitely one thing I love about the cold weather.

 The kids being crazy!

Kailie joining the fun!

Some of the other highlights this holiday season was a cookie exchange with a bunch of the women from church. Everyone brought 6 dozen of a favorite holiday treat and then everyone took a few of each. We were supposed to then give to neighbors. Then we did an ornament exchange which was so fun. Mostly it was just fun to get out of the house and associate with others who are taller than 2 feet.

Two-Year-Old For Sale

I have a Two-Year-Old for Sale:

She comes equipped with temper-tantrums, a very loud though not as loud as some voice box, never-ending batteries, the ability to get into any and everything no matter how high or where you hide it. She is programmed to disobey every command and thinks time-out is a game. She was built with a very mischievous side and is only quiet while getting into something she knows she's not supposed to.  Her clothing preference is none and

Her favorite activities include running away from mommy (although in all fairness I probably would run to if someone kept sticking me with needles all day), climbing on to the counter, eating the gingerbread house, making messes, whining, fake crying and always finding some sort of treat to eat. She will even fight for the right to eat a chocolate baby Jesus and loves to run straight to her hide out corner anytime we ask her to come to us!!

Will take any reasonable offers!

A Dicken's Christmas!

 

In our never ending quest to find fun things to do around here we decided to drive to this cute little town

Skaneateles where every weekend during the Holidays they hold A Dickens Christmas Festival. We have heard about it from many different people so off we went. To start off, the town of Skaneateles is so beautiful and surrounds a beautiful lake.

I was hoping to get a Christmas Card picture and this one turned out pretty cute!

The lake is amazing. You could see all the way to the bottom even when it was like 15 feet deep. We hope to come back in the summer to go swimming.

The ghost of Christmas Present

So what is a Dickens Christmas festival??

Well, basically it is a festival where a bunch of the townspeople dress up as characters from the movie and walk around the town. They just hang out talking to all the visitors and they did a great job of staying in character the whole time and talking as though it was that time!!

They stand on corners and sing Christmas carols which was so fun and really made it feel like Christmas!

Carolers a Caroling!!

We got to see Father Christmas! This was Kailie's 4th time seeing a Santa this year and the first time that she didn't absolutely scream when we took her up to him.

And my favorite character we saw-The ghost of Jakob Marley!!
He was awesome!

Sadly we missed a lot of the activities they have because we got there late in true Theler fashion. The biggest bummer was missing the roasted chestnuts. We saw roasted chestnuts at the street vendors in NYC and definitely would have tried them if the look of them didn't make me want to hurl. so I was excited to try them here. Oh well. We also missed the carriage ride they had around town!! I would say there is always next year but in our case this was it since who knows where we will be living next year!

We got some dinner there and Kai was playing in the window. This picture makes me laugh every time I see it. Doesn't she look like an old lady with a big old rump and using the handrail to walk. Plus her face is just great!!

Now that is the Kailie I am used to, no old lady here.

Life is so fun with this little squirt!!

The weather was chilly but not bad, after dinner however once it was dark, it was freezing.
It made for a long cold trek back to our car!!

Little Girl- Big Boots!

Just for a Laugh!!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas!

 It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here!

The lights are up, the decorations are hung.

Gingerbread houses have been made!

Christmas Dresses have been worn. 

 Oreo balls have been eaten 

White elephant gifts have been won

(isn't she a gem)

Attempting  to visit Santa has been done, but this is what we got instead!

As close as she would go

 And there is even snow all around

But for some reason it just doesn't feel like Christmas! I am not sure why! I thought for sure this year with it being snowy it would feel like it but not really. I think we are just kind of lonely. No parties to go to or friends to celebrate with. The ward didn't even have a real Christmas party. We watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional on Sunday for the ward party, it was nice what I got to hear from it. They talked a lot about being so busy that you forget the true meaning of Christmas. I think I am not busy enough, Sometimes having too much time is not a good thing!! In the past we have always done sub for Santa and actually got to buy toys and other needed items this year the ward asked just to donate money so we did but it kind of takes the fun out of it. 

What are some things you do to help feel the Christmas Spirit?