The day after Christmas we loaded up and headed to Paso Robles to spend a week. We had Pizza waiting for us when we got there so we enjoyed a pizza lunch, and then we opened presents again from Grandma & Grandpa and Great Grandma & Great Grandpa. Then of course there had to be a wrestling match with Grandma!
For Christmas Eve dinner this year I thought it would be fun to start a fun tradition. John's family use to always get together and have clam chowder. I don't like it at all so unfortunately that was thrown out. John does not particularly like pancakes but I asked him if we could and he was okay with it. I made three different sized circle pancakes and some bacon. They were each given three circles a piece of bacon and some whipped cream and we made snowman pancakes. The kids had a blast! Nicholas didn't want his cut, but also couldn't quite figure out how he was going to eat it. He finally just went in face first. Probably not the best in table manners. I bought another special treat of premade gallon of chocolate milk and egg nog for drinks. John said it was not his favorite meal but he admitted it was fun to watch the kids enjoy the meal so much. Will we keep this tradition? I don't know. It was fun, but I want to find something that all 6 of us will look forward to eating that night.
I decided I wanted to try Rag Curls in Eliza's hair for the Sunday before Christmas. Saturday night she had her bath and we put on a movie and she sat in my lap and we put the Rag Curls in. I did snap some picture after I got them in, but didn't get any in the morning after we took them out. Let's just say and I rolled them a little too tight and so when I brushed them out, she had BIG hair. Since it was so tightly curled and sticking up a mile high he did a high pony with ribbons instead of a clip in the front. It still turned out real cute but I think next time I need to remember not to wrap so tight!
They did our Ward Christmas Party at 7pm this year. Kind of late for kids. They did a music, story, and poem fireside in the chapel first and then we went to the cultral hall for cookies and a visit with Santa. Nicholas was there. He just fell asleep during the fireside part.
Every year the Porterville Developmental Center has a Christmas Parade for their patients and residents. They invited all the local schools; bands, choirs, clubs, etc to march in their parade. One police car from the Police Department and one Fire Truck from the Fire Department also come and one starts the parade the and other is the tail end. Vincent's Recorder Band was invited to march in the parade. Eliza Nicholas and I got ready and followed the buses to the parade. Man was it cold! It was a last minute decision but I grabbed the double stroller and boy was I happy I had as after I got there his teacher asked if I would please walk along with them on the 1 1/2 mile parade route. Would have not been fun to walk in the very cold with a 4 year old and a 2 year old and keep up with the group. 
After getting there and getting situated and the kids got warmed up on their recorders we waited and waited some more as there was a delay in starting. So it was a great time to take some pictures! 
And we are off and marching. Sorry for the tops of their heads. I am trying to keep up with them, and push a double stroller. Was proving harder than I thought. Also yes that is only one line of a song they are playing, but when this was taken they had only been playing the recorders for a little over a month and they only have music class for 45 minutes once a week so I thought they had made great progress!
