Jesus Likes Orange

I've decided Christmas with a three year old is pretty fun. She's still little enough to get really excited but not selfish about things (too much), and big enough to say and do so many funny things. Seriously, Calista is hilarious.

For starters, at our Ward Christmas party, she informed me that she was going to sing. Uh, okay? I didn't quite believe her, but when the primary got up, my little still-in-nursery girl decided to join them.

She didn't know the words, so she just bounced around.

Also, sadly not pictured, when another little nursery boy tried to crash the song, too, she bodily removed him from the stage because he didn't belong. I guess she's ready to go to primary?


Before we left to come to Oregon, our neighbors started putting up decorations. This prompted Calista to want to put up our decorations, including our tree. She so wanted them up!

Like the Swedish chimes. She loves them every year.

Craig got to be fascinated by the fire this year, too.

They both love the chimes!
I told Calista that when we got to Oregon, we would go out and cut down a tree with Grammie and Grandpa and then decorate it. So we did.

It was basically exactly like this, except we only brought one home. But its heart was very happy, because it had a home.
And then, of course, we had to decorate it, starting with the lights.

Thanks for the help, Craig!
Then on goes ornaments...

Including the candy canes.

Any guesses who put them on?
Lastly, the star.

With Grandpa's help, little girls can reach the top of the tree, too.

Calista loves Santa Claus. I don't quite know where her knowledge came from, but it's there. She met him at zoolights, and when we went downtown to see my dad, she could've talked to him again, but she refused to go near Santa, even after he offered her a candy cane. We didn't push it, though.

 Instead we went and played on the little kid train.

Which Calista and Craig both loved.

We have been trying to teach Calista about the WHY of Christmas. It's not just about presents, but about Jesus. For one of our FHE lessons, we looked at pictures of her and Craig's birthdays, and I told her that we celebrate the birthdays of people we love... like Jesus, and that's what Christmas is about. She decided then that Jesus needed a cake, and since she's three, we decided to humor her. Then Calista declared that Jesus needed an orange cake: "Jesus likes orange." Um, okay then. Who can argue with that? An orange cake it was.

A chocolate orange cake. Chocolate cake "moistened" with an orange syrup, chocolate orange ganache filling, and orange cream cheese frosting. It was a monster of a cake that Loradona and I put together, with a little help from Calista. It wasn't perfect, but it was pretty good. It also inspired Loradona and I to want to make a youtube channel of us trying out new recipes. I mean, it'd be awesome to watch us, right? RIGHT?


Grammie also wanted to make cookies with the grandchildren, so they did.

Both Craig and Calista helped make the dough, kind of. And then it was time to roll it out.

After Grammie showed her how, Calista did it herself.

What a big girl!

Then it's time to cut out the shapes, and finally, the best part:

Decorating! Calista loved painting the cookies and putting sprinkles on... maybe a little too much. Our cookies were definitely not lacking in sparkly colored sugar.

Grammie May bought Calista a Christmas dress, and Craig a bow tie, to wear the Sunday before Christmas. So we clearly had to take pictures.

And our children cooperated fairly well!

Funny looks on occasion, but still cooperative.

What a big girl, in Aunt Loradona's heels.

Don't I have adorable children?

A few days before Christmas, Kyler gave me my present. It was time-sensitive, so it had to be done ahead of time. What Kyler gave me was this:

This book, As You Wish, by Cary Elwes. But more important than the book, was the little yellow ticket he got with it: a place in the line to get my book signed (and my hand shook!) by the Dread Pirate Roberts/Wesley himself.

Kyler also stayed home with the babes so that I could have a fun evening with my mom and my sister. It was an awesome present!

And now we've finally reached Christmas proper.
There were plenty of fun things to play with.

Craig and Calista both got new pajamas,

And absolutely loved their stockings. Well, Calista loved it. Craig liked it.
Craig also liked, not loved, opening gifts.

And once Calista helped him open a car, he no longer cared about anything else, until after it was open. At that point, he cared again.
Calista definitely cared. Kyler and I, not really related to Christmas, got new jackets for ourselves on this trip. While at the store, Calista fell in love with this purple jacket. She was heartbroken when she realized we hadn't bought it.

When she opened one of her presents to discover it, though... that was pure joy. "I love my purple jacket!"
She got a lot of things, including a pink river dolphin and a very cheap fake barbie doll (from a sweet little old lady in our ward). It may or may not have made it home...

...or even through Christmas morning. Seriously, the girl took it apart like a puzzle. I was kind of proud.
"I was horrified!" - Susan Chowderhead.

And now, I will end this rambling Christmas post with a joke, made up by Calista herself:

Why did the wisemen look for the baby?

They couldn't find him.

Merry Christmas!