12.20.2014: Christmas at Kierland

Today Brent was in Texas for work, so I spent the day watching Andrew and Avery while Alisa and Brianna went to see the Nutcracker play with Nana's dance group. One of the girls from their dance group was actually in the play so a bunch of them went to support her. It was an afternoon showing, so I got to spend the day with the other 2 kiddos.  We decided we were all gonna have a sleepover at our house that night, so later in the day I took the kids and Yukon to our place to wait for Alisa and Nana to get done with their play.  On the way, Avery fell asleep in the car.  Andrew and I decided to stop at Chic-O-Lay on the way in to get some lunch.  It was hilarious because Avery didn't wake up at all.  Once we got the food in the car, Andrew said, "watch this, I know what will wake her up" and started waving French fries under her nose.  She didn't budge.  It was hilarious!!  Andrew said "that has never happened before!!"  These kids are funny!  Even once we got home, we had to carry her in...she was DONE.  Eventually she woke, and ate her chicken es fries with us.  Funny girl though!

  

Andrew and Drake went for a bike ride around the complex, and I helped Avery ride Andrew's old scooter.  She was a riot....she thought she was going so fast, but she was barely moving.  Took her a while to get the hang of the scooting...but she got it...again, not going very fast!  But too cute! 

 

 

Explaining to Vince that if you eat playdough, you will get a "stummy ache".  We made her say it like 100 times.  She was animated at first explaining what a stummy ache is...but then got irritated! Its on video though :)

 

After Alisa and Nana got back from the play, we hung out for a bit then Alisa & I packed up the kiddos and went over to Kierland shopping center.  Every Sat night they were making snow and had a Santa there, and little stuff for the kids to do.  So we headed over there to see what Christmas-y stuff we could find.  We found Mrs. Claus...who was supposed to be reading stories somewhere, but we just saw her walking around talking to people.  Then we found the snow area...but it was really more like big bubble machines blowing out bubbles on you (#donteatbubblesnow).  Kids liked it though.  Then we got in the endless like to meet Santa.  It didn't seem too long, but kids were taking their sweet time chatting w/ the man so the line went super slow.  It was fine though...the kids ran around the grass areas playing w the bubble snow and Alisa and I stood in line and talked.  At one point, Avery made "friends" with a little boy a bit younger than her, whose parents kept encouraging him to hug on her.  We sent Andrew over there to fight him off.  So the boy started hugging her (aka "hitting on her")...then at one point he actually hit her...ie, remove the "on".  Andrew swooped up his little sister & bailed.  He had to physically put himself between her & this little terror and carry her away.  All the while, these weirdo drunken parents hanging out at the outside patio near us were cheering this little guy on.  Sheesh!

 

Anyways, we eventually made it to Santa.  Kids sat on his lap for a while, chatted with him, told them everything they wanted.  Except Avery. After we left, she wanted to go back because she kept thinking of more & more she wanted to tell him.  She was devastated she forgot to tell him so many things. 



 

No tears...so cute!!

The "bigger tree" at the Scottsdale Quarter that we had to walk to.

So after Santa talk & walking around Kierland a little, I told Alisa that Scottsdale Quarter was supposed to have a bigger tree than the Kierland one.  (Not sure where I saw this...or if I just invented it in my head)  So we walked over there to check it out.  It was neither bigger nor more spectacular.  Oh well...it was a good walk!

The best part though was that crosswalk to get over there had those loud beeping sounds for the blind people.  Well, on our way there, the signals were talking to us (more like messing with us as we were pressing the buttons).  I swear there are people in a room somewhere with cameras on us!  It was too funny.  Each time we pressed the button, it would YELL at us to "WAIT".  The more we pushed it, the more irritable the voice got.  Then when we went to cross the street, it sounded like we were being shot at.  The crosswalk was making weird popping noises!  So Alisa and I were cracking up at the sounds saying it sounded like we were being shot at.  So, on the way back, once the light turned, and the popping noises started to signal us to cross, Avery took off zigging & zagging thru the people & the cross walk.  We asked what she was doing & she said "dodging bullets".  I almost fell over I was laughing so hard.  The visual on this was priceless.  This girl needs to walk around with a GoPro camera attached to her.  She said people were shooting at us & she was dodging the bullets. And her face had a truly panicked look on it.   Seems like a reasonable explanation for crossing the street like a crazy person in one of the most high end areas in all of Arizona!! Haha!!  That girl....

There were smores stations throughout the streets.  So, of course we stopped for some chocolate sandwiches.  The kids were starved (esp Avery), so this was a good hold over until we got home for dinner.

 

After dinner, Avery put on a dancing show for us.  Her leggings had a little bear face on the butt, so she was dancing and shaking her bear.  Hilarious!!!  She is so funny!!