Right when we got back from New York for Thanksgiving we jumped into Christmas mode around here! It is such a fun and exciting time with the kids. We do lots of special things that they love doing and we feel exhausted by the end of the month but definitely know it was worth it.
Decorating the tree
Rachel's first pair of cowboy boots! It was a special trip just her and dad to the boot store and she loves them!
Park days because the weather was pretty nice in December.
Livy's school pictures, I love that she is smiling and looking! That is such a hard combination! Rachel was sick that day and we were out of town for the original date so she will have to wait for spring photos. Livy loves the sheet of pictures we bought that has lots of her little faces all over it :)
Practicing our scootering.
Big sister Livy! Livy is so good with Ellie.
Winter party at school and saying good by to their teacher for winter break! The girls love their class and continually say they have the best teacher ever. Rachel told me the other day that she wants to be a kindergarten teacher when she grows up and work at their school and take her teachers spot when she retires! That's planning ahead Rae!
Baking and decorating cookies. We hung on to them because I didn't know of anyone who wanted cookies loaded with 2 lbs. of sprinkles each.
On the night before the last day of school we got a special visitor.....Hannah!! Hannah came to stay with us for Christmas and it was so fun to have her here. The kids sure do love having her here with them and it worked out so great. We loved having you here too Han, and not just because we got to sleep in in the mornings with you in charge!
Driving around looking at Christmas lights in the back of Eric's truck with Grandma and Grandpa. It was nice weather which made it extra enjoyable.
Hannah and her buddy. She was in charge of Ellie a lot and it was a huge help for me. Thanks again Han!
We did some ring and run secret Santa stuff, ya know, top secret, and the kids L-O-V-E-D it! It was for 5 nights in a row so we would sneak around and do the ring and runs and try not to get caught with this gang! Eric started singing Christmas carols one night on the way and it became the thing to do. They loved it even more. Although I don't know that we ever finished one song all the way through, it was more like a Christmas song remix, jumping from one to the next with only the most popular verse or chorus! It may not have sounded good but it was fun :)
Hot chocolate with ice cream in it, Eric's creation. He also had a small addiction to Starbucks salted caramel hot chocolate during this vacation.
Eric heated the pool and we got to swim for a few days! What a treat for them! I am getting old because it was too cold out for me, so I didn't go in willingly but caved to peer pressure twice. But the kids loved it and were happy to spend time with their daddy. Thanks dad :)
More cookies for the truck ride and lights.
Christmas caroling at the nursing home with some families from our ward. Ellie mostly screamed in excitement but I think that was one of their favorite parts.
Christmas Eve caroling at Grandma and Grandpas house with some of Eric's extended family. Grandma let the night with her very first power point presentation of songs! Way to go grandma! She even cracked us up with some video inserts from A Christmas Story.
Some of the gang singing.
Brent and Tisha giving us a surprise!
Ellie and Grandpa both excited about the singing!
There was always someone hanging on Hannah while she was here!
Addie and Ellie playing babies together, so cute watching them play when they are so little.
After cookies for Santa, reindeer food on the grass, water for Rudolph, saying good bye to Shorty (our elf), reading The Night Before Christmas, finishing our chocolate calenders and scriptures puzzles for the month, and reading and acting out the Nativity story it was finally time to get them tucked into bed. And luckily they were happy to go because they were so excited for the morning!
I'm grateful for the month of December and the Christmas season when we focus extra on our Savior Jesus Christ. I know the kids were looking forward to the gifts and all the excitement that goes along with it but that is not what we heard about from them the whole Christmas season. What they loved was that the whole month they were so excited to do stuff for other people and to learn and read about Christ. It was a great month with them and I am so proud of their sweet spirits. I hope your Christmas season was as joyful as ours! Man, the tree was looking rough by the end of the month!
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