Christmas Morning

Stockings are always saved for last at our house. I didn't take out nearly as many decorations as I usually do. It's the lights I love. And I am most sad to remove them when it's time.
Santa didn't have to assemble anything this year. That's always nice. But small gifts make for a less dramatic scene!
Santa leaves a note each year thanking the girls for the cookies they left. Except this year, they forgot to do it. So, I did.
Cousin gifts!! Thanks to Emerson, from Keddi; Taylor, from Mardi; Tess from Shinara and Keddi from Tersa. (We just rotate a list and we usually always get one of the sisters!) Thanks to Caleb and Marci for our ornament, to Lindsay and Randall for the gift of music, to Lolly and Lee for the cards and spending money and to Pops and CC for the games and videos!

We had a good day and hope all y'all did too!!

Sugar Cookie Christmas Trees

We have several Christmas traditions, but we don't do each one of them every year. We always deliver ornaments (instead of a plate of goodies) to 6-10 families. Sometimes we carol as we deliver and sometimes we don't.
Last year we decorated Gingerbread Castle cakes and this year we did Cookie Trees. We made ornaments from kits that Brady's family sent us last year, but we just didn't get around to touring the neighborhoods to see all the lights.
I think that my biggest regret this year is that I'm not sure we did enough of focusing on the true meaning of Christmas. Keddi made up a song about what she wanted from Santa. I know, she's 7. Still, it has caused me to decide that I need to find some things that we can do as a family that cause us to think of the Savior throughout the year.

Whitakers

Dan and Jen and their kids came to visit us for the first time in 5 years. They were stationed in Hawaii and we visited them there 3 years ago, but that is a long time too. They have been living in San Diego since his last reassignment. In Feb. they will be transferred to MAINE!! 
Dan was a roommate of Joel's when I met them. Dan and Jen started dating sometime after that though, they had been friends for quite a while. We love them and so enjoy their visits. Luckily for us, we are on the way to Dan's parents (when Dan and Jen have lived in California.)

The morning they arrived, Tersa took Angie (dog) outside to "potty" and a bigger dog came and they took off. Tersa has been training Angie to be outside without a leash and to stay nearby. But, Angie is afraid of big dogs and Tersa didn't see it coming. It wasn't with anyone and the two of them took off. We went searching and then Mardi made posters but we haven't heard anything. So the dog we had for 14 months (and paid $200 to have spayed) is on the run again. We no longer have a dog. And I am at peace.

Shinara's class Christmas Party

Every year that our girls were in Ms. Vega's class, the Christmas party had four centers where the kids played games and did art projects and decorated cookies. But not this year. It's weird to see her change things, but she has been ill this year and she has children that she adopted so her life has been a little different from the years the other girls have had her.

This year they just sat at their tables with all of their goodies while she opened the gifts they brought her. Then they did this cute little dance that they do in their singing time.

Memories

Hot chocolate and doughnuts after snowball fights and snowman building. What could be better? (A fire. But we only have a gas one. And we've never used it so I wasn't sure how and didn't want to spoil the fun with a house fire. ;)

When they went back out, the older kids got busy with a bigger snowman and the little girls just never tired of their snowball fight. 

Perhaps I should teach the concept of snow"balls" instead of snow "slabs"?