The holidays just don't get any better than this! I feel like I have found the right balance in giving and receiving this year. If I had my way and money wasn't an option, I would have given more. I always feel inadequate in giving but this year I did better. Christmas '08 has been full of friends, family, humbling experiences, and love! Just as it should be!
With all of the snow that we have been given, the city pushed it into a humongous pile in the middle of our culdesac. Every little kid in the neighborhood was in winter heaven! Every day my kids got their chores done extra early so that they could sled down that hill! Snowmen were built and knocked down, snowballs were thrown, hills were sledded, and hot chocolate was sipped! Snow and kids is just a magical combination!
I had a few sewing projects to complete for Christmas. I got some darling dresses online but some of the dresses I bought were sleeveless so I made a simple pattern and sewed up two little white shrugs for Ashley and Mikie's dresses. I stayed up til two in the morning so that they would be done for church. I am not much of a seamstress but I felt accomplished and the girls look precious if I say so myself! I didn't take pictures of the kids in their Christmas clothes because of Ashley's cold sores but I will now that they are cleared up!
This year Mike, Ash, and Mikie almost died getting our Christmas tree! There were no good trees in the area he went so he kept going further up the mountain where the snow continued to get higher and higher. He unintentionally drove into a snow drift and got stuck. Well that in and of itself is no big deal. He gets stuck ALL the time BUT he was on a road that is treacherous in the summer. On one side of the road is mountain and on the other is sheer drop off! Well I guess there was a lot of praying and some crying( I won't mention by who.) and a panicked phone call to me saying "If We are not home by dark, call the authorities. We are on the JQS road." Pretty scary!!
Ashley was pretty sick around the time we decorated and it left her covered in leprous looking cold sores all over her mouth and cheeks as a result , so there aren't very many pictures of her. I can't blame her for her shyness though. I begged her to let me take pictures so that I could post them but she was really embarrassed so I didn't. She was very sad that she had to miss out on the last week of school and all of the festivities but her teacher sent her home some fun gifts and other things she had missed out to do at home.
We got THE most delish treat from our friends up the street. They are from Mexico and they have five kids all close in age with my kids. They all came to our house with homemade fried tortillas covered in Cinnamon and sugar!! Best treat of the season FO SHO!!! It is so awesome to have people come to your door with goodies that they had spent so much time and love to make. How cool is it that such a simple thing can make you feel loved and appreciated!
This year for our neighbor gifts, I made White Trash( white chocolate melted over popcorn with red and green m&m's) and Addiction(rice chex, golden grahams, coconuts, and lots of sugar and buttery goodness!). I borrowed the White Trash recipe from my friend Tracey and invited her to come over and knock it out together. It felt like I was cooking in the kitchen with one of my sisters! I think we ate as much as we gave away though! We put it in decorative ziploc baggies and called it good!
I bundled the kids up on Little Christmas Eve (Dec.23rd) and we went caroling around the neighborhood with our goodies. It seems like caroling is going out of style. I remember going caroling with my extended family when I was younger and I loved it. So I have made sure to continue that tradition in my family!
My mother sent pajamas to be opened Christmas Eve. My parents and my little sister decided to spend their Christmas holiday at Disneyland this year. 
Our Christmas Eve was full of anticipation for Santa to come! We ventured out Christmas Eve night and caroled at one of the old folks homes with the missionaries and a few other families from our ward. They just loved all of the little kids and were very appreciative that we shared our night with them. Mike worked late but made it home in time to read the account of Christ's birth in Luke just before bed. Ashley had worked really hard at chores and helping me get ready for Santa so I let her stay up an extra half hour to help me wrap gifts and make goodies for Santa. I have been told that the big man gets pretty bored of the traditional cookies and milk bit so we made some pot stickers, egg rolls, and some shrimp. We kind of helped him eat it while we stayed up and wrapped!
Keeping Ashley up was a BAD idea! Long after every one else was a sleep she kept coming down complaining that if we didn't go to bed that Santa would skip our house. I swear that child has anxiety or something! No matter what we said there was no convincing her and she just kept coming down the stairs crying. She finally just cried herself to sleep around 1:30 am. Poor Santa probably had a hard time being sneaky, he was so worried about getting caught by Ashley!
There is something so magical and special about the quiet hours the night before Christmas just after Santa had came and gone. I am as giddy as a child at the thought of what the morning will bring! My kids asked me why Santa didn't bring gifts for adults. I told them that he does bring us a gift and that is seeing the joy and the magic in their eyes during the Christmas season! I am sure that that is my favorite part!
Christ's spirit is so evident this time of year and it so unspeakably precious!
There is something so magical and special about the quiet hours the night before Christmas just after Santa had came and gone. I am as giddy as a child at the thought of what the morning will bring! My kids asked me why Santa didn't bring gifts for adults. I told them that he does bring us a gift and that is seeing the joy and the magic in their eyes during the Christmas season! I am sure that that is my favorite part!
Christ's spirit is so evident this time of year and it so unspeakably precious!
Santa brings each kid one gift and fills their stockings and we take care of the rest. Mike says that he works too dang hard for Santa to get credit for all of the good stuff! Like most families, we got the wii for Christmas! I am such a wuss because I woke up the next day sore from playing wii sports! How pathetic is that!?
Our wonderful missionaries came to spend Christmas with us and to call their families. They showed up at our door bright and early wearing footie pajamas and singing carols! Santa left them a stocking and they brought the gifts their families had sent. We had Belgium waffles with fresh strawberries and whip cream, bacon, sausage, and little smokies wrapped in bacon.
The best gift EVER! Mike gave me a personal trainer and a gym membership for Christmas! I am looking forward to using this gift! MY personal trainer even made the little stocking and card that came in it!
Madse is totally getting into the boxing! His face is just hilarious!
Elder Cooper(wearing tie) made us a candy cane cheese cake and Elder Kutney (holding Hallie) made us a pumpkin cheese cake for Christmas! Oh my goodness! I was in cheese cake heaven! Who knew that nineteen year old boys knew how to bake!?
Coop-dizzle!
Later Christmas night, I made a turkey dinner for the missionaries. Mike had to work all day but made it home again in the evening. He is a wonderful provider. I don't want to brag and that is not my intention I just am very proud of how hard Michael works to take care of his family. He was given two Christmas bonuses and with those we have been able to pay off the majority of our debt leaving us with just two car payments (and a mortgage of course) that will both be paid off this summer! Nothing says Merry Christmas more than being debt free!!!!
Michael's parents came and spent a few days with us. They came loaded with presents and spoiled us all royally! They are so much fun to be around and we end up staying up late visiting and playing games!
Unfortunately there have been some mishaps as well! Michael and the kids and their near death experience is one of them and there was him working during Christmas but there were some others that were pretty disheartening.There were those nasty bouts of sickness that have pasted back and forth this month and that has definitely not been fun! Our personal sledding hill in front of house was hauled aweay by city workers. My kids cried as they watched it get demolished. I have been making some table runners and a pillow for a couple of friends of mine and I just never did get them done on time. I think the poor recipients will probably end up getting these festive Christmasy things for their birthdays.
We were cleaning for company when May thought that she would be helpful and dust for me. I turned around just in time to see my glass trinket of the Vernal temple fall and shatter on the floor. You know how it goes, happening in s-l-o-w m-o-t-i-o-n and there is absolutely nothing I could do about it. That little trinket was the topper on our cake when we were married and it was one of those things that had sentimental value. I guess things like that aren't meant to last forever.
Christmas 2008 was definitely a memorable one!!!I hope yours was just as memorable too!
We did a craft and played a bunch of party games!
