Who Doesn't Love Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is the Best. Everyone is so happy. The excitement is still there but Christmas Day is close enough that you can really enjoy the anticipation. Christmas eve is really my favorite night of the year. This year was even better because we had David's Mom and Dad staying with us. It was so much fun to have help on Christmas morning. We got to see everyone open everything because we has so much help opening packaging so the kids didn't get bored waiting to open their stuff. I wish we could have grandparents with us every Christmas morning.

We have kept my family tradition of a chandelier present. We all get one small gift and hang it on the chandelier. We open it as soon as Christmas eve dinner is done. It is a fun little gift.

Nana's flight was supposed to come in the day before Christmas eve, but it got cancelled and she had to come the next day. Her flight got in just in time for Christmas Eve dinner. She was surprisingly happy even though she had just traveled an entire day. We love them so much. They are the best house guests you could ever have.

Our latest tradition is for David to play Christmas Carols on his guitar while we all sing along. It is the best time of the night for me.

Sugar Cookies.... yummmm!

We were lucky this year to have Nana and Papa coming to stay with us for Christmas. Papa got in a few days before Nana and we did a bunch of fun things with him. He and David made sugar cookies with the kids. That is always a favorite. We enjoyed Papa's good cooking the whole time he was with us. He taught me some very dilicious and simple dinners. He remineded me how great potatos are. He helped us fix our garage and our water softner and all sorts of things while he was here. Poor man, I didn't really feel like he got much of a vacation :). The kids were in Heaven with Nana and Papa.

Katie had so much fun with the cookies she got all tuckered out and fell asleep standing up. I really don't know how anyone could do that :).

Temple Lights

One of our favorite things to do before Christmas is go see the temple lights at the Mesa Temple. For the last few years we take hot chocolate for when we are done. The kids really like it.
This year we let the kids touch the temple ( I know they talked about it a while ago in conference, but this is the first time we got around to it). This was a very special experience. I love the temple. Even the spirit outside is something wonderful.

Our friend Kim came and stayed with us for a few days in December. She and I took the 3 older kids and saw the Joseph Smith movie in the visitor's center. It was AMAZING. I cried and cried. If you have the chance, I strongly suggest seeing it with your older children. It is so touching and so well done. I loved it.

Home School Christmas Party

We went to a friends house for a home school Christmas party (gift exchange) back and Dec. 11. It was great. The kids had so much fun. There were a bunch of leaves all over so a group of the kids decided to make a huge pile and have everyone jump in all at once. The cool thing is, that they invited everyone to jump, not just the one's who built the pile. Very generous I thought. :)

Ready, Set, Go!

How fun to be a kid.

....More Holiday

This was our family night activity back on Dec. 10. It was a blast. Being the woman that I am this is how we do gingerbread :). The kids don't know any different so it works for us. We got this kits at Costco. We have tried others before, but these ones actually tasted pretty good. We had so much fun.

We separated into teams. Emma and Jake and I did the train.

David and Joelle and Ben did the House.

Katie helped on both which really meant that she just sat and ate every one's candy :). She was so happy.

If you look closely there is a little man inside the train. That was tricky.

Hurray for pre-made gingerbread kits! Maybe one year I'll learn how to make my own.