Christmas day!

I have finally made it to Christmas day! Woohoo! Christmas day was perfect. Really it started Christmas eve. Both of our parents live here in town and normally we have to rotate who to spend Christmas Eve with, but this year my mother-in-law decided to do Christmas Day dinner. It was so much better! We also didn't have to rush out Christmas morning for breakfast which was nice for the boys. So, Christmas Eve we had dinner with my family and the grandkids opened presents. It was necessary for my brothers kids, and once one has started, of course everyone wanted to! Then Christmas morning we spent at home. We were able to take our time and really enjoy watching the boys. Spencer was soooo much fun this year. He just had the perfect reactions to everything and was loving every minute. Jaxon was actually pretty good at opening as well. The only problem with Jax was we could get him off his brother's scooter! Check out our matching pjs! I know, I know, you are all jealous! lol!

Then it was off to the Murray's to exchange gifts. They live up the street and Spencer insisted he ride his new scooter despite the fact it was drizzling rain outside! Oh well, it was Christmas, right? Both boys loved their presents, of course! The pettiskirt was actually for both girls since they are so close to the same size! Too cute!

Next it was off to my parents house to give my parents their presents and my brother his. Spencer had fun with Uncle Trevor and Jaxon was all about Grandpa's cookies!

Then it was off to the Wilcock's! For dinner, family and more presents! I think Spencer got a little spoiled with this day full of presents. He is already looking forward to his birthday and next Christmas. Hmmm...we might have a problem. (His birthday isn't until May!)




For those of you thinking, wow what a day, that wasn't the end! We went straight from the Wilcock's to our friend's house to lay the kids down and play Rock Band! It was a very long, but very fun day!!! Good thing David decided to go snowboarding on Saturday instead of the next morning!

Christmas projects

Just in case I wasn't busy enough in the month on December,with the new job, and everything in the previous posts, for some reason I ended up making a bunch of Christmas gifts this year. Below are a sampling. I made a total of about 20 pairs of pajamas (cute matching ones to be featured in later Christmas day post) including these for my neice and nephew. And then there was the hardest craft....Pettiskirts! I had a blast making them. Especially since I don't have a girl! BUT, the pink and brown one took me about 1 1/2 days to complete because I wanted to make it really full. The brown and blue one was much more reasonable, only about 5 hours. I didn't make it as full. Anyway, I had a lot of fun making all of them, but it is a good part of why my blog was so neglected in December!

Since my mom was helping me figure out how to make the pettiskirts, she made one for my neice as well. ^

Gingerbread Houses

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is gingerbread houses with my husband's family. We all get together and bring candy and share and decorate together. It is really messy, but a lot of fun. This year I was in charge of making a few gingerbread houses too. Kinda fun actually, though they take awhile! I sadly don't have any pictures from the night we decorated together., (I forgot the camera!), but this is Spencer decorating the extra house later at home by himself and the house I made that night. Just in case you can't tell, they one on the right is mine! lol! I was very impressed with Spencer. All I did was put frosting where he told me to!

Little Pastry Chef's

For Christmas, Spencer and his friends went to Little Pastry Chefs to decorate some cookies.

There was lots of this.....

Mixed with this......

And then this.....

In the end, they all had a great time and Spencer got to see Santa for the first time. I know I am a bad mom for never taking him before, I just didn't see the point of having him cling to me and scream while I tried to sit him on a strange man's lap. This was the first year he understood Santa and was excited to see him. The kids also got to go on a carriage ride. Sadly, I don't have a pic of this. I still need to get a copy from someone else...Could someone please e-mail a copy?

Disclaimer: I having a really hard time typing tonight, so please excuse any typos!

Snow Day #3

So after the "big snow" we had that crazy snow day in Vegas! Which meant no work for me, and David got to go in late. They told him he could just stay home, but he ended up leaving around 9:30, but not until he had built another snowman in the front yard and had a snowball fight with the boys! I love that my rose bushes still had roses to use as arms! That's when you know snow is not normal in Vegas!

Snow Day #2

This is the second day it snowed when we actually got enough to play in. Sadly, Jaxon was sick, so no playing for him. Spencer was so excited to make a snowman. The golf club arms were entirely his idea!

Snow Day #1

The day I returned from Houston was the first day it snowed in Vegas. The funny thing was, the day I arrived in Houston it was snowing for the first time in years! Of course, we played in and tasted the snow. My question was and is, should I worry about my grapefruits? Will the continue to ripen if I pick them? I don't think they need much longer...Did I ruin them by not picking them this day? I have no idea!!!

Okay, I know, I know I have a lot of posts to make up for. All I can say is they are coming. I am hoping to be all caught up by the end of Sunday. Now that we are back to the beautiful 9:00 time I have time after church! :) I had a really busy December. Forst I took a job teaching at American Heritage Academy just a few days before I left on a trip to Houston to visit my sister and all her wonderful boys! I had so much fun playing with all of them! How can you not smile at Benjamin's cute face? It was the first time I have ever left my boys, but all these boys kept me from getting too homesick!

Aaron Benjamin

Grandpa and the boys Duncan and Tavio

The reason for this trip! A sealing and a double blessing.!

You can't get much better than that!!

These are both boys the day of their blessings. They were being so cute together. I had a hard time choosing which pictures to put on here. Little Aaron was my buddy most the weekend. I had the "magic touch" for putting him to sleep for the majority of the time. There was a breif Grandma moment, but we won't talk about that. :) He was my sweet boy sleeping in my arms. Almost made me ready for another, but not quite. :)

Sealing day!

Belated Thanksgiving

Food, Family and Fun!

I know this is late, but better late than never, right? This is Thanksgiving at my mom's. My sister, Karley, and her family were in town from Utah. The big picture above is her daughter Kiersten and Spencer. My stepdad had justed planted new grass and they weren't supposed to walk on it, so they walked around it! lol!

Christmas Tag

1. wrapping paper or gift bags? both, depends on the gift. I really like to wrap the kids present since half the fun is watching them unwrap.
2. real tree or artificial? artificial. Kinda of sad, but definately cheaper and cleaner. I do like the pre-lit part too.
3. when do you put up your tree? Normally the day after Thanksgiving. It used to be a lot later when we had a real tree because we didn't want it to die.
4. when do you take it down? Sometime between the day after and new year's.
5. do you like eggnog? Yuck! No!
6. favorite gift received as a child? a bike my brother and dad built. I still remember coming around the corner and finding it in the kitchen!
7. worst christmas gift ever received? Hmm, I plead the 5th.
8. hardest person to buy for? My in-laws. My husband never has any ideas.
9. easiest person to buy for? Spencer! He loves everything!
10. do you have a nativity scene? yes, I bought one at a yard sale recently so I would finally have one, but I would really like a different one.
11. mail or email christmas cards? mail.
12. favorite christmas movie? Rudolph. I know it is kind of dumb, but it always brings back memories of watching it as a kid.
13. when do you start christmas shopping? depends on the year. Sometimes as early as June, most the time, Septemberish I start to get a few. I like to have a long time to think of the perfect gift. I hate to feel pressured.
14. have you ever recycled a christmas present? no.
15. favorite thing to eat at christmas? my mom's pecan pie. Yum!
16. lights on the tree? yes, mine is pre-lit. Who doesn't have lights?!?
17. favorite christmas song? O Holy Night - especially when sung by a really good male singer.
18. travel or stay home? stay at home, sort of. Both parents are in town, so we go to their houses, but it's not really traveling.
19. can you name all of santa's reindeer? Of course, but I have to sing the song.
20. angel or star? I have a hand made angel my mom made, but it looks a little small on my tree. I think I want to get a star.
21. open presents christmas morning or eve? christmas morning, but I did make everyone matching pajama pants this year, so we might have to open one...
22. favorite ornament theme or color? Red, green, white, some silver.
23. favorite place for christmas dinner? my parents or my in-laws, they are both yummy.
24. most annoying thing about this time of year? long lines and traffic.
25. what do you want for christmas this year? I have no idea!

I tag my girls and my family!