Countdown to a New Year

We usually just stay home and be together as a family on New Year's Eve. This year we copied Aunt Kami and did a "countdown" to midnight. I prepared a paper sack for each hour of the countdown. Each sack had an activity for us to do as a family (minus Spencer who went to the 5-Stake youth dance). At 7 pm the sack contained a bottle of canola oil, which kicked off our hour of fondue dinner yumminess. At 8, there was a copy of the movie "Iron Man 2" (we've been re-watching all the Marvel superheroes movies in anticipation of the Avengers movie this summer). At 9, we paused the movie because there was a bar of soap in our sack. All the kids had to take showers and get their PJ's on before we finished the movie. At 10:00 we started the white chocolate fondue. At 11, we got out the hats and streamers and noisemakers so we would be ready to count down at 12:00. 10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1..Happy New Year!!  The 12:00 bag had our fireworks in it so everyone ran outside to light them off.  So. Much. Fun! Thanks, Kami!

Just Dance

An afternoon of "Just Dance" is always worth a laugh. I just giggle watching the boys play, especially when Richy is over. The pictures will never do it justice. You just have to be there.

Christmas Morning

Christmas was pretty simple at our house this year. We tried to limit the gifts and focus on the three gifts of the Wise Men: something useful, something meaningful, and something joyous.

 

 

Isaac loved that he got the Lego Star Wars III for Wii and Build-a-Bear stuff for his "Anakin" bear.

 

 

Jacob was happy with his Troy Polamalu jersey and Diamondbacks baseball hat.

 

Noah had been waiting for a new hoodie and a SpyGear video/audio watch. He also got to pick out a nice CTR ring.

 

Spencer got a video game called Skyward Sword but I think his favorite was the visible laser (it's amazingly powerful and we had to learn some safety rules!).

 

 

It was a beautiful Sabbath Christmas. After church, we (actually, Spencer) drove to Emily and Jared's for a stunning turkey dinner with all the gourmet trimmings. So much fun to be with family on such a special day.

Christmas Village

A few weeks before Christmas, Wendi and I had a garage sale. One guy who stopped by was looking for Christmas village houses. We didn't have any for sale but got talking to him and he said he had a display in front of his house with over 500 pieces. Just before Christmas, I took my family to go check it out. It was amazing! The boys loved trying to look inside the houses and watching the ones that had movable parts, lights, and music. The guy was there, too. He was so cute and made sure all of us got a candy cane before we left.

 

A Christ-Centered Christmas

For our ward Relief Society's Christmas meeting, Jeremy and I were asked to portray Mary and Joseph. I laughed a little and said we were too old but that we'd be more than happy to do it. It ended up being a beautiful evening, with each member of the Nativity speaking on a quality that person showed.  Jeremy gave such a sweet message about Joseph and his service, while I spoke about Mary and how she pondered. We were blessed to have Jeremy's parents attend the evening with us. And check this out: peppermint cheesecake for dessert. Must. Have. Recipe.