Christmas

Despite our move and not being close to family for Christmas, we still had a good one. Though the month was mostly spent doing things that weren't celebrating the season there were a few times that I was able to stop all the unpacking, organizing, decorating, and crafting to make and decorate sugar cookies with the kids, make caramels, decorate gingerbread houses, see Christmas lights, or just read Christmas stories. We got our first big Christmas tree this year and were able to get it up and decorated a week after we moved (a small miracle).

Our neighborhood did a horse drawn carriage ride one night which was fun and helped us to get to know our awesome neighborhood a little better. It ended with Thatcher getting a huge bruise and cut on his eye, poor kid. It's always fun to leave a huge social gathering where you are the new people, with your child screaming uncontrollable.

 

 

  We also celebrated the season at our ward Christmas party where people were so welcoming to us, at Ty's work Christmas party which was really great to meet the people that Ty is now working with, and at a community event where the kids got to see reindeer and sit on Santa's lap. There was plenty of candy and treats and festivities to give us our fill even though it was a different kind of Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Eve we spent with the Sommers and had a nice time eating, doing a white elephant exchange, and acting out the nativity. As usual, Thatcher took his role as Joseph very seriously. And, as usual, James, wanted nothing to do with the structured activity.

Ty let the boys open their Christmas present from Nanny and Pop early and they were in heaven. They got the coolest blocks from them and were so excited.

Christmas day was ridiculous (as seems to be the trend). I did no shopping this year for the kids. We relied entirely on hand-me-downs from a friend, but my dad went a little overboard as usual. Thatcher got exactly what he wanted from Santa which was a telescope and James got a big Lightning McQueen. Christmas is so fun at this age and James and Thatcher did not disappoint. That afternoon the Zundel's came over for a Christmas dinner and hanging out.

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