Christmas

So, as I was looking through my Christmas pictures, I realized I don't have that many....but I do have a lot of  video, which is fun.  I usually save those for our family use other than put them on the blog.

Christmas Eve, we went to my parents house for my dad's Christmas Eve buffet.  Yummy.  The kids got to open up a few presents from Grandma and Buddy and Aunt Ashley.  

Then we went home to open new jammies and put out cookies for Santa.  Parker had to wrap my jammies real fast, so the kids and I did reindeer dust outside.  I am not quite sure what happened, if she was 'pushed' or just fell, but as I was grabbing my camera inside Keagan started screaming and bawling.  I run outside and her mouth is bleeding. She bit her lip when she fell and was quite traumatized.  It stopped bleeding pretty quickly, but swelled up HUGE.  We put a baggie of ice on it to diminish the swelling, but it was still so swollen.  I felt so bad.  She cried during our whole Christmas Eve routine.  And when I was putting her to bed she was so upset and kept saying in-between tears, "I don't want to go to bed with this big fing."  (the lip)  But, she was so tired, she fell asleep as I was stroking her hair.  Poor girl.

Reading "The Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve in our new jammies.

 Christmas morning....see Keagan's lip--still swollen

 This was all she asked Santa for--butterfly dress-up wings.  She was SO excited.

 All Parker asked Santa for was a Forever Lazy.  I didn't know if he was kidding when he asked for it, but Santa got it, just in case.  :)

 He looks happy.

 showing off the bathroom flap....

Easton asked Santa for a light saber that lights up--he got the red one he is holding.  He was so excited.

Merry Christmas!

Easton's Christmas program

Right before school let out for Christmas break, the Kindergarten classes had a Christmas program.  It was so cute and Easton was so excited.  He would sing snippets of his songs while walking home from school, so I knew a few of the ones they were singing.  I went like 15 minutes early to get a good seat, but the auditorium was already packed, so my seat wasn't too good.  

Easton got to wear the reindeer antlers.

 After the program, getting hugs from Mom and Dad.

gingerbread houses...complete with captions

"Love you, Mom."

 "Love you, times two, Mom."

 "What?  I can't have any more candy??"

 "I am cute, so I think I will take more in hopes you won't get mad...."

 "Mmmm, frosting."

 "Why can't I hold the frosting?"

 "Whoa!  Look what Dad is doing for the windows!"

 "MMM.  Looks good."

 "Wait!  Mom, take a picture of me!"

 "Our house is AWESOME!"

 "I totally want to eat it!"

 "It was good!"

the end.

the lighting of the tree....

We put up our Christmas stuff the day after Thanksgiving, as per our tradition.  It was Keagan's turn to do the star.  She was so excited.

 I love doing our Christmas stuff, and every year am glad I don't have a ton.  Granted, our house couldn't fit a ton of stuff.  :)

Also every year I wonder if our little tree will last one more year.  It is getting pretty scraggly, and every year I think it might be the last year.  We will see next year....

a few of my favorite....

Here are a few of my favorite Christmas pictures....

We went up to Logan and had a family dinner with my extended family (100+ people). My mom planned a little nativity for her grandkids and any of my cousin's kids that wanted to help. Keagan was Mary and Easton was Joseph.

"Mary" is mad that one of the little kids had her baby doll, aka, Baby Jesus. Still upset.

Don't know what "Joseph" is doing, but it makes me smile.

jammie time

Christmas Eve with their new Christmas jammies.

Merry Christmas!

Photo by Aynn Thurman

gingerbread house, year two

So, apparently I have been spoiled all growing up with making gingerbread houses--real gingerbread houses. My aunt, JoDee, would make the gingerbread and we would gather at Grandma and Grandpa's house, or later the aunt's houses and make gingerbread house with the real gingerbread and real icing. Last year was the first year our little family did graham cracker houses--which is what most people do. :)

We did it again a couple of weeks ago. The kids loved it and were so excited to decorate the house.

I thought last years was ghetto--this years was much more ghetto. I think Parker lost his architectural artistic ability--or he was too tired to care.

I heart you too, Easton.
"Keagan--look at me and make a pretty face."
So, she did and sang as she did. (probably the Ariel song)

Watch out--if you don't pay attention, Keagan will try to sneak the frosting off the spatula.

crazy eyes

The finished product. It was so hard to get the kids to look at me and stand still, so this is the best picture I got.

O Christmas Tree....

We decorated our tree the day after Thanksgiving and this, oddly enough, is the first year we have had a proper star for the top. Easton got the honor of putting it on, with Daddy's help. The kids loved helping put the ornaments on and I noticed that the "ring of ornaments" (where the kids can reach to put them on the tree) is a little higher this year. On a non-Christmas note: today I cleaned out the toy boxes while Easton was at school. I dropped Keagan off at my mom's in hopes of avoiding the tears that come along with DIing old toys and trashing broken ones.

I picked Easton up and had a load of stuff in the trunk to drop off at the DI. I got out and got the stuff to the DI shelves and one of the helpers took a toy and put it on the shelf near Easton's window--not on the shelf behind the car like the other helper was doing. I got back in the car and Easton's chin is quivering and he says, "Mom, why did that man take my toy?" ("Crap." I think) "Um, it was broken..." (which it wasn't) "But, Mom, that was my favorite toy." (He hasn't played with it in months...) Joy.

gingerbread--the ghetto kind

We did gingerbread houses a couple of weeks ago for family night. Parker got all the stuff and when he pulled it out of the grocery bag, I admit I was skeptical. He got graham crackers and tub frosting. I knew the graham crackers would work, but I thought the tub frosting would be too soft. I was wrong and the house turned out great. The kids had so much fun, helping Daddy make the house and helping Mommy eat the candy.

When I asked Parker why he got more graham cracker (we have some in our cupboard) he told me the cinnamon kind that he got looked glittery. Good call, Parker.

The chocolate chimney has since melted from the sun coming in our dining room window and one side of the fence has been eaten by a certain two year old, who will remain nameless, who likes to climb up on the table when Mommy isn't looking and eat the "pretty canny (candy) house."

temple lights

Parker's sister, Carrie, and her husband, Jeff, came into town the weekend after Thanksgiving. We got to join them up at the lights at Temple Square. So beautiful. Parker and I have tried to see the lights every winter since we met, but it just never happens, so this was his first time seeing the lights.

all bundled up
our little family

Lawton, Carrie, Parker

Jeff's mom, sister, and sister-in-law came with us and his sister, Kim, took this one of all of us.

It was cold, but so beautiful.

Easton and George

Easton loves George and this is him opening his new George toy. He was so funny.

Christmas Eve and Morning = Craziness

Christmas Eve

at my folks house for the 2nd Annual Swedish Smorgasbord.

My aunt and uncle and their kids came this year, which was really nice, because half my family was gone to their in-laws.

My cute cousins, Taylor, me, Paige

Christmas Morning
Santa's elf, Jules, made this tutu for Keagan.
This was the first attempt to put it on her--doesn't she look excited?
She decided she liked it a little later.

Easton's new favorite friend, George. He loves George and Santa's elf found this on EBay and a couple of George books.

My two rock stars.

Oma and Opa sent this cute "ba-tar" to Easton. He loves it and loves it when Daddy gets out his so they can play together.