Christmas continued....

We were excited to find out that our newest cousins were coming to Utah for Christmas this year.  As a family, we alternate whose family we spend Christmas with.  This year fell on my side, but we put great effort into getting up north in time to see Aunt Nonnie Uncle James Carmen and William. 

We don't get to play with babies these days so we love having C & W around. 

The cousins (and their parents) took off early the next morning.
We said our good byes and then geared up for some Northern Utah powder!

Our first "big hill" sledding of the season didn't disapoint!

Christmas Dinner

Kelly, Sarah and Julia put together Danish dinner for Christmas evening.

That was the best Christmas gift anyone could have given my mom! There was no way she could have gone to pick up Mark and made it home to make dinner. 

Claire and I had matching hair-do's, not even planned.

Stylish girls think alike...

The Nativity

My mom then presented her gift with a special message.

This is one of my favorite things on Christmas Eve (besides Danish dinner...and the Nativity sing-a-long).  My mom and dad think of a message they want to share with the family and then come up with a gift to match.  This tradition started when I was in high school and has carried on to the grandkids making it even more challenging (and expensive!).

The messages I remember are:

Choosing happiness - Tickle-me-Elmos (yes I still have mine!)

Hand made pillow/quilts...I think the message was something about comfort that year...I was away in Boston so I am not sure.

Hope amidst life's challenges - box of See's Chocolates (we also watched Forest Gump "Life is like a box of chocolates")

Gratitude - A tin cup, piece of cake, shiny penny...we read about Christmas from the Little House on the Prairie series and that is what Laura and Mary received for Christmas with such grateful hearts.

Each of us is unique and special - Star ornaments

Faith - Nativity ornaments (gorgeous Mary and Christ child ones for the girls, hand carved olive branch ones for the boys)

and this year.......

Building our lives on solid foundations (the wise man and the foolish man)- The kids got magic sand and a rock from the rock shop.

That sand is amazing...I can run my fingers through it for hours. The kids have, they play with it all the time! This sand was secretly on my wish list....one of my kids would have gotten it if I hadn't known my mom's idea.

Then the kids each got a candy sleigh with more generosity attached. Perfect gift...the little kids were excited about the candy, the older ones by what was attached.

My parents are wonderful, thoughtful, sacrificing people....we are all incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I feel like I won the parent lottery.

The adults exchanged gifts and then we had the cousin exchange. 

The gifts are fun, but I am just so grateful we have each other....I love our "tribe"....even the crazy ones (its only fair, since I am one of crazy ones).

Ebelskivers the next morning.....lovingly made by dad.

Christmas Morning!

Our Christmas miracle.

SNOW! 

Santa didn't disapoint us!

Miriam's wrapping gag...took him FOREVER to open his gift from her.
I love how thouthful these kids are about gifts to each other.

Our gift to the kiddos...they know we are going to Legoland this Spring.  As a family, we have all been saving for it for a year. We just gave them the gift of flying instead of driving.

The LEGO assemby line....

and even though we were taking off to visit family for Christmas Day dinner, we couldn't say no to this request.

We are learning to take advantage of the fluffy stuff when we can get it!
(so glad we did...most of the snow in our yard blew away in the wind storm a few days after Christmas!)

We had breakfast pizza and crepes for breakfast. It was wonderful, but I think I need to invest in an ebelskiver pan.  Save breakfast pizza for our New Year's Day breakfast and crepes for Valentines Day....gotta to get these tradtions ironed out (and keep them straight).

Christmas Eve

This Christmas Eve was different for our family.  We have always been either with my parents at their home (or cabin) or Darin's parent's home Christmas Eve through Christmas and usually beyond.  We say our Christmas tradition is alternating which family traditions we do!

 However, Mark and his friend Esme were flying in from Korea so this was the first time we had ever stayed in our own home on Christmas Eve!  Added to that, plans were kind of up in the air...if all went well and the plane came in on time we would go celebrate in Salt Lake (since Mark, Esme and my parents were staying at Little America),  if there was a big delay my parents would have dinner at our house with us while waiting for the flight,  if there was a slight delay Mark, Esme and my parents might have dinner with us....or if Mark and Esme were too tired we would just do our own thing.  It's not easy for me to go with the unplanned flow but I did a pretty knock out job of it this time, if I do say so myself. I was ready to make a nice dinner, and ready to run into the city.

While waiting to see what would be we entertained ourselves by delivering treats to neighbors, and gifts to friends.  We walked around the neighborhood because it was fairly warm and of course zero snow. In between deliveries, and receiving deliveries we put together a puzzle.

Miriam went on a Harry Potter binge over the holidays so she spent lots of time reading.

(on book four by now I believe, she just said "oh mom, I feel so bad for Neville"...and I said "just wait honey...just wait, the nerdy earnest ones always turn out great in the end!" )

The flight came in right on schedule!  So wonderful to have Mark with us for awhile, and to meet Esme who is sweet and lovely.  They were in good form so we decided to go with plan A.

 Darin and I took the kids around the Grand American alphabet window display while everyone else checked into their hotel rooms and freshened up.

We looked into where to eat dinner and decided the easiest thing would be to stay where we were so we got a reservation at the Grand Garden Cafe.  Soren took a Christmas Even nap in the lobby while Darin and I participated in one of our favorite pastimes...people watching. The other two played Mine Craft on the Nexus....we were all content and happy.  

The night just kept clipping along like clockwork, because just as the rest of our party was walking over, our reservation was ready...and oh by gosh by golly THE FOOD! I have never eaten at the Grand Buffet so I wasn't prepared for the treat that lay in store for us!

A chocolate bomb the kids enjoyed....

My dessert sampler: creme brulee, pecan pie, and bread pudding with chocolate nutcracker I just had to try. We did get real food too...amazing smoked salmon,  pasta bar, and prime rib with all the fixings...but the kids and I just adore a grand dessert buffet!

If I ever go again I want to get all dressed up fancy, it was fun to see all the Christmas Eve finery. It wouldn't have been great this time though because we had plans to traipse around the city, we jumped on TRAX to see the candy windows and temple square.

It was beautiful and nice to walk off that rich dinner.  By the time we caught TRAX back, the 16 hour flight exhaustion caught up with Mark and Esme so we parted ways in the lobby of Little America.

The kids watched Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas on the way home and we all sang the songs out loud together.

The kids opened Christmas Eve jammies to which Soren said "I was expecting something cooler with a picture of something I like".  I told him some gifts are for his enjoyment and some are for mine because I dearly love seeing my kiddos in snugly Christmas plaid flannel. We read the book "Great Joy" as requested by Miriam.  We have read a few Christmas books each night this month but she reserved this one because it's her all time favorite and the boys obliged.

I am typing this as a windstorm is raging outside, below freezing temps, and a possible power outage at any time....at least the kids are dressed in snugly Christmas plaid flannel jammies! Just one of those things that makes my heart sing.

The Sunday before Christmas

Because Mormons don't go to church on Christmas (unless the holiday falls on Christmas) the Sunday before feels like a holiday within itself.  There was the musical sacrament meeting (M and I sang) and then all the kids received special Christmas lessons and little treats from their teachers.  Because I serve in YW we put on a brunch in one of the other leaders beautifully decorated home.  We spent most of the time eating and talking but did fit in time to read Christmas Day in the Morning (one of my top 5 Christmas books ever!!) and give out a little milk bottle reminding the girls to give of themselves this Christmas.  I think one of the most meaningful things we can do during the holidays is turn off our phones and for one or two entire evenings give the gift of being present for each other.  The gift of willing happy participation...that is the best gift a kid can give, don't you think?

I do believe I took a nap that Sunday....that right there is a celebration for my soul!

Then we tackled those Rudolph themed gingerbread houses I have been storing for a year.

These next two pictures were just on my camera, taken sometime this month....

and because I know those chubby little feet won't be dangling beneath the chair forever I decided to include them.  Soren, with bed-head, wearing hand-me-down pj's Grandpa brought back from his trip to China.

Christmas Concerts

This has been our year of Christmas concerts!

There are always cute kid concerts this time of year, but this year we attended more professional music and dance concerts than I ever have before! I LOVED it.

It started when we won the lottery for the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert.

Now, you have to understand that I am not a fan of the massive conference center when it is full (Music and the Spoken Word is fantastic because only one section is open). I just feel trapped and uncomfortable there, and have no desire to go to general conference or big shows...but when I saw that the Sesame Street Muppets were coming I was absolutely in.  Sesame Street people are my people! I grew up watching the show nearly every morning all the way through high school.  Soren watches them even now, and we watch the first Sesame Street Christmas special every Christmas.  I love the whole idea and concept of Sesame Street.

The concert didn't disappoint! It was funny, and sweet, with so much action (I wasn't expecting all the dancing and gymnastics). Santino Fontana was fantastic, but he was at his best when interacting with the Muppets.  I adored every minute of it, fell in love with the Muppets all over again. 

Our other concerts without photos:

So You Think You Can Dance Tour 

*Miriam earned the money last summer and bought tickets in September...she has been waiting for months to see this! It didn't disappoint.  She and I had a wonderful time.

The Lower Lights

*tickets given to me by my friend Erin....amazing, so good I would pay my own $ to see them again.

The Messiah

*I performed with our stake and was blown away by the talent I am surrounded with; full string quartet, a trumpeter, clarinetist, soloists...it was an overwhelming experience.

Colonial Christmas

*Miriam's 5th grade Christmas concert, I cried of course, I love the song "Simple Gifts" and "Irish Blessing". I think I want to add "Simple Gifts" to our Christmas song tradition.

Our Ward Christmas Program

*I sing in our ward choir which is such a privilege.  I just go to glean knowledge and be exposed to beautiful classical music. I don't pretend that I am needed (always more than enough strong altos) but they make me feel wanted.  Miriam sang a verse solo for one of the choir songs "One Small Babe" and then sang in the children's choir. Again, full string quartet, and flutist.

I am a Christmas purest...no Christmas music till after Thanksgiving is allowed at our house (except for one occasion when Miriam was feeling wistful the Sunday before Thanksgiving).  However, since November 28th it's been Bing Crosby or Tom Petty Holiday Pandora stations and FM 100 24/7!

Back to Mumford & Sons and Band of Horses to get me through January.

Thanksgiving Weekend 2014

The one weekend...before Thanksgiving, when we got a bit of snow.

Come on Snow!! I am not jazzed about rain at Christmas.

Anyway....Thanksgiving 2014

It was just us plus Grandma and Grandpa this year...

so we got most of the rolls...and cinnomon rolls the next day.

It was a simple, sweet day.  We put together puzzles, watched movies, showed gratitude by feasting, and then ran to a local park to take a Christmas card photo.

We only got 6 photos before the camera battery died so luckily one worked out!

The next day the kiddos crafted with Grandpa.  They made fun glass pendants for themselves and to give to others.  I took the kids to a trampoline park to pass the time until Drewes cousins made it up.

and then it was 100% cousin time until we had to tear them apart!