The Days Before Christmas

I had better get a post in before Christmas comes. I know we'll have a lot to post from Christmas day and the week after. We have had a wonderful December. We have definitely been busy, but I was bound and determined to not be stressed by it all, and wow, this Christmas season has really been fun!

Being a piano player this is definitely one of the busiest times of year. I am so thankful for the Lehi Children's Choir! I am thankful that it is something I can be busy in but have my kids with me. This year was Emily's first year! All three girls LOVE the choir and did so well! We had a couple of fun concerts! I have a short video below from our main concert in the American Fork Tabernacle. Our first concert was on Temple Square in Salt Lake City on the balcony of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The pictures here never seem to show up very well, so instead we took pictures from the top floor of the building, overlooking the Salt Lake Temple. It is such a beautiful view....even on an overcast day. Grandma H. came for this day and then a week later we came back to Temple Square at night with our Heber cousins to look at the lights. I was playing the piano with a couple other choirs that night so we all went. I had a great time, but I wasn't the one having to take care of the kids the whole time. Matt is awesome and i think they had fun! :)







I realized I blogged about Kierra and Emily for their birthday, but I never put pictures up of their actual parties. Below are two pictures I'm very proud of. Last January I went out and learned from some book club friends how to shop the Christmas clearance deals. They were telling me how much they bought in January for birthdays and gifts for the rest of the year. I was nervous about spending too much so I just got a couple of things which have sat in my basement until Kierra and Emily's birthdays. It was so fun to not have to go to the store and just bring the gifts upstairs. Then it was even more fun to realize what a deal I really did get! I can't wait to go shopping again in January! This time I think I'll get so much more!



The girls had fun birthdays!




The cool gifts are never from Mom and Dad. Grandma H. gave Emily this cool nightlight globe and Grandma G. made her this beautiful sweater. Aunt Danette mailed every niece and nephew cookies this year. The girls LOVED the cookies, but as you can tell from the video below we all loved the bubble wrap too!






After birthdays we finally started getting ready for Christmas!! The girls have fun helping with the Christmas tree and they love doing Gingerbread houses. Grandma H. was here for the girls Salt Lake concert so she helped with the houses and also came with us to see the Thanksgiving Point Christmas lights.







Then of course there were Christmas sings and parties in the classrooms!




And finally we are all home! It was so fun to have the girls home yesterday! I don't think anyone was more excited than Emily!! They had fun playing with play dough (can you tell that that is the polar express?) singing, dancing and playing games. Kaylee was so excited to make her own presents for her sisters. She worked so hard on them. The girls have all gotten along so great and have had a blast together! I wish I had taken more pictures! But the video below (which was actually from Sunday) shows what our vacation has been like so far. Plus the sleeping pictures. Notice the thumbsucker. I am a HUGE binkie fan--mostly 'cause I can take it away before they are 18 months. I have tried hard to make this boy a binkie boy, but it's not working!!







So there is our December! It has been fun to see the girls get ready for Christmas. They had fun shopping for their cousins, shopping for their sisters and shopping for our ward's giving tree. They helped me make neighbor treats and had fun taking them around. They especially loved doing our ward's pixie activity! Instead of the 12 days of Christmas it was the 6 days of CHRISTmas. Each gift starting with the letters C-H-R-I-S-T. We had fun thinking of things to get and then secretly taking the gifts to our friends. Then the pixie activity ended at the church for our ward party! The ward party was a blast! It seemed like just about everyone was there. It was great to relax and be with so many wonderful friends! Now it is Christmas Eve. We are excited to be with our Heber cousins today and then be home (in new jammies) and read about our Savior in the scriptures and also take on our Bishop's challenge to read The Living Christ. I am excited to see my kids open presents tomorrow and have so much fun, but I am more excited that they have felt the Spirit of giving and have remembered Christ and the true meaning of Christmas!

I am pretty sure I won't be able to post again until next year...so...

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!