this really is the most wonderful time of the year! we're only a week into december and it has already been filled with the magic of Christmas. having kids definitely amps that up for me. just watching their eyes light up as they opened their Christmas jammies to wear all month could be IT for me. we don't need santa or any more lights, just that was amazing to them.
kendall could hardly contain herself. she loves herself a good soft pair of jammies.
they really thought it was the best thing ever. luckily, brooklyn is still in the stage where anything and everything is exciting. i'll be so sad when she grows out of it.
our elf, dandy, is back in town and boy have the girls loved that! he doesn't do anything amazingly crafty or fun, he just sits somewhere new every morning, or not. first thing in the morning, they grab hands and set off to find him. i love laying in bed waiting to hear the squeals of excitement when they've spotted him. he has brought a few cheap gifts, like this elf on the shelf bath set that has been a total winner. but that's all he does. he's here to keep the peace!
this past sunday, brooklyn gave her first time in primary. she's given the scripture before, but this was a first for a talk. we practiced and practiced and by sunday morning she had it memorized. my parents came down for it and she was thrilled about that. she was even more excited when two of my sisters, brother in law, and nephew showed up during sacrament meeting to support her. she literally had a crowd in the back of the primary room. she did such a good job too. i only helped her a few times when there was a pause. i was so proud of her!
afterwards, we fed everyone a nice hearty lunch of crockpot potatoes, sausage, cheese, and corn. rolls on the side, and sparkling pear drink to sip on. i've said this a million times, but i love having a table full of people i love!
last week at story time brooklyn got to make her very own elf, which she named snowflake. she isn't much into taking her time in the coloring department, but boy has she had some adventures with that elf. her imagination is wild!
and this little miss cheeser loves to do anything her big sister is doing. she thinks she's four too. i'm afraid she'll grow up too fast trying to keep up with brooklyn. we sure love having her around. her personality barely fits in that little body of hers. she keeps me on my toes and is always surprising us with what she comes up with.
the biggest event so far this month was our ward christmas party. james and i were both on the planning committee and it was a lot of work. luckily we got to work with great people and it turned out to be such a huge success! i mean it looked like a christmas wedding!
and this lovely spread of food was the highlight! our ward family got to choose between turkey or roast beef, mashed potatoes with turkey or brown gravy, tons of sides brought by ward members, lion house rolls (with honey butter AAAND raspberry butter), and a whole table of desserts (also brought by ward members). all thanks to our bishop who has an awesome hook-up in the food department.
we had volunteers bring nativities to display and we even had santa! he wore a suit that's been in james' family for years and handed out candy canes. it was fun for the kids! brooklyn's picture was blurry darn it, and this was the best one of kendall james got.
i wish james had gotten a better close up of the tables because they were beautiful. there was pine all down the center that made the whole gym smell like christmas, and we had salad on everyone's plate (225 plates!) that added to the decor with red and green leaves. it really was beautiful.
we also took the time one evening to watch the church's new christmas video. both girls sat and watched. afterward, because it was so short, james pulled up a few more and it was so nice to teach them the real meaning of this season. they've been playing with their little people nativity and kendall is obsessed with baby jesus. in fact, she took that little piece to bed with her tonight. i think it's so sweet.
we have a few other activities we want to do, but really don't want to plan too much. we really just like sitting as a family, by the christmas tree, reading christmas stories in the evening. way better than fighting crowds and being cold. so as long as we can get away with a relatively simple december, we'll stick to that.
No comments:
Post a Comment