December Festivities~

I can't believe December has already come and is pretty much gone! It was a very full, festive, and fun month, and for once I think I almost feel like we did everything I hoped we would during the month! We had Christmas parties, saw lights at Temple Square and at Christmas village, met Santa (twice!), watched plenty of Christmas movies by the light of the Christmas tree, drank hot chocolate, played in the snow, built a snowman, ate lots of good food, did our Christmas Express ride where we drove around looking at Christmas lights in our jammies, sang lots of Christmas songs, read and talked about the Nativity, did a lot of Christmas baking, enjoyed chocolate calendars and Christmas countdown chains, and stayed up late way too many times. Here is a look at some of our December leading up to Christmas!

Can you believe this is the first time I have ever taken pictures of my kids with Santa!? I don't know how I have dropped the ball on that one up until this year, but I was determined not to let it happen again.



Bennett was not very "wanty" this year--he never is. He only asked Santa for a new watch since he lost the one he got last year. Later in the month,  he also decided he wanted a small air hockey game, which he asked for the second time we saw Santa.

Mylie was all business, and named every last thing on her very long list to Santa...right down to the "Reindeer Ears Headband."

The first time Coy saw Santa (pictured  here) he was very brave and sat on his lap for a picture as he was asked, but he had a very guarded look on his face. He didn't ask for or say anything, but he did accept the candycane. The second time we saw Santa, he was actually very excited and ready. He even told him something he wanted which I am sure only Santa himself could have understood.


Yea for Christmas Baking!!! I always have great intentions each year, but never seem to get around to it. Well, we made it a priority this year and actually made gingerbread cookies, wheat bread, white chocolate cranberry cookies, almond chocolate chunk cookies, and fudge this year! I think it helped that Russ had me get myself a stand mixer this year for an early present. The kids' favorite treat was by far the gingerbread cookies. They were DE-licious! Check out MelsKitchenCafe.com. She has a lot of great recipes on there, and that is where I got the gingerbread man one.





Oh, we were so lucky to once again get drawn for the Christmas Concert at the Conference Center this year! My parents and I each enter every year. Three years ago I got drawn, and once again this year my name was drawn! My parents have yet to have any success, but it's kind of understood that we will invite each other if one gets drawn since my Dad is the one who always reminds me to do it each year. The concert was AMAZING!!!! Hearing Alfie Boe sing Bring Him Home live was probably the best song I have ever heard sung in my entire life. I had to remind myself to breathe because I didn't want to miss a bit of it and it was literally breath-taking. Before the concert, we like a million other people, decided to eat at Kneaders. Yum! Luckily we snagged a corner seat in there so we didn't have to eat standing up.

It is always an exciting experience to see one of your children really experience the snow for the first time. Coy LOVED it. And after this early snow storm that melted too fast, he spent the rest of December looking out the window and telling me "Mommy, we need mow no." (translation: we need more snow). Luckily we finally got some more after Christmas so Russ was able to take the kids tubing while I was home with a sinus cold.

Russ told me this snowman is Iron Man...

And here are just some cute pics of my boys on a Saturday after their baths.



Bennett has been asking me to make him a quilt for quite a while now. He kept telling me "I really want a quilt." So, in any spare time I could find, I worked on his quilt for a Christmas gift. Finally, Russ took the kids Christmas shopping and wherever else he could to give me some time to get it finished. Bennett was really happy to get it on Christmas morning!