Christmas!

Dan, Melinda, and Rebecca were with us for Christmas Eve and Christmas. We did Christmas Eve dinner at our house. We attempted a Nativity, it was semi-successful. My mom had brought down the costumes, but with only two actors who didn't have much stage experience and a wiggly baby, it probably wasn't too recognizable for what it should be. Still, we tried!

Luckily, Santa was able to get some early prep done so when he visited our house, it was a relatively easy night for him. I think the girls and Lars looked perfectly coordinated this year. I love top of the stairs Christmas photos! So much excitement and happiness.

Lars liked his blocks, but probably his favorite thing was having the ottoman moved out of the way so he could roll around on the rug in every direction. I think it's what finally got him really crawling.

My mom sent this photo of Cameron and Celeste at the top of their stairs Christmas morning. It cracks me up! But hey, if you're unmarried and home for Christmas then you've got to do it.

Both girls got new bikes. June got a Frozen bike with a sleigh on the bike that holds a doll - squee! Willa loved getting a bike that had a little purse attached to the front. That purse came in very handy just a few weeks ago when she did a little triathlon and kept her glasses zipped in there for after her swim! June got a hatchimal, which she was dying for. Willa got another big Lego set. Those were the major Santa gifts. 

They got a few other things and some great wrapped presents from family and friends who love them. We ended up getting them Kindle Fires because they were on sale soooo cheap. And I figured with my parents getting the St. George house, we would be making that two hour drive a lot in the near future. Letting them each have a tablet for that drive would be so much easier than trying to hook up the car DVDs every time. So, we gave in. And now they are obsessed with them and constantly want them. They get to play them a couple of times a week, but not too much. Normally, I make Willa earn tablet time by practicing. It's been very motivating and she's faced with a conundrum when she rushes through and wants to be done practicing, but then looks at the timer and realizes she'll only get ten minutes of tablet time if she finishes then.

A great Christmas, again! I love Christmas. A few days later, I went and bought all the Christmas decorations that were on sale. I can't wait to decorate for next year!

Family Pictures

My sister and I decided that for a Christmas present we would surprise my mom with family pictures. This proved easier said than done! When you take seven siblings and their families and try to coordinate work, school, and travel schedules - things get complicated! There were times when we wanted to wring everyone's necks (and I'm sure they felt the same way about us) but we did it! We pick a day and found a photographer in Cedar City, which would be a central location for all of us to drive to.

It was the best when we told my mom about it. We wanted to wait until everything was set before we spilled the beans. We called her on a conference call and said we were going to do family photos and she was like, "Well, it's hard to get everyone together, everyone has different schedules." And it was so great to say, "We checked with everyone! Here is the date." It worked out to do it December 23rd, miraculously. And I have to say, everyone really pulled it together and sacrificed their busy last Saturday before Christmas to make it happen.

It was a 2.5-3 hour drive up and then back. A bit long, but the girls were very good. Poor Lars was just recovering from a stomach bug and had loose stools the days leading up. He didn't complain too much, but I'm sure he'd have rather been home. We had to wake him up when it was time for photos. He was a little dazed through it all and not his usual smiley self. I chalked it up to getting woken up early, but when we finished and went back to the car, I realized he had actually had a wet and poopy diaper the whole time. I'm sure it wasn't comfortable at all in the cold for him. Oh well, we got some great photos and it was nice to see everyone right before Christmas.