Christmas Festivities

We took the kids to see Ferdinand and find ourselves quoting it over the break. "I've fallen and I can't giddy-up!" is one of the favorites as well as trying to imitate the horses' accents and dance moves.

Another night, we loaded up the kids and drove to Maverick where we loaded up on hot chocolate and donuts before we drove around checking out Christmas lights. It even started snowing towards the end as we were driving back home. It was just enough snow to make it feel very Christmasy.

This is what happens when your flash goes off in a dark theater. :)

The Birthday Boy

We celebrated Bryan's birthday by making him breakfast in bed. The kids love joining him--I love washing the sheets after. He was able to catch a movie with a friend and then we went out the night before to a cute, Italian restaurant in Castle Rock. I surprised him with tickets to the Air Force vs. Utah State basketball game. I don't think I took one picture on his actual day!

I love this guy more and more. He makes me laugh when I'm at my breaking point and just nods his head when I'm overreacting (rarely happens). He is wonderful father to these three kiddos. I am always 2nd place to Bryan with Myles, it is never even a question. He even calls out for "Daddy!" in the middle of the night...there are perks to being 2nd place.

Happy Birthday to our favorite person!

Myles Round #2

Myles managed to fall into the 25% of kids that need a second set of tubes in their ears. What can I say? He's an overachiever.  With the second set of tubes, they also removed his adenoids. We appreciated them scheduling us first thing in the morning so Myles didn't have too much time to realize he wasn't able to eat or drink. Myles did really well with all of the pre-op checks and the surgeon reported everything went great with the surgery. To help balance out how well everything was going, he woke up like a crazy/angry drunk from anesthesia. Wowzer, I was glad I had seen this before working as a nurse or I seriously would have been in tears with how out of sorts he was. I was wishing I would have worn a sweat band trying to juggle this almost 3-year-old in my lap. The cute nurse was trying to be helpful and brought us warm blankets several different times. I finally mentioned that we were plenty warm and could use an ice bath instead... or more sedatives :). After 15-20 minutes, he was a little more himself and I was able to convince him to take a sip of water so we could leave.

We made it home, where a stomach bug was making it's way through the family. Luke had an unsettled stomach and ended up missing his last day of school before the break. He was bummed to miss the party. By the afternoon, Bryan was also hit by it. On the calendar, this is the shortest day of the year. In my life, it felt like one of the longest! :)

We recovered to enjoy a healthy Christmas and most of the week after, before croup struck. 'Tis the Season!

Graham Cracker Houses

The tradition of graham cracker houses lives on. I managed to make enough frosting for our entire neighborhood and then made another batch on top of that when I thought the frosting tasted strange. We weren't inviting anyone over, I was just out of control. Bryan laughed when he saw the frosting and then combine that with the amount of candy. He asked if I left any candy at the store...haha, he did have a point!

Our classy, Christmas crew. :)

Gingerbread Play Dough and Ornaments

We made gingerbread play dough that smelled so good! The kids (and I) played with it for a little while so it felt like the effort to make it was worth it. :)

We also made Santa Claus Ornaments from the kids' handprints to give to Bryan for Christmas. It was tricky to keep it a secret, but Bryan was a good sport to go along with it. Bryan still uses Luke's craft from preschool to hold his wedding ring, so I think the handprint ornaments went over well for my sentimental husband. The kids' attention spans varies with each craft, but they're usually involved long enough that it makes it fun.

B & L

Bryan and I snuck away for a long weekend with just the two of us. It was heavenly. We learned the beauty of an all-inclusive resort and how we could actually eat a lot of food when we were not even the least bit hungry. The weather did not fully cooperate, but Bryan still managed to get a little sunburned and we completed 3, almost 4 books between the two of us. Hello relaxation.

It helped knowing our kids were in great hands. We swapped babysitting with McNeils awhile ago and cashed in on our end of the deal. The McNeils braved the Ward Christmas Party and attending Church with double the amount of kids they're use to. I don't think our kiddos missed us too much while we were gone. :) We were happy to see those cute faces and pick them up after our trip...almost as happy as our friends, Kelly and Devin. :)

The Reverent Row

Advent Calendar

This is pretty much the exact opposite of the idea of filling the manger with straw, but I have to admit, this is fun in it's own commercialized, what's-in-it-for-me sort of way. :) I don't know who had the idea to change the advent calendar into a LEGO, Paw-Patrol, American Girl, Playdough, etc creation, but they are a very rich person now. My kids love these things. Like I said, very fun in their own way.

Christmas Craft

I saw this idea on Pinterest and it seemed simple enough...and it actually was! The kids enjoyed painting their clothespin snowflakes, especially when it was accompanied by a bowl of popcorn from the "new" popcorn popper. I realized I failed to take a pic of the finished project. Oops!