The Lights at Temple Square

As stated before, we spent Christmas evening walking around the gorgeous lights at temple square with my parents and sisters.

 All these pictures are stolen from others.  Are you noticing this trend in my picture posts?  I am lazy lately.  Thanks for picking up my photographic slack family!

 Mom and Dad :)

 Emma and Dana

 Temple

 When we (mostly Sara) were too cold to walk around anymore, we retreated to a piece of lawn a few blocks from the temple and enjoyed some donuts, muffins, and hot cocoa prepared by my family.  It was yummy and kept us a bit warmer.

 It was an enjoyable end to our Christmas day.

Christmas- 2011

Christmas morning started out with stockings and a breakfast of hot cocoa and orange rolls and oranges.  It was yummy and fun.  The kids all loved what they got from Santa, especially when they saw they got their long desired Pillow Pets and new church clothes including new boots.  I don't think Santa actually meant the boots to be part of the church clothes, but whatever.

After eating and looting through the stockings, we all got dressed and headed to church where Ross had the fun task of wrangling all the kids the whole time alone.  Literally.  I was up on the stand the entire time leading the music, singing in the choir, playing my flute, and singing in a trio.  It was a great program and I was happy to be a part of it, but I felt bad leaving Ross with all the sugared up kiddos by himself.  He said they were actually pretty good and he even got to listen to a few of the songs I was a part of.

When we got home, we finally opened up all the presents that had been waiting under the tree so patiently.  I have to say that I was really impressed with the girls this year.  They were so patient about when to open their own presents, and got super excited about all the gifts others were opening.  Much more mature than last year and the year before.  I was proud of them.  Here are some pictures from Ross's phone that are totally out of order, but you get the idea.

I got Ross a new bedding set that is all soft and manly with no hint of floral pattern anywhere.

 I asked for sweaters.  I got 4 from 4 different people.  I love them.

 Ross got me a laminator.  I am so excited to use this baby!

 Grandma Jones got us Lion King.  We watched it later that day, and have seen it twice more since then.

 We got Emma a Dr. kit so she can pretend being a kitty doctor like she says she wants to be when she grows up.  Grandma Goodman got her a little kitty toy that meows and purrs, and that has been the perfect combination.  (*please note it took a lot of will power to not pun all over that perfect right there...*)

 Jack got tools.  He uses them, too.  All the time.

 He got lots of trucks this year from us, Santa, Caulene, and Grandma Goodman.  They are being put to good use. 

 The girls got duffle bags, and are hoping this means they get to go to a hotel or a sleepover some time soon.  We will have to arrange something as Mommy is ready for something of that nature as well!

 Caulene got me two huge boxes of chocolate cherries.  Actually, they were given to the little buddy in my tummy, but I am the only vehicle between here and there, so I get to enjoy them.

 Sara's new PJs and new boots. 

 Emma's new boots.

 The Santa loot.

 The presents under the tree, and my sad Jack-Attacked tree.  It was pretty when it started, I promise.

After opening presents, we cleaned up the damage and I got our Christmas ham in the oven.  We then enjoyed a movie and snackies while the ham cooked. 

After cleaning up dinner, we got as bundled up as we could and headed to Temple Square to see the lights there.

I loved this Christmas.  It was lovely.  I really enjoyed going to church, and I loved that for us, it fit right in between Santa presents and family presents.  It was a nice reminder in the middle of all that stuff of what this day is all about.

Color Coordination

 It's a big deal!

 If your sugar cookie frosting goatee doesn't match your shoes, onesie and fleecey jacket, then we really have no use for you here.

Just kidding.  Mostly.  Kind of. . . .

Christmas Eve 2011

 On Christmas Eve, Ross and I were able to drop the kids off for a bit and we went to a movie date.  It was really fun, and I was glad to get out with him for something so simple and relaxing.  When we got back to my mom's house, we watched movies, listened to music, ate some of the cookies the kids had decorated for Santa, called Melissa to wish her a happy birthday, and helped my mom prepare for dinner that night.  She prepared Cornish game hens and a turkey breast.  Emma ate an entire hen all on her own, and Sara got through more than half of hers.  They like that meal!

When dinner was consumed and cleaned up and Grandma and Grandpa Wallace were heading home, we read the Christmas story from the Bible.  Just as we were finishing up, the Jammy Elf came bringing new Jammies from Santa and a message to get our bums to bed if we wanted our presents.  We quickly bathed the children and got in our new jammies and headed home after snapping a couple of pictures.

The kids all fell asleep on the drive home, which is just what Santa had hoped for!

This picture is hard to see, but I wanted to remember it, since I think those lights are going to burn out this year or next.  This is my Grandpa Wallace's blue spruce tree in his front yard.  When it was small, he put Christmas lights on it, and for convenience sake, left the lights on for the next year.  Well, that was the year the tree decided to take off in growth, and it swallowed up those lights.  Now, for good fun, he still turns them on, and it looks like a big tree ate a little Christmas tree.  This has been going on for years, and it always makes me smile.