December

 

As always, December comes and goes so quickly! When Chase and Hudson were just little and I had them home all day, every day, we filled so much more time with Christmas crafts, activities, stories, movies, and general holiday cheer. Nowadays, I found myself squeezing Christmas cheer into small windows of time that everyone (or just some of them) were home. I was constantly doing a little dance in my head of "slow down and enjoy the season" and "hurry and do all the FUN THINGS!" It was good for me to look back at the photos and remember all the things we DID get to do this year, and that the kids likely won't remember all the things we didn't get around to (like seeing Santa! Oops!)

We did our traditional Christmas kick-off party. I love this tradition so much. The kids are always so excited to decorate the tree and love pulling out each special ornament and remembering all the memories from them. We always play Christmas music while we do it and everything is just so full of Christmas spirit! Then they got to open their new Christmas jammies and we cuddled up and watched a Christmas movie together. I love this sweet tradition so much!

Our once a year balance-the-phone-on-the-bansiter photo. Maybe by next year we will get it together and get a tripod! 

I snuck away a few days before Christmas to Salt Lake with my parents while Heidi was in town. We had to wait for a table at dinner, so we went to see some of the lights! Temple Square is under construction still, so there aren't as many, but it was still fun to see.

I made like four of these cinnamon roll snowflakes during the month and they brought us an insane amount of happiness.

Chase and Hudson spent all month making this birthday present for Nana! She really wanted a puzzle board, so they worked a couple days a week building it down in Papa's shop. They told Nana they were making a "battery charging station". They did an incredible job! And they also created so many sweet memories together doing it. Chase and Papa are already planning their next project!

Aunt Heidi came a few days before Christmas and of course, all the nieces and nephews go nuts for her. She spoils them. She took all my kids one morning so I could get some things done. They got to go to the trampoline park and then out to lunch and all had a wonderful time!

I don't know what Lila was asking for here, but she is just so dang cute.

Hudson spent a whole morning working on "cable management". He hates a cluttered desk! He found command strips in my room and hooked up all the cords UNDER the desk so the top can be totally clear. He was so proud of himself! I was impressed too.

All month we did our daily acts of service. This really does bring the Christmas spirit to our home. Some of them were very simple. One that is always so meaningful to the kids is making treats and delivering them to the local Code Enforcement office, in honor of Halie's mom. This year, I was a little surprised that Davis and Lila wanted to hear her whole story (Davis was just 1 when she was murdered and doesn't remember it at all).  Hudson, Davis, Lila and I spent all morning making cookies, decorating a sweet little card, and then delivering them. 

This little tree is usually up in one of the boys rooms. I got it all decorated one day while they were at school. Lila spotted it and immediately needed it in her room, so it got relocated and it brought her so much joy. Don't worry though, she replaced it in Davis's room with a 3 inch tall tree she had. 

We babysat all the DeForest kids one night and Dean and Davis asked me to take their photo. When I showed it to them Dean confidently said, "We look GOOD!"

Lila started having playdates with Grace, who is in our ward. Grace is a sweetie and often wears this dress, which Lila also has. One day when Grace was coming over, Lila asked me to change her into that dress just in case Grace was also wearing it. She was! 

We wandered out on the foggiest night of the year to the Layton lights. I love these! They are kind of hokey- but seriously so fun and it takes like 20 minutes.  Perfect little activity. Lila loved that they had a mermaid. Nothing says Christmas spirit quite like a mermaid.

Lila was so sad one day when Rosie had to cancel her playdate due to illness. To cheer her up, I said we could have a real Princess tea party. We spent all morning baking little gingerbread men, setting up my fine china (or my wedding dishes, as Lila calls them), we both go dressed in fancy dresses, curled our hair and did make-up, then enjoyed our tea party. She loved it so much we had to repeat it the next day as well!

Davis performed in the cutest 1st grade program ever. Several parents came and told me after that they couldn't stop watching him, he was just so funny. He's so enthusiastic and goofy. My favorite song was "I want a Hippopotomus for Christmas" and "Light up the Tree" makes me cry. It's the cutest program and he's the cutest kid. (Also- I ran the decorating committee and our winter wonderland turned out adorable).

Lila played these games with lots of water and paper and markers. It's kind of a like bartending, as she makes mixed drinks, which she mostly feeds to her babies so I'm assuming their all non-alcoholic.

So much cousin fun! 

Lila, Lindsay and I all matched at church this day, but Lila refused to cooperate for a quick selfie. She actually does that a lot these days.

Davis got to take a little karate class at the school and for his graduation ceremony they got to break a board. He LOVED it!

For our act of service one day we went and bought food for the local teen center. Chase and Hudson so sweetly brought their debit cards and each selected and few items and paid for them themselves. Davis and Lila helped me pick out other items to donate. Davis also got to be extra helpful as these cute girls were supposed to do a human pyramid for a photo scavenger hunt they were doing. He was more than happy to oblige their request to go on top of their pyramid. 

Hudson got to be part of the economics fair! Leading up to the fair he had lots of grand ideas of cool things to make, and admittedly I wasn't on the ball enough to order supplies and make it happen. It was a really busy couple of weeks and I dropped the ball. A week before the fair he had to turn in his signed paper with his plan of what he wanted to do- we agreed on making playdough because I figured it was easy and still fun and we had all the supplies on hand. Well, after school that night he was in tears. Everyone at school was talking about the cool things they were making and he felt his was dumb and babyish and embarrassing. We talked through his tears and I assured him that it was okay, we'd come up with a better plan he could feel good about. A quick text to his teacher (who is a neighbor and friend) who assured us it was totally fine if he changed his plan. Saturday morning I pulled out the felt stash I have from Festival of Trees projects from so many years and realized we had enough to make 15 minions. He was delighted! We spent a few hours that morning cutting, sewing and gluing together. He loved using the sewing machine and wanted to do as much on his own as possible! The next morning we went back to Nana's to finish up and realized we had enough red to make little "presents". I loved seeing him light up and take ownership of the project! He stuffed them all with candy and I was so glad he had something he felt proud of to sell at the fair!

Lila and I helped sell Nachos at the fair and went around a shopped a little too. She loved shopping, not so much sitting and helping me sell the nachos. Hudson's stuff sold out pretty fast and I loved seeing him be so excited about all of it! Papa came to the fair and bought a few from him, as well as from the kids in his primary class. Davis got to go around with Papa when his class came and got extra things from that as well. This economics fair project is really a lot of work- but it was so rewarding for Hudson!

How can she look so beautiful while she's sleeping! I can't even believe she's real sometimes.

I got to go with my mom and Kate and the older girls to see Ballet West's Nutcracker again this year. I love this tradition we've started! I love the Nutcracker!

One Saturday my dad had all the boys, so Ben and I ran a few errands with Lila and stopped for lunch at Old Grist Mill. Lila loves being our little third wheel, and she's pretty enjoyable when she has us all to herself.

Hudson had a Christmas piano recital and he totally rocked it! Every time he sits down to perform on the piano I watch him take a big, calming breath before he starts. It melts my heart every time! 

This is SO Davis. He loves playing basketball and he hates long pants. There is literally snow on the ground and he's out shooting hoops with Ollie in shorts and a T-shirt.

This morning just cracked me up. I had rolls leftover from the night before and Davis grabbed one off the counter for breakfast and promptly sat down on the heating vent to eat it. If that's not a good time I'm not sure what is!