Christmas 2012

This year's Christmas was full of firsts: 1. Our first Christmas in Utah, 2. Our first Christmas in our own home, and 3. Our first Christmas with just our little family.

The festivities started the last week in November when we took the kids to dinner at City Creek Mall and then walked across the street to see the lights at Temple Square. It was wise to go so early in the season, because it wasn't bitterly cold. The lights were incredible and the kids were downright giddy, skipping through all the displays. Walking back to our car, we spotted an amazing window display of a running train factory at Deseret Book. We had to go check it out. The kids got paper conductor hats and treated to salt water taffy.

On December 1, we had our Ward Party where I sang "Breath of Heaven" as part of the program. A visitor came to our party, and Kade sat and watched him while all the other kids sat on his lap. Finally, Kade took his turn too and asked him to bring him a choo choo train for Christmas.

Later that next week, I got to go to our Ward Temple night while Neil stayed home with the kids. I knew it would be my last chance to attend the temple for quite a while until after the baby is born, so Neil was very sweet to let me go. When I returned home, a beautiful Christmas tree was lit up in the family room. Neil took the kids to Home Depot while I was gone and bought a tree, stockings, and a matching tree skirt. He did a great job!

Randomly, Kade thought he might be interested in potty-training. As evidenced by the photo above, Kade's a little too busy to focus on that right now, so it only lasted a day.

Other highlights of our Christmas season were driving around the town looking at lights, buying Christmas gifts for people in a Salt Lake inner-city ward, delivering goodies to our neighbors, FHE lessons on Jesus' birth and symbols of Christmas, performing in our Ward Christmas program with the Choir (Neil and I sang a duet), watching Christmas movies, Holiday Lights at Thanksgiving Point, and studying stories of Jesus's ministry for our scripture study each morning.

On Christmas Eve, we spent the day cooking and baking. I made enough food for FIVE families our size on purpose, because I knew I would be getting induced to have our baby three days later. We had a humble supper of soup, homemade rolls and Martinelli's by candlelight. The kids and Neil role-played the Nativity story while I narrated. Then we let the kids open their Christmas Jammies and watch a movie before bed. We even left cookies and milk by the fireplace with our letters for Santa.

Christmas Day was so relaxing and fun. The kids were thrilled with all the fun things we and Santa brought them. We ate yummy french toast strata for breakfast while listening in on a conference call to Elder Kaleb Reichert. We played with the kids' new games and toys all day, and only took a break for a family sledding trip. We had the sledding hill all to ourselves and the kids were so brave as they zipped down in makeshift sleds (the saucer we bought in November broke in half, so we had to make due with plastic storage bins). I wanted so badly to join them, but thought better of it so I didn't send myself into an early labor. However, it was so entertaining watching them and Neil giggle and play together in the snow.

This was the most laid-back Christmas we have ever had, but we all agreed it was the best one yet!