New Years Eve

 

 

 

 

New Years Eve has been so much fun the last several years with the girls.  Last year I blew up balloons and put activities inside with a time on the outside, the girls loved it!  We played our family game from Christmas, Settlers of Catan.  We played the Wii, new years eve is the only time we really do this one.   We finished the Book of Mormon which was our goal for 2016, we set new goals and will begin tomorrow reading Doctrine & Covenants.   We all made it to midnight!

Little Piggy

 

Tabitha lost little piggy on our way home from Hawaii.  We think she was left on the plane we flew from Maui to Seattle.  We didn't notice she was missing until we landed in Salt Lake.  It was a really sad day but she started to snuggle with big piggie.  Santa brought Tabitha a new little piggy for Christmas and I am so happy, she loves her!

Christmas Day

 

   

 

We had a fabulous Christmas Day!  We woke up to snow, which just seems so perfect!  We don't let the girls get up and out of bed until 7:30.  Brandon always gets the fire going, lights on and drags it out as long as he can just to bug them.  After opening presents and eating breakfast Brandon snowplowed the driveway.  We got ready for church, which I think Christmas should be on a Sunday every year!  Brandon and Tabitha sang in the ward choir and it was the perfect Sunday meeting.  We came back and all got back in our pajamas and played with toys and put together legos and watched movies.  Kathryn and Layni came up and the girls had fun playing in the snow.  We started a Harry Potter movie marathon watching the first movie.  

Christmas Eve

 

Mom drove home with us from Salt lake and we picked Emily up because it was supposed to storm.  We headed out to dinner at our traditional Texas Road House for Christmas Eve dinner.   We made it back home before the storm and got ready for the night.  Diana was so great and got us all matching jammies, including Winston!  We watched a Nativity movie from the church and read a book about the story of the Nephites and then put treats, milk and carrots out for Santa and his reindeer.  The girls get to sleep on our floor and it is fun to listen to them chat for a bit before going to bed.  

Temple Square

 We love our tradition of staying the night one night in Salt Lake during the Christmas season.  We got 2 hotels rooms at the city creek Marriott.  Mom rode the train down and met us.  We love eating at Hires Big H, another tradition.  We rode the trax train to the Little America hotel and had fun looking at the windows.  We enjoyed the candy windows at Macy's and then walking around temple square.  The pool and hot tub back at the hotel were crowded but fun, the girls started doing cannon balls and the other kids quickly followed.  It is always such a fun night!

Sleeping under the tree

 Brandon had a tradition growing up to sleep out under the Christmas tree in December.  We started it a few years ago with the girl.  We blow up a mattress and we all watch a movie together and then Brandon and I sleep in our bed, much for comfortable.  The girls love it!

Family Christmas

We got together tonight for our family Christmas party.  We had a yummy dinner and exchanged gifts.  We love reading and acting out the nativity.  My Mom has worked really hard the last few years to collect and make great costumes and props.  It is such a great experience to do this with my kids, I remember this growing up.  The lamb and the cane the girls are holding are props from my youth! The girls all still have their matching jammies from last year but Diana was so great to help find a bigger size for Everest.  The kids looked so cute!