Our Happenings: The most wonderful time of year!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

The most wonderful time of year!

Audrey and Alex love to "help" decorate the tree. They get so excited!

I love Costco's poinsettias. This one is about three feet tall.

Tree number 1. My mom collects Hallmark ornaments and gives us each one every year. This tree has all of those on it.

Tree number 2. This is a little more fancy. I guess I should paint that wall red during the holidays!

I love the Christmas season. Lots of family, traditions, friends and food! What more could we ask for? Here are several things I love about the Holidays (Sorry, it is so long. Once I got going, I couldn't stop!):

-I love when December comes and we can give Christmas our full attention.
-I love the spirit and feeling it brings.
-I love snowy December days with the smell of Christmas tree running through my house.
-I love that my house can still smell like Christmas tree even though I have two fake trees. (Thanks Scentsy!)
-I love the cozy, Christmas feeling that comes when all the decorations are up.
-I love the classic holiday movies that my kids watch over and over. (Frosty, Rudolph, The Grinch, Santa Clause is Coming to Town...etc)
-I love shopping for gifts and looking everywhere to find the best deals.
-I love all the free shipping deals you can find online.
-I love shopping on amazon.com and not paying sales tax!
-I love the feeling you get when you give someone you love the "perfect" gift.
-I love Christmas parties, being with the ones we love, and eating lots of the food we love.
-I love listening to my kids talk about Santa and watching the excitement it brings to their faces.
-I love reminding them that Christmas is really about our Savior and reading the Christmas story to them.
-I love how Alex sees something he wants and says, "Santa bring that for me," and his eyes get really big.
-I love to see how magical Christmas is to little kids.
-I love listening to my kids sing along with the Transiberian Orchestra Christmas songs while we're in the car!
-I love making snowmen and snowgirls after the first snow storm. However, I don't love spending twenty minutes putting the kids snow clothes on so they can go out and play in the snow for five minutes (does anyone else feel this way?)
-I love how everyone seems a little friendlier around Christmas time.
-I love to watch Audrey dance at The Festival of Trees and look at all the Beautiful Christmas trees after.
-I love to attempt to make candy like my Grandma use to, even though last year it didn't turn out well. I think I stirred the candy for about 45 minutes straight and then ended up wasting about 20 dollars worth of ingredients.
-I love watching the kids faces on Christmas morning when they see what Santa has left them.
-I love watching Jeff's face on Christmas morning when he sees what Santa has left him. He is seriously worse than the kids and gets up earlier than they do. It's very funny!
-I love how Jeff always tries to get me to tell him what Santa is bringing him weeks before Christmas comes. The funny thing is that he really does want to know.
-I love putting up the tree and watching the kids "help" decorate.
-I love poinsettias from Costco.
-I love getting Christmas cards from friends you haven't see in a long time.
-I love singing the Christmas Hymns in Church.
-I love going to see the lights on Temple Square, and getting hot chocolate after.
-I love it when Jeff has finished putting up the lights on the house so I don't have to worry about him falling off the roof! Next year, we have promised to hire someone!
-I love the time Jeff gets to take off work to spend with us during the holidays.
-I love family Christmas pictures (well, when they're over anyway!)
-I love carriage rides around Salt Lake with my family.
-I love going to the Spoken Word the Sunday before Christmas and having brunch after.
-I love going to Jeff's parent's house for prime rib and shrimp on Christmas Eve.
-I love to take Christmas goodies to the neighbors.
-I love to wrap presents. I think I got this from my mom.
-I love the whole spirit of Christmas and the feeling it brings to our lives!
-I hope everyone can remember the true meaning of the season in all the hustle and bustle part of it! Happy Holidays!

What are your favorite things about the season?

5 comments:

The Bawdens said...: I love this time of year.It really is wonderful!!; December 3, 2008 at 10:29 PM
Tif said...: Beautiful post. I love this time of year too. So many wonderful traditions and experiences centered around the Savior all wrapped into one month!; December 4, 2008 at 11:59 AM
Janet said...: You have almost converted me!; December 4, 2008 at 4:15 PM
heidi said...: Going to the cabin is my favorite part if christmas!; December 5, 2008 at 9:41 AM
Lindsey said...: Cute trees! I also love this time of year! I love how you've added Christmas music to your blog! Good idea!; December 6, 2008 at 10:33 PM

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Audrey Funnies

Lately Audrey has been curious about the Freeway. Every time we are getting on the Freeway she asks, "Mommy, is this the Freeway?" The other day we were on our way to my mom's house. We exited the Freeway and got on the Highway. Audrey asked, "Mommy, are we still on the Freeway?" I said, "No, now we are on the Highway." As we exited, the ramp went up a small hill. When we came down off the hill Audrey asked, "Mommy, is this the Low-way?" I chuckled to myself. Kids say the darndest things!

I was getting Audrey ready for bed the other night. She looked at me and said, "Mommy, my back has a headache." I laughed.

The other day Audrey and Alex were playing with an air pump they had found in my Grandpa's shed. I walked into the room and said, "What are you guys doing?" Audrey said, "We're just blowin' ourselves up!"

Lately Alex has been obsessed with Toy Story & Toy Story 2. When we went to Disneyland we bought him a Buzz Lightyear toy. When Jeff and I came home from our cruise I noticed that Buzz had "Alex" written on the bottom of his foot. If you've ever seen the movie you'll know that the little boy, Andy, writes his name on the foot of all his favorite toys. Audrey had helped Alex write his name on Buzz. I thought it was so cute!

Alex Funnies

The other night Jeff was changing Alex's diaper. He said to him, "When are we going to get you potty trained, Bud?" Alex looked at him and said, "Potty twain....Choo Choo!" It is so funny how their little minds see the most simple things completely different than we do. I had never even grouped the phrase "potty train" with the phrase "freight train" before...go figure!

I had just started to sing "Rock-a-bye baby" to Alex the other night when he looked up at me and said, "I not a baby". It made me laugh. From then on he made me sing, "Rock-a-bye big boy"!

Last week we went to church with my mom because the boys were at the U.S. Open. As we walked into Sacrament Meeting, a man on a motorized wheelchair rode by. Alex pointed to it and yelled, "Tractor". Alex LOVES tractor rides with Grandpa Dean. He gets so excited when he sees a tractor or anything that slightly resembles one. We all got quite a kick out of it!

Last week the kids and I went in to get our annual flu shot. Audrey decided she wanted to go first and get it over with. Alex watched the whole process take place. Audrey cried a little bit. When it was Alex's turn, I stood him up on the table to pull his pants down. He looked at the nurse and said, "Don't hurt me!" Needless to say he was pretty heartbroken when she hurt him anyway!

5/22/09-Everything with Alex is a battle these days. It was time to brush his teeth the other day and he threw a fit as usual. I told him that if we didn't brush his teeth they would all fall out! He looked at me and through tears said, "Then the Tooth Fairy will come and bring me money!". I guess I lost that one!

4/1/10-The other day I told Alex, "I love you to pieces". He lauged and said, "No, you love me together".

4/1/10-On Tuesday we found out we are going to have a baby girl. Audrey was so excited, but when I told Alex, he cried. He told me he wanted a brother and not another sister. I felt bad and told him I didn't get to choose and that Heavenly Father got to decide. That night Jeff was putting him to bed and he said,"Boys are the best. Except mom. She's the best too." I thought it was cute. Hopefully he will be able to love another sister :)