After Church

After Christmas we drove to Boise and enjoyed shopping and eating and visiting and shopping and family pictures and visiting and partying and more.  I wish I had tons of pictures to share, but I fail at taking pictures away from home, so here are a few from our Sunday. 

Getting ready for napping after Church. 

Christmas Morning

We spent our Christmas with the Stanger's and had a sleepover at their home as we enjoyed games and treats and family.
Our Christmas Eve consisted of a jump into the bannister and a fat lip for Connor. He is outrageously tough and even though we feared a visit to the ER the bleeding stopped and he perked up with an hour.
So as you can assume our Christmas Morning was accompanied by Connor's swollen lip, it must have been sore for our little guy but he was too excited to show any sort of pain.
First Bella woke us up with giggles and acrobatics as she sprawled across our bed. Connor wasn't too fond of the Bella alarm.

Soon after we went downstairs for stockings and presents and enjoyed some pancakes for breakfast!

Connor brought some scissors (tongs) out to help with the opening.

Who knew that his favorite present would have been Aunt Ellie's rolling pin.

Bella enjoyed all the excitement and danced around the middle of the room spinning in circles and laughing. Cutest thing ever! But exhausting.

We decided to see if Bella wanted to surprise Daddy and be his last present.

But it was a little too scary.

After all the opening we played with our new toys. Connor enjoyed his new play-doh set the most, from Santa.

Bella was craving those Oreos from Daddy.

We spent the rest of the day lounging and enjoying our new gifts, before our big prime rib dinner.
Thank you so much Stanger family for making our Christmas such a joy!

Advent

Growing up one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season was taking turns on our advent calendar. I have missed that tree over the years and not being a part of that tradition anymore. Last year though my Mom surprised me with my own advent calendar. It is similar to the Christmas Tree Advent calendar that hangs back home. I was so excited this year to end each night with a new decoration for our tree as we counted down the days till Christmas. 

Connor loved looking and playing with the tree's decorations and most of all adorning the tree with them!

Today

What is Christmas all about? 

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. 

- Charles Dickens

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. 

- Dr. Seuss

Charlie Brown Christmas, The Meaning of Christmas

Christmas Devotional Excerpt:

“It is easy to get caught up in the pressure of the season and perhaps lose the very spirit in our lives that we’re trying to gain.”

“Overdoing it is especially common this time of year for many of us,” the Church president observed. “The causes for this might include too many Christmas activities to attend, too much to eat, too many expectations and too much tension. Often our efforts at Christmas time result in our feeling stressed out, wrung out and worn out during a time we should feel the simple joys of commemorating the birth of our Savior.”

The real joy of Christmas is found from making the Savior Jesus Christ the focus of the season, President Monson affirmed. “We can keep Him in our thoughts and in our lives as we go about the work He would have us perform here on earth.”

President Monson urged, “There is no better time than now, this very Christmas season, for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus Christ. It is the time to love the Lord, our God, with all our heart – and our neighbors as ourselves. It is well to remember that he who gives money gives much; he who gives time gives more; but he who gives of himself gives all.”

Christmas “isn’t just tinsel and ribbon, unless we have made it so in our lives,” President Monson remarked. “Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. It is happiness because we see joy in people. It is forgetting self and finding time for others. It is discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values. It is peace because we have found peace in the Savior’s teachings. It is the time we realize most deeply that the more love is expended, the more there is of it for others.”

President Monson concluded with this wish: “May we, as did the Wise Men, seek a bright, particular star to guide us to our Christmas opportunity in service to our fellow man. May we all make the journey to Bethlehem in spirit, taking with us a tender, caring heart as our gift to the Savior, and may one and all have a joy-filled Christmas.”

Good Tidings of Great Joy: The Birth of Jesus Christ

Cracker Creations

While shopping one night we spotted some amazing gingerbread houses, and Shea was inspired and brought home all sorts of fun so we could make our very own. After Shea's semester of school was finished and his long week of work done, we started in on our Gingerbread (Graham Cracker) Houses.


We started Thursday night on our construction.

Connor couldn't get enough of the cracker building!

Bella watched :)

 Connor loved the construction process. His was a wacky tower but boy he loved it (if you cant tell)!

Then Saturday morning after breakfast we laid out the candies and the frosting and began our decorating.

We had lots of fun and were so excited with our creations! We tried to make Connor's fallen tower into a train, he was so distracted with the treats it was hard for him to decorate but he sure loves looking at them on the counter, and pointing to his "I MADE THAT?" which I respond with "Yes Connor you made it. It is so cool. It is my favorite one!" and proud Connor always says "I know!" with a big full face smirk!

Our Sunday Night

My dear.

Dear Baby Girl,

You are a darling growing little girl. I love to squeeze you tight and plant soft kisses on your chubby cheeks. I love your blondie hair and the way it curls in the back. I love playing with it as you sleep. Running my hands threw your silky locks is by far one of my favorite things. I love how you stare me down, how your happy most in our very own home, how you long for snuggles, and I love your quiet little nature as you observe.
I must say though you know what you want and are pretty clear when you don't get it. Usually it is only when you are in a new place with new people, your shy nature makes leaving home a nerve racking experience. But as long as your close to Mommy or Daddy you tend to stay calm. You are a marvelous shopper, and whether it is a cart, stroller or Daddy's shoulders you always let Mommy finish her chores before we load up and begin home. I thank you for that. 
You make me a better Mommy. I love how you enjoy my whispered songs as you linger on the verge of dreamland. I love how you look to my arms for comfort and strength. I love the confidence you give me, and the peace I have knowing you are happy and safe.
Some days I look down at you all cuddled in a blanket and feel so much love I could burst. You are perfect, and all the kisses and hugs in the world couldn't show you how much I care. I thank Heavenly Father so much for sending you to our family. I know you will not be this easy forever, so for now I will relish these tender moments that I get to spend with you cradled in my arms. 

Love,

Mommy

Just like Dad

This boy is irresistibly cute. 

Today marks 2 1/2 years for Connor. We have sure loved every bit of it.

We cannot get enough of him. And he cannot get enough of his Daddy.

Dec 1st

Today we sung . . .

It's raining; it's pouring. The old man is snoring. He went to bed and bumped his head, And he couldn't get up in the morning. 

Our rain came with a little heavy thunder and a whole lot of hail. Both Bella and Connor enjoyed our start to December.