We rang in the new year at Allison's house at about 6:00 p.m. Really there is no reason for us to stay up until midnight and everyone is happier the next day if we do it this way. Alli and Dave were so nice to have us all over and we celebrated with delicious food, sparkling cider, noise makers, tons of silly string, a count down, and a balloon popping extravaganza. I love the balloon tradition my mom started when we were younger.
My boys were so excited that they did this little Happy New Year's dance while waiting for me to get ready to go to Allison's. Then you get our countdown at the end of the video. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Christmas morning was fun. Brian is finally old enough to be super excited about what Santa brought and when Timmy realized what was going on he was excited as well. The morning was full of presents and candy and a good breakfast.
Timmy got a toy doctor set from Santa.
I call him Dr. Timmy now. Every day he gives a check-up to his favorite stuffed animals. Below he is checking on Mama Giraffe.
Brian asked Santa for a rock collection this year, so that is what Santa brought him. He now insists that he is a real rock scientist and is surprisingly interested in the details of geology. I thought I knew some things about it until I told him all I know in about five minutes. We have been reading books about rocks and learning all about rocks since. Every few nights before bed he wants to go through his rocks with me and talk about each one, its properties and how it was formed. I enjoy learning with him.
Christmas afternoon we went to Mark's parent's to talk to his brother Luke who is on a mission, and to have a delicious dinner consisting of Peking Duck, and other not so traditional American food. Mark's parents really made Christmas dinner special for us this year!
I was so excited for Christmas Eve this year because Mom and Dad are home from their mission and we could do Christmas Eve at the Ranch! Christmas Eve anytime is my favorite evening of the year, and having it at the Ranch makes it all the more sweet. We got to enjoy delicious Mexican food for dinner! Mark cooked up his famous Mexican steak and chicken for the occasion. I find it funny that one of his signature dishes for family parties happens to be Mexican. I love how culturally diverse his tastes are.
After dinner we dressed up and headed down to the barn for the Nativity reenactment. Brian got to be Joseph this year and Timmy was a shepherd again.
Back up at the house we finished the reenactment with King Herod and the Three Wise Men. Uncle Richard was also back from a mission in Canada so we were graced with his rendition of King Herod again! It's never the same without Uncle Richard.
Since my parent's mission in Mexico we have added the tradition of a pinata on Christmas Eve. This was Brian and Timmy's favorite part.
It was a glorious night and even more fun with the kid's excitement for the next morning!
This was one of my favorite moments from this Christmas season. At the end of his first year in Primary, Brian got his chance to give a talk. He was so excited, and he practiced as hard as he could. The theme for the month was about Jesus Christ, so he just told the Primary what he knew about the life of Christ using pictures. Watching him give that talk all by himself in front of the whole Primary was a serious proud mommy moment for me. Everyone was riveted on his little figure and listened intently to his darling little voice that gets higher when he says his prayers or gives a talk. It really was a special moment. At the end it was silent in the room, and every teacher there had tears in their eyes. This little special soul of ours really brought the spirit into that room as he shared his testimony and love for Jesus Christ with his friends in Primary. Helping him prepare his talk and then watching him give it really helped us to focus on the true meaning of Christmas this year. I learned so much from this simple experience and I am so blessed to be this little guy's mom. The following movie is Brian giving his talk to us later that night.
Playing The Cello With Mandy
Another favorite thing I loved about Christmas this year was the motivation it gave me to pull my cello out of the closet. This is Mandy's last Christmas here in our basement, and we were asked to play twice in church, once in Relief Society and then again in Sacrament meeting. Mandy actually played another time in Sacrament with her violin student in our Ward. It was so fun for me to play probably for the last time with her before they move to their new house! I love playing with my sisters and I wish it could happen more often. For the Sacrament meeting number we came up with our own violin/cello/piano arrangement from the Piano Guy's arrangement of O Come Emanuel. My Mom drove all the way from Oakley to play the piano with us. Nothing is better that playing with my sisters AND my mom. I absolutely love the following video and I watched it many times this season.
Decorating The Tree
The boys got as far as the candy canes and their help ended there.
Decorating Gingerbread Houses
Brian did much of this himself.
Visiting With Santa
Decorating and Eating Cookies With Cousins
Painting Part of a DIY Nativity Set
Yes, Timmy painted his sheep purple and it was actually quiet a good paint job for a two year old.
