December Memories

December has been a wonderful month, full of the joy and happiness of the Christmas season.  It has been busy, but not overwhelmingly so.  We have enjoyed Christmas traditions and time with family and friends.

Last year it was SO cold the beginning of December, we broke down and bought a tree at Lowe's.  This year, I really wanted to go back to our tradition of cutting a live tree at a farm.  I was so excited when I found out about a tree farm only 10 minutes from our house!  It had several varieties of trees that I had never seen before, and REAL reindeer!  We ended up choosing a Blue Spruce. (A neat tree where the new growth from the last growing season was noticeably bluer than the rest of the tree, but it was very pokey!)  The kids had hot cocoa and candy canes and looked at the reindeer while we loaded the tree on the van.

Here is our night of decorating the tree.  Skyler got to do the honors of putting the angel atop this year.  We did it Sunday evening right before Kyle left for a week on business in Hawaii.  (Poor guy!)  We missed him terribly but were excited for him; he got to go to Oahu and the Big Island, to Hilo (where he grew up)!  He loved driving around, visiting his old stomping grounds, and visiting his Hawaiian brother, Micah, in Pahoa.

 It was fun decorating our home for Christmas for the first time.  I gave the kids free reign of their rooms, and they went to town, Skyler in particular.  The top two pictures are of his Christmas tree with ornaments (the little paper balls), his Nativity with the reindeer and angel looking over it.  In the one on the right, you can see the little baby Jesus in the manger, with the other dolls being Mary, Joseph and the Shepherds with animals.  He spent hours arranging everything and stringing and re-stringing his Christmas lights.  He is a hard worker, that one!

We also enjoyed an evening of decorating a gingerbread house.

The week before Christmas we had the Edge Family over for dinner and a gift exchange.  We had a great time together playing chimes, opening presents, and eating lots of food.  We taught them Telestrations and it was a hit!  We love the Edges!

Monday, December 22nd, Kyle's parents arrived in Spokane!  We were so excited to have them here with us for Christmas.  Our main gift to them was a ride on the Santa Cruise to the North Pole on Lake Coeur D'Alene.  We had a wonderful time despite the cold.  There were so many neat light scenes, and thankfully all the kids made the "nice" list.  Phew!

This has nothing to do with Christmas, but I finally finished our family wall display!  I borrowed a friend's Cricut machine and created our family mission statement in vinyl letters.  I am so excited with how it turned out!

 Also this month, we enjoyed: Kyle and I date night out to plan Christmas and do a little Christmas shopping (PF Chang's); Zack's 10th birthday party at Gatto's Pizza; fun Ward Christmas Party (see Santa pictures); Kylene and Spencer's piano recital; Kylene's class Readers' Theater, caroling through the neighborhood with the Spencer's and other neighbors (so fun; I hope it's a new tradition for them and we get to come!); and, hosting a Primary teacher's meeting at our home.

Here's Kylene, Jeanessa, and Emersyn as soldiers in "The Christmas Truce", one of their class Readers' Theater.

We feel so blessed by all we have received and for the wonderful year it has been; we recognize that it all comes from the Lord.