Dec. '18- Week 4- Part 1- Nelson Family Party, Christmas Adam, Christmas Eve, Nativity, Christmas Day

Saturday we worked on packing for our post Christmas trip.  Emily and her family went skiing for the day!  I organized Alice's clothes while Dan and Ben got haircuts and the girls painted nails.  In the evening, we went to the Nelson Family Christmas Party!  The Nativity is always so fun to watch and this was Anna's first year agreeing to participate.  :) 

McKenna and Ben had little speaking parts as narrators.  

That night we had fun hanging out with the Smiths.  

Sunday we combined with the 6th ward for Sacrament meeting only and Dan's dad spoke.  Then we worked on taking pictures for a Christmas/Anniversary gift for my parents.  We had a white sheet up so the kids did a puppet show as well.  

After lunch we packed up and headed to Mantua for our Webster family Christmas Adam celebration.  

Yummy dinner! 

The kids made an ornament, we prepped food, hung out, and then enjoyed the talent show.  

Grandma and Grandpa gave everyone matching Mickey Mouse jammies!  

After kids were in bed, we played "Heads Up", leg wrestled, and did human pyramids.  

Everyone was mad at me for wimping out and not climbing all the way to the top... I was too scared of hurting someone.  

Monday was Christmas Eve!  We woke up and had a delicious breakfast! 

The kids had fun doing tricks with Laurie while waiting to open presents.  

We opened presents and, once again, we were blown away by the wonderful and generous gifts from everyone. 

Matching!  

We cleaned up and headed back to Bountiful by 3pm.  

My parents flew in from Florida and we had fun doing word searches and puzzles with Grandma Kelly.  Bethany loved hanging out with Uncle Justin. :) 

After our traditional pizza dinner, the kids got in costume and acted out the Nativity.  

We loved having the Smiths here to help complete the cast! :) And it was wonderful to hear my dad's voice narrating from the scriptures like he had all my life.  

Part 1

Part 2

Then we opened our new Christmas jammies!  

After kids were in bed, we wrapped gifts and hung out with my parents and siblings.  

Tuesday was Christmas Day!  The kids were up by 7am.  We lined up, looked at the Santa cookie plate, and started by opening our stockings.  

Alice woke up a little later and opened her gifts.  

Our last BIG gift a a trip to Disneyland in February!!

 Love seeing all the cousins playing together! 

We had our German pancake breakfast then opened family gifts.  Then hung out, took naps, and the kids watched a movie.  

We had our fancy Christmas dinner then cleaned, packed and just hung out!  It was a lovely Christmas Day with my whole family!  

Dec. '18- Week 3- Breakfast with Santa, Piano Recital, Ugly Sweaters, Zoo Lights, Johnson Files Show, Smiths Here!

Saturday was Breakfast with Santa at the Davis County Conference Center!  This is always a favorite tradition!  We had a little scare when Clara was lost for a little while, but she was thankfully found under a table, possibly after falling asleep there.  We're not sure.  

On to the face painting!  

Meeting Anna, Elsa, and Olaf!

Cookie decorating!

Always so fun to be with the whole Webster family! 

We got a picture with Santa, but it was printed and I forgot to get a picture of the picture.  

In the afternoon, McKenna went to Camille's house for a holiday party.  They went caroling and did a gift exchange.  I worked more on neighbor gifts and filling and stamping Christmas cards.  

McKenna also had another "Christmas Land" show that evening.  Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa and Mickelle for coming! 

Sunday our Sunday school lesson was about exaltation.  The third hour, all the adults met together to talk about the new Come Follow Me curriculum.  We had Webster family dinner that night then McKenna and Ben had their Piano recital!  They played so well! 

Ben- "Wild Colt"

Ben- "The Clock Shop"

Ben- "Up on the Housetop"

McKenna- "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree"

McKenna- "Joy to the World"

McKenna "Spanish Caballero"

Monday we started getting new rain gutters installed, but they unfortunately brought the wrong color.  So they took down the old ones then left for the day.  The kids came home early that day due to a power outage at their school.  That evening we delivered neighbor gifts.

Tuesday I exercised and Anna and Bethany went to the Alexander's to play.  Our new gutters were finished being installed.  Bethany had a PJ day at preschool and I stayed for the first hour to help with centers for their Christmas party day.  I played letter bingo with the kids.  I learned that Bethany is so smart!  She knows all her letters and I saw her shushing other kids to be quite and listen to the teacher. :)  I ran and errand then headed to the school for the Peter Pan play parent meeting.  Adam took Bethany home after preschool and Bethany loved playing with Mia!  

That evening the Beehives babysat 3 of my 5 kids for free while I ran another errand with McKenna and Alice.  

Wednesday was the kids' ugly sweater day.  We don't really have any, so we decorated some sweaters we had by pinning on bows, tinsel, and ornaments.  Amy Pugsley watched Bethany and Alice while I helped in Anna's class Christmas party making these pipe cleaner and beads candy canes.  I spent much of the afternoon making our German pancakes for Christmas morning.  The Alexanders also came over to play.  

Thursday started our Christmas break!  No school! I worked on blowing/raking leaves for 2 hours and man was I sore!  The kids played a little inside and also in Jerry's tree house.  I made more German Pancakes.  Ben went to Taggart's BD party.  That evening, Dan went to Zoo Lights (and Ugurt afterwards) with many of the Websters.  I stayed home to continue to prep the house for Emily and her family to come the next day! 

Friday I went to the temple.  McKenna had an ice skating/gift exchange party with some school friends.  Bethany, Anna, and Ben went to the Roth's cookie decorating and book exchange party.  Dan ran some errands while I worked on cleaning and more cleaning!  

Around 5pm the SMITH Family arrived!  The kids hadn't seen each other in person in a year and a half, so they were pretty excited!  

Shortly after they arrived, Dan and I ditched everyone because we had previously bought tickets to the Johnson Files improv comedy show.  We had dinner at Texas Roadhouse before.  The show was hilarious and tons of fun!  We weren't brave enough to ask for a picture with them (or wait in the long line), so we snapped a quick picture from the side and left.  Dan's car hit the 60,000 miles mark.

Dec. '18- Week 2- Prelude to Christmas, Cute Videos of Alice, Bethany, and Anna, Anna's 2nd Lost Tooth, Tab Choir Concert, McKenna Student Council Service, McKenna Christmas Land Show

Sunday Ben and I (and Brynn) sang with the stake choir for the Prelude to Christmas program.  This is one of my favorite traditions during the Christmas season because I LOVE to sing Christmas songs!  Ben did great singing with the youth choir.  They sang "The Friendly Beasts."  

Bethany singing "5 Little Monkeys Swinging in the Tree"

Video: Cute noises from Alice

Video: Alice Laughing

Video: Anna squeaky toy laugh!

Monday Anna lost her second tooth!  She actually LOST it.  Probably swallowed it.  She had this cute way to play with Alice as well. :) 

Monday Anna played at Alexander's.  I ran a ton of errands in the afternoon, Ben worked on his book report, and we got all the laundry done like usual.  

Tuesday I exercised, and did ministering visits to Shelly and Amy.  Dan went to the temple in the morning, but then came home for the day! :)  After Anna had ballet, we ate dinner and Dan went to church meetings.  We cut snowflakes and I worked on gathering Christmas card addresses.  

Wednesday we got lots of snow.  I went with Anna to music.  Dan printed all the stuff we needed for our Christmas cards!  

Thursday Anna had a play date at Annie's. I exercised and started putting together our neighbor gifts.  I listened to a lot of my book club book.  Dan won a free dinner to R&R BBQ for their soft opening night and took his friend, John Leavitt.  I stressed about who to take to the Tabernacle Choir concert due to McKenna being stressed out and tired.  So we ended up taking Ben with us and he loved it.  Mickelle babysat.   It was an awesome concert!  Kristin Chenoweth was so great!  

Friday I went to ladies lunch.  Swa watched Bethany and Alice while I went on a Student Council field trip with McKenna to deliver the donations their school collected for the youth homeless shelter.  

That night McKenna had her first performance at Backstage Performing Arts.  The show was called Christmas Land!  She was the Lollipop Fairy and sang "On the Goodship Lollipop" and "Lollipop, Lollipop."  

Right after the show, we drove to Layton to have a hotel night!  Once kids were asleep, we hung out with Brynn, Swa, Adam, Sam and Lara, and Katie and Whitney.  We never have a good sleep at a hotel, but the kids still think it's fun.  The next morning was Breakfast with Santa! 

Dec. '18- Week 1- Sibling Trip, Ward Party, Devotional, School Concert, Dan Work Party, Anna Lost First Tooth, Alice Army Crawling, Anna and Alice Well Checks, Nativity Display, Temple Square Lights.

Saturday morning McKenna went to Lara's to help a school friend babysit cousins Hailey and Abby.  

I got these pictures from Dan while on their sibling trip.  Looks like they had a great time!

Dan got home around 11 Saturday morning.  We went to the cul de sac party Cari Moss throws every year where we donate canned goods.   We chilled, went grocery shopping, then had our ward Christmas party that night.  I talked a lot with Shaan Bartschi and it was a miracle none of our kids cried with Santa!  The Primary kids sang too.  

Sunday we got some good snow.  Sunday school was about the millennium.  YW was about service.  I had a bad headache that afternoon.  We watched the CGI Christmas Carol with Jim Carey and apparently it was a little too scary for Beth.  :)  Mickelle babysat while we took McKenna to the First Presidency Christmas Devotional.  In the car, we discussed Santa Claus with McKenna. ;) I had stake choir that night.  

Monday Alice turned 9 months!

She learned to clap!

 I vacuumed, organized, and cleaned.  That evening was the kid's school Christmas concert.  They all sang great and we're thankful Grandma & Grandpa Webster and Mickelle could come watch! We kept with our tradition and got hot chocolate afterwards.  Alice had a hard night and didn't go to bed until almost 2am.  

"We Wish You a Merry Christmas"

"Up on the Housetop"

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"

"When Christmas Comes to Town"

"Let's Build a Gingerbread House"

"It's a Holiday of Music"

"Santa Claus is on His Way"

"More than Enough"

Tuesday I did some time on the elliptical.  We had a normal day of running around driving carpools. Anna lost her first tooth! Alice had a fever and didn't feel too well, but she loved Ben snuggling her. Bethany told her preschool teachers she wants to be a firefighter when she grows up.  That evening the kids laid out all their art work and we had a mini art museum.  

Wednesday we watched George H. W. Bush's funeral services.  My ministering sisters came to visit.  I worked on gathering addresses for our Christmas card.  I worked on editing pictures after kids were in bed.  

Alice did some good army crawling and has really good form when she planks!

Using my phone to entice her! 

Thursday Dan went to the temple so I drove kids to school.  I also did a workout video and worked on getting caught up on my Book of Mormon reading.  Brooklyn Ulmer babysat that night while Dan and I went to his work Christmas dinner/party.  Unfortunately we had to sit separate from everyone because we had Alice and kids under 21 are not allowed in the bar area.  We still had a good time! 

Friday I tried to do more Book of Mormon reading.  We had Anna and Alice's well check ups.  

Anna's 5 1/2 Stats 

Height: 43.2in (2.8in increase in a year)- 40th% 

Weight: 39.5lbs (3.5lb increase in a year)- 40th% 

Alice's 9 Month Stats

Height: 26.5in (1.5in increase in 3 months)- 10th% 

Weight: 15lbs 13oz (3.1lb increase in 3 months)- 12th% 

Head: 75th %

I watched Hazel in the afternoon. Ben went to Prelude choir practice after school.  That night we went to the Grand America for the holiday window stroll with Moultons and Pugsleys.  We took Henry Alexander with us and then had homemade pizza and hung out at the Pugsleys till 10pm.  

Saturday Ben and I had Prelude rehearsal.  Dan took Anna to a dance recital where he had a Foster Care booth.  (Dan also wore his awesome Christmas blazer to work earlier in the week and his boss got a kick out of it!)  I took the other kids to see over 200 nativities set up at a local stake center.  They had lovely hymns playing and I totally felt the Spirit there! 

That night we braved the crowds to see the lights at Temple Square with John and Megan Rowe from the ward.