Our Christmas. Finally!

It was a great Christmas. Low key, relaxed and perfect.

The boys and I chilled on Christmas Eve while John went out to do last minute shopping. He does it every year. :) We watched Christmas movies, made Santa cookies and opened the traditional new pj's that night. The boys had never been so eager to go to bed! All we had to tell them was that Santa wouldn't come until they were asleep.  Here they are in their new jammies.

Christmas morning, John woke us all up at 6:30. He's still a kid on Christmas. I love it.  Cameron was hilarious this year. "WHOA! WOW! LOOK AT THAT!" He was going a mile a minute as he went through his stocking and Santa presents.



Checking out the sockings.

Santa hides new movies in the tree.

                                                My boys. There will be one more next year!

                              Looking a little too grown up in their new church clothes.

I hope you all had a great Christmas!

Santa and Gingerbread

A week or so before Christmas, we took the boys to see Santa. And boy were they excited! Cameron was talking so quietly to Santa that I couldn't hear what he was saying until he hopped down and said, "Can I have a candy cane now?!" I swear that kid can spot a confection from miles away.

Porter was just happy to see him and kept asking Santa questions on the way home. "Where is Santa going to stay? Is he going back to the North Pole tonight? Where are the reindeer?" And on and on.....:)

Gingerbread house making day is always a hit. I'm one of those people who buy the pre-made kits. So much easier!

 Making icicles

More Christmas fun to come!

Christmas Concert

I remember going to my siblings Christmas programs and thinking they were pretty dull. It's totally different when your own child is participating. I found Porter's program adorable and wishing they would have sang more than two songs. His Grandma Stayner also came to watch.

Please note the shirt and pants that are too small. John was in charge of getting him ready. Enough said. I had Activity Days right before the program. I barely had time to stuff my face with some Chick-fil-a and then head back out the door.

This is what my son does when he realizes your watching him. He tries to hide and sucks his cheeks in, trying not to smile. Ha!

Christmas Snoop

When I got older and found out when my mom had been Christmas shopping, that's when the snooping began. I tried to find my presents ever year and usually succeeded.

One year, I had looked in all the usual places and couldn't find a single thing. I knew there were gifts to be found. So, I lied one Sunday.  I told my parents I was sick so I could stay home and look for my presents. I finally found them in the attic of our garage. HA! They thought they were so smart.

Eventually, my mom started keeping my gifts at a neighbors house. Oh, the agony!  Until I realized I could sneak in my mom's purse, look at the receipts and find out that way. Yes, I was terrible. Why did I do this? It was the thrill of the hunt. The rush of adrenaline I got from finding out.

I should have been a detective.

Temple Square

It's not a tradition but if we can find the time, we go see the lights during Christmas. Even though it was freezing, we had a good time together. The only picture we got was from John's phone. It's not very good and my eyes are closed, but at least the boys look cute!

Kiddie Christmas Reads

Every year we add a few Christmas books to our collection. Thanks to Porter's book orders, we can get some for $2 or $3 dollars. We have the traditional nativity story books, The Grinch and The Night Before Christmas.  Here are a few new favorites.

I was beyond excited when I found this on Amazon. I remember this as my favorite childhood Christmas book. It's a scratch and sniff! Do they even make those anymore? 

Porter brought this home from the school library the other day. It's cute and funny. Poor Santa has a series of unfortunate events and a surprise at the end that clears up the grumpiness.

Love the Snowmen.Who knew they could do so much?! The boys want lots of snow so they can make a snowman!

This is one of my personal favorites. Such a great story.

What are some of your favorite Christmas books?