Christmas Fun

We had fun preparing for Christmas by: 

using our many countdowns,

 Doing secret acts of kindness for each other all month long, as I explained in my last post,

buying and wrapping gifts for cousins and siblings,

reading our beloved Christmas stories every night!!

going to our ward Christmas party:

 Owen and Maris wouldn't get close to Santa, and when Santa said "you know what I give little boys who won't tell me what they want?  Socks and underwear!" Owen nodded and smiled enthusiastically like that was great with him! Haha cute kid.

 Whitney being brave, and wearing her cute/silly party outfit. :)

Kate didn't care to talk to Santa :)

 Eric took owen and Maris up onto the stage for a minute during the party, and Maris went right up and picked up the baby Jesus out of the manger!

 so sweet.

 Eric helped her gently put him back.

 Another new thing we did this year was the 12 days of Christmas/Secret Santa.  I prayed to know who we could do it for in our ward and an older lady I know came to mind-- I visit-taught her daughter in Santaquin and she is a recent widow.  So every night we would doorbell ditch a treat or piece of the nativity we had bought for her.  It was so fun!  Then on the last day we went caroling to her and revealed ourselves.  She was so sweet and grateful!

I gave the kids their Christmas pajamas a little early so they could actually wear them a bit during the Christmas season.  Here they are being silly together-- I have to capture these moments when they are playing together nicely!  

 They were doing Motorboat.  Maris loves that and Ring Around the Rosie.

 And making "snow" angels; Maris was trying to copy!

 I tried to take a picture of snowflakes on the stroller when I ran with Maris in a snowstorm while Owen was at preschool. :)

 Whitney was in a Spanish Immersion Christmas Concert, it was fun and cute. She is top row second from right.  She was animated as usual! She did great.

 We made gingerbread houses of course!

 When owen said "can I eat it now?" I didn't expect him to do this!!  Lol.

Fun times.  We also went caroling to about 10 neighbors-- Katelyn did half with me one night and Whitney did the other half with me one day.  As a family we all went to our old neighbors in Santaquin, the Wheelers and Johnssons, and to our friends here, the Petersons.

It was a wonderful December!!