Christmas Time is Here!

Tanner was on call from the 21st through the 25th. He had to go into the hospital quite a bit but the kids were so understanding and helpful to me. 

At the beginning of the month we put out our manger and straw. Every time the kids did a secret service they could put a straw in the manger to prepare the bed for baby Jesus. They weren't always the best at keeping it "secret". "Hey mom, you should go check your bed..." but I loved to see the joy that the service brought them. One morning while I was in the shower, they all hustled around and tried to clean the whole house, even vacuuming. They really are sweet kids and I love seeing their desire to do whats right. 

Sunday morning Tanner was in the hospital so I got the kids ready on my own and it went surprisingly well. Must have been the Christmas Spirit we were all feeling.  

 I really love the Sunday before Christmas. There is such a special spirit and it is so special to be together with a congregation, in worship of our Lord and Savior. This year we did something new: we sang Silent Night as a family in church while Tanner played the guitar. It definitely wasn't perfect, Eliza was all over the place, but we believed what we sang and I think that helped. I also was so glad Tanner was able to make it to church...it wouldn't have gone so well without his talents. 

 Eliza watched everyone else take their pictures so when it was her turn she walked right over to the tree and put on a big grin. I couldn't have planned it better if I tried. 

 Love these silly kiddos. 

 After church Mariah and Chet took turns taking pictures of Tanner and I; they did a pretty good job. 

 On Christmas Eve Eve the kids and I had a slumber party around the tree. Eliza and I didn't sleep there but I read them Christmas stories and stayed in the room until they fell asleep. 

 On Christmas Eve we had the Hilton family and the Elders over. Mariah, Chet, and Austin went in the yard and cut some pine boughs and collected some mini pinecones. They also found some feathers that had to be included in the table centerpiece. Chet and Austin were very proud of their handiwork. 

 We watched It's a Wonderful Life (the Elders received special permission to watch the movie and were very excited about it). We played a fun pass the present game while Baydon read The Night Before Christmas. Every time he said "and" everyone passed their gift to the right and whenever he read "the" we all passed them to the left. There was one big gift. Chet ended up being the last one with the big gift so he got the fluffy red blanket. The other kids were ok with it because the other gifts were things like mac and cheese (for kids with health conscious parents, this is a big deal), candy bars, nutter butters, and fun pens. 

After the Elders left we started The Muppets Christmas Carol, so that Tanner and I could sneak away to get one more present. I've been wanting a puppy for a while now and Tanner finally gave up and let me get my way. We found an adorable Aussiedoodle. He smelled so bad when we got him that we had to drive home with the windows rolled down. We kept him in the garage until the kids went to bed and then I snuck him in for a bath. 

The night before I had lectured all the kids on what time they could come and wake us up. I told them no earlier than 6. So right at 6:00 am, Mariah was in our room telling us it was time. Tanner went into the Christmas tree with the kids while I got the puppy. I put a collar with bells on him and let him walk out to the kids. They were pretty excited and Tanner warmed up to him really quick. 

 We decided to name him Guster, Gus for short. He's a big puppy for 9 weeks and he has the sweetest curled tail and loves to lay out as flat as possible with his legs splayed out behind him.  

 Eliza got the ball this year (there always has to be a ball given to someone each Christmas). And every stocking had the traditional Ramen noodles which the kids happily ate for lunch that day. Mariah had been saying that she wanted a snow globe and Chet decided that was what he wanted to get her for Christmas. We were able to find one on Facebook for $3 so Chet bought it with his own money. Mariah got Chet a slingshot which he loves and has already made us nervous. Austin got a truck and trailer with a tractor; he has loved driving it around and scooping up puff balls. 

 Mariah had these notes under the tree for Tanner and I. 

After presents were opened Tanner had to go into the hospital for the morning but the kids stayed busy playing with toys and I stayed busy trying to keep Gus from peeing on the carpet...it's a full time job. 

Later that afternoon we went over to some friends to decorate and eat cookies. Gus got to have his first playdate with another dog and he had fun pouncing on her and wore himself completely out. 

Although it wasn't our ideal Christmas with Tanner having to be gone for part of the day we still had a wonderful day. How grateful we are for the birth of Jesus Christ and the peace that brings us. It is such a joy to see our children learn what the real meaning of Christmas is.