The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

December is such a busy, joyful time. At least I try my hardest to feel the joy...

We started off the month with Austin's birthday party. 

The kids played a few rousing games of tanks and commander and decorated ornaments. Austin was so excited to have so many friends be able to come and I was really happy about some of my young women coming to help. 

I couldn't get a normal smile out of the boy. He was so proud of his gap. Austin picked the design and flavor of his cake. S'mores cake with a gingerbread house on the top. It was delicious and totally worth all the work that I put into it. 

 That night we went to the Victorian Stroll where Mariah and Chet got to play their Christmas songs on the piano. They got to dress up again and felt very beautiful and dapper. 

I did a Victorian hairstyle on Mariah and it was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. She was thrilled and only spilled a little hot chocolate down the front of her dress. Luckily it washed out well. 

Eliza and Austin wanted to wait in line and see Santa while Mariah and Chet wanted to see the electric trains so we split up. 

We also got to try roasted chestnuts...which I think must be an acquired taste. 

The next week we got to go bowling with our Homeschool group and because it was on Wednesday Tanner got to come along. Tanner and I played on a lane and the kids had their own. It almost felt like a date. Just the two of us...plus our five kids. 

Later that week the kids and I got to see The Nutcracker with our homeschool group. It was a special version specifically for children and so fantastic. There was an actor who was Tchaikovsky that narrated the story while the ballet was going on. It was only an hour long which was convenient because Eliza was ready for it to be over about ten minutes before it ended. 

Tanner and I planned our ward activity and have learned that we never want to do that again...just putting that out there. Maybe we did a bad enough job that we won't get asked. 

One night we had hot cocoa and watched The Grinch and then slept down in the basement because there was a tornado warning. The next morning Chet woke up and said, "I was afraid I was going to walk upstairs and the whole house and one family member would be gone." Not sure which family member he was thinking of, maybe Tanner, who refused to sleep downstairs. Hopefully it won't mean lasting trauma for the boy.  

The kids also slept around the Christmas tree one night and it went surprisingly well. I read some Christmas stories and they then fell asleep pretty fast. I did have to step over Chet a few times in the night to get to Vivi but they thought it was real fun. 

Our Homeschool group put on an amazing Christmas party. Each child got to make their own individual pizza, they sang Christmas carols together, played bingo and made lots of Christmas crafts.

We are so grateful for all of our HSAP teachers! 

We got to ring bells for the Salvation Army again this year. We had fun thinking up different Christmas songs to sing and Mariah and Chet even tried a few rounds of Christmas Bells. One woman came out of the store with cookies which was so surprising and fun for the kids. 

The next week I braved Costco with five kids and saw our neighbor Mark there. I was tempted to ask if he wanted to take a few kids home with him in his car, but I spared him that joyous opportunity. We then picked Heidi up from the airport. The Hiltons came up the next day and we partied for a week straight. 

We decorated cookies

We had a wonderful Shepherd's night on Christmas Eve. Earlier in the day we asked the older kids to plan a Nativity for the adults to watch and their play was so wonderful. Eliza and Jack were Mary and Joseph and Eliza was smacking on gum the whole time. Uncle Baydon was reading the story from Luke 2 while they acted it out. He paused at one point and mid-chewing her gum Eliza said, "Mary doesn't chew gum!" and just started giggling. It was so cute. 

It was so warm out that our kids were running around in shirts and shorts. We made a fire and played outside all afternoon. 

We had a fantastic Shepherd inspired meal with naan bread, meatballs, cheeses, hummus, crackers, grapes and veggies. We had the missionaries over and it was so great to have them there too. We ended the night as Shepherds watching over our flock. Aunt Heidi made a fantastic angel who shared the good news and we journeyed through the house until we came to the baby Jesus. It's my favorite Christmas tradition of all. 

Christmas morning the cousins opened their presents downstairs while we opened ours upstairs. Our kids drew names for each other and worked hard around the house and property to earn money to buy gifts for each other. I loved to see their excitement when their sibling opened the gift from them. We had sugary cereal for breakfast and the kids had fun playing with their gifts. 

The kids watched Encanto while the adults tried to make dinner and watch the movie at the same time. Needless to say the dinner wasn't quite done on time. That night we had the Harveys over for dinner. We played Uncle Baydon's pass the present game and had a nice visit. 

Sunday morning was a flurry of getting ready and trying to take pictures. Let's just say I didn't exactly have the Christmas Spirit, but we got some pictures. 

I had to compromise with Eliza and Austin and take some pictures of them with their gifts. I also told the kids that their Christmas present to me was letting me pick out their Sunday outfits. The one time a year I get to...besides Easter, that's their Easter gift to me. I don't ask much. 

All the cousins minus Jack...who ended up being in the office right behind Mariah...well I tried. 

Tanner was a good sport and stayed in his dress clothes a whole extra five minutes so I could get this picture. He really does love me. 

And this one...loves her dad, that's why she is smiling so well in this picture. 

Mariah and Chet had solos in their primary program and did so well. I was so proud of them. They perform so often and it doesn't even seem to make them nervous.

Tanner was able to do a musical number with Heidi while Brittany played the piano. It was so beautiful and the Spirit was strong. I love when his family sing together. 

Aunt Heidi brought a gummy pizza for the cousins to share. She taught Mariah and Chet how to crochet flowers, helped Mariah on her new Ukulele and shared a family history story Sunday night complete with a powerpoint. It was about our ancestor Joel H. Johnson, who wrote High on a Mountain Top. We loved having her here. 

The adults spent every night eating way too much food and playing card games way too late into the night. It was so wonderful. 

Austin's birthday was more chill because we had already had his party but he got to pick all the meals, Crepes with "Booberries and muttella", store bought mac and cheese, and pizza. We also decorated the house and Aunt Brittany and Aunt Heidi brought him back treats from the store. We ended the night with cookies and milk.

After all the family left we tried to get use to the relative silence that comes with just a family of seven. For New Years Eve Tanner made homemade pizza, and this was the best smile I could get.

The kids and I played a card game and after dinner we introduced our new family theme for 2022 with ice cream sundaes. Our theme is going to be "Kindness Begins with Me" and our scripture is Ephesians 4:32, "...be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." 

I feel like we need a constant reminder to be kind around here, so I'm excited to spend each month focussing on different facets of kindness. 

Tanner got crafty and made himself a hat out of glow sticks and the kids loved playing the Charade app. We watched the Aristocats together and then counted down the new year at around 9:45...because we were all tuckered out. 

I'm always excited to take down Christmas decorations because I am not a fan of clutter, but I always miss the reminders all around the house of my Savior Jesus Christ. I'm excited for the New Year and the adventures it will bring, but I look back with gratitude for all the blessings we experienced this last year. God is so very good...and here's to more kindness this year!