It was fun to be with family, get away for a while, and have a fun time being lazy.
They have a great pool right down the street from them that we love going to. Chloe experienced the slide for the first time and we had to keep yanking her off the ladder before she tried to go by herself!
The kids loved being with their cousins. They think it's great that they have a drum set there and were constantly counting out, "a 1, a 1, a 1-2-3-4". It would follow with great beats and many smiles.
The days were filled with football, napping, eating, and anticipation. We had a great time sitting together singing Christmas Carols, reading stories, and playing their piano pieces for us all. Chloe even got in the spirit and played a few of her own compositions for us!
and waiting for Santa. The After all was said and done it was off to bed and kids could have sworn they saw something out their window as they were going to bed!
Christmas morning was great. The kids loved coming out to a room full of toys and presents. It was fun to see what they got most excited about.
For Sam in was his new Chuggington Trains set and trains,
for James it was his Silly Eyes and Light Stick,
and for Chloe it was her stroller.
Seth got his zipper fixed on his favorite jacket,
and I got surprised with an amazing gift, Season Tickets to the Hale Center Theater! I was so shocked I could hardly react. It's not something I ever pictured Seth doing, so I was a little quiet about it until later. I am so excited to be a Theater-Goer.
We had fun getting presents for the family this year. we let the kids choose for their cousins. Sam of course told them right away what he got them. We had a little talk about "secrets". :) We got Jake a Dr. Mr. Potato Head for his office along with a puzzle cube I made. Jaime got holiday banners, Sandy got some holiday art and Mom got sippies, and Dad got a bunch of "good for" coupons for all the things he usually does for us anyways. We had a good laugh about those (like- good for one computer fix, one free Chloe dance, one lunch with Karen, one day at the arcade with the boys...)! :)
I made my traditional Christmas Breakfast for everyone. Growing up my dad would make a delicious breakfast for us all (eggs, sausage, hash browns and cinnamon rolls), probably to counter act all the sugar we would always eat out of our stockings. I took it a step further this year and had to have a cute table for it. I roped Madi into helping me do it and she and I had a blast together!
We ended up coming home on Christmas day due to lack of sleep and a sore back (on my part). Seth and I were going to try to share a room with Chloe, while the boys shared a room with Tori. The boys did great, but Seth and I quickly realized that Chloe is still not at an age where she can sleep through noises and share a room. Poor So it was to the couch for Seth, and I, after a failed attempt the first night and trying to sleep in a twin bed with Chloe (and we were joined by James very early the next morning), slept on a mat wherever I could find room.
The boys and Chloe were so excited to be home. They went right to bed and woke up slowly the next morning. They were so glad to be able to have their toys all to their own!:)
It didn't end there for us, though. We called up my sister and had her family up for her birthday. We had a fun dinner together and then ditched the kids for a movie, Sherlock Holmes. We then sent Joy and Ben home and kept the kids for the night. It was fun.
It was a fun 3-year-running streak of Idaho Christmases, but we are excited to finally have a Christmas in our own home, for the first time, this coming year!
We are so blessed. I am so grateful for the fun Christmas Season we had to see beautiful lights, be with friends and family, give and get, and remember when and how our Savior came to Earth and what that means for each of us.
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