Christmas Time Is Here

We spent time with the Ellison family- Grandma Irene at 94 is still planning and executing a family party for over 100 people. We eat, share talents (usually just Mary Ann's kids) and exchange white elephant gifts. G & Chris had their party- another year of a Thanksgiving Point pass (a favorite gift), sleepwear for all the girls and Enzo's construction dress up were all a hit. More food. More family.

Julie, Jill Jill and Mc singing "Silent Night"

Struction Enzo.

The girls.

Christmas Sunday kiddies.

Anxiously waiting.

I was able to catch Santa again on his way out- he found us in our new house!

CHRISTMAS- the kids woke up ready to run downstairs but I thwarted their efforts! I put up wrapping paper so they couldn't sneak downstairs until Mark and I were ready to get up. (so smart, we will be doing that every year). The kids had very specific items they wanted- Mc wanted a Barbie Dreamhouse, K a drone and Enzo a kitchen. Mark made me a Lego mini fig wall display which was super clever and adorable. Breakfast of heart attack casserole at Mary Ann's on Christmas day and then the evening at Mimi's relaxing.

Stockings

A word scramble for Mark- I got him a Stingray experience (swim, feed) at the local aquarium and he had to figure it out. It took him a minute for sure.

A kitchen that makes "hot dogs and pie" was just what Enzo ordered.

While this wasn't a $175, 4 foot tall Barbie Dreamhouse, this "Getaway house" and a note from Santa seemed to do the trick.

The drone. Also, a Star Wars Smartwatch was another hit.

Grandma Cookie and Grandpa Donut

Mom's house for Christmas jammies and cousins. We were spoiled with a trip to the Ice Castles, books, toys and Mc got a guitar (one of her favorite gifts). We watched some old family movies which was super awesome and ate and ate and ate. I love that my kids LOVE their cousins and have a friend. Some of my best memories as a kid were spending time with my cousins and sharing the holidays with them.

All the bustling and hustle to get to Christmas and it's over so quickly. Like I said, having Christmas Eve on a Sunday seemed to stretch the holiday a little more and made it seem like we could really focus on the true meaning of Christmas. I love watching my kids get so excited and LOVE spending the day with those we love.

Mimi and Papa gave Enzo a shark tent and of course we had to sleep in it.

The original Lawrence Clan.

Holiday Happenings

Every year I look at my calendar for the month of December and wonder (as my kids get older) how much more we can fit! This year was no exception and it seemed that every night during the week and every weekend was full with busyness of Christmas. It is the best kind of busy.

I love that we kick off the Christmas season with our Sub for Santa night. We have been doing this for about six years now and every year, it's one of my favorites. There were almost double the amount of kids this year on the selection list and that made me super sad but even more grateful that we could support the kids that we did. 

Mc decided that she would take choir that was offered at their new school. She did such a great job singing and hamming it up with the other kids. She has decided that she wants to take choir "in middle school" so that she can go on a trip to Disneyland without parents (Choir romances and summer choir tours sound right up her alley).

Next up was Luminaria- an amazing light show at Thanksgiving Point that I am pretty sure is going to be a "must see" every year from here on out. It was REALLY awesome. They have amazing light displays, you can "smell" certain displays (flowers, pine, candy) and the luminaries set to music did not disappoint. The Christ Garden set a good tone for the season too. We froze to death, lost K's gloves two minutes into the gardens but it was a pretty awesome evening that the kids still talk about. Always a good time when the Thomases join in too.

The kiddies

Sure love my Snookie.

Hot chocolate, gingerbread men and amazing gingerbread houses on display.

 

We've done Christmas in Color (a drive thru light display) for the last two years and this year they moved it to the equestrian park right across from Mimi's house so that made it even better. Enzo was the only kid that wanted to stay in our car (cousins are far cooler) so he got to ride out the sun roof and yell and dance to his heart's content.

THE DICKENS! I actually have sort of a love/hate relationship with this little festival. I have fond memories of going ALL growing up. Dancing, soup in a bread bowl, lots of tiny shops and trinkets, and Father Christmas. They moved it a few years ago to the expo center and it just hasn't been the same. We still go. Still fork out $25 to sit with my original Father Christmas and this year, got to watch Mc perform for dance too. We will probably keep going as long as my Father Christmas is there and then, it just won't be the same without him.

Father Christmas

The light up swords. Kingston spent his own $7 on this sword and of course Enzo had to have one too. Surprisingly, they didn't get broken the first night and are still going strong.

The "Grunch" (as Enzo says). Face painting from school. He was NOT happy to wash it off. He also decided that being the "Grunch" meant that he could say, "I hate dis" or "I hate lunch time" because the Grinch hates everything.

We got to have the cute sister missionaries over for dinner. The kids thought it was pretty awesome. (Enzo's face painted like the Grinch). I loved that they both gave me their mom's cell numbers and I could text them a picture of their cute girls in the field. I hope someone does that for me someday.

I was lucky enough to get MoTab concert tickets again this year so tradition serves that a night with the Blackhursts is in order. I think this year was one of the top Christmas concerts I have been to. I did have to go throw all the rigamaroll to change my tickets because we couldn't go the night I had reservations for and I had to swap with 2 different sets of people so we all could go. Worth it. I feel like after the concert is TRULY when Christmas can start. They always tell the story of Christ's birth and it just feels like Christmas.

We also went to countless "Christmas Light Houses" for FHE and found some pretty awesome specimens this year. We watched lots of "Muppet Christmas Carol", drank lots of hot chocolate, read lots of Christmas stories at bedtime and crammed in as much as we could before the big day. It's my favorite.

Turkey Day 2017

Our littlest turkey. 

Thanksgiving this year was at Mom's. It was a little sad because the last time we had Thanksgiving at Mom's, Ashlee was still here and we were still super hopeful about her prognosis. How fast things change and how quickly time moves-she will be gone 2 years in March. This year we were exceptionally grateful for family. Every year I am grateful for Mark and that he is back. I am thankful to live so close to my siblings. Thankful for grandparents. Thankful for Utah. Thankful for my kids. Thankful for technology. Thankful for food. Thankful for Target. Thankful for my Savior who knows me and loves me unconditionally. Thankful for our new house. Thankful for jobs.

We only had ONE thanksgiving this year- G & Chris were going to St George and Mary Ann was spending the holiday with Shar. It was nice to veg out and let the kids play without rushing around. Jade talked me into going to do some Black Friday shopping- we scored $5 at Carters and that meant free $5 jammies. That was about all the "store" shopping I did- I LOVE online shopping and should include that I am forever thankful for Amazon.

I tried my hand at making my own mini-thanksgiving for my family (mainly so we had leftovers) and it turned out pretty awesome. I brined my turkey and (not to toot my own horn) but I am sure it was the best turkey of the day. 

Kingston was thankful that his tooth finally came out.

Beauty and the Beast

Daddy Daughter night at the SoJo Rec center. Tickets went on sale and sold out in a flash! The theme was Belle of the Ball and it was such a fun night! I made corsages for the girls (Ty was there too, and REALLY happy about it. Ha!). They made a cute picture frame craft, had treats, danced and got a rose to take home. Mc had a blast!

While Mark and Mc were partying it up, I decided to take the boys to what was once the Chuck E Cheese. Little did I know it would be a lucky night! I hit the 1000 point and 500 point jackpot! Cheap toys and junk selection for days!

1000 tickets! Does that ever REALLY happen? Wish it was Vegas.

This is when I told Kingston I won 1000 tickets and he thought I would be picking prizes all for myself.

Any idea how long it took to cash out 2000 tickets on things that were all purchased from the Dollar Store and ended up broken two seconds after we left?

St George is for Lovers

When Mark had to head to St George for a construction conference, we (meaning the ladies) were happy to tag along! We had SUCH a great time! Chris gave us Piano Guys tickets at Tuacahn and when we started walking to our seats, we realized we were right on the front row smack dab in the center. So amazing! What talented artists! We toured the Cedar City temple open house which awesome. A few of us had never toured the Hoover Dam (me included) so we headed into Nevada. The Dam was super cool- can't believe that human beings in the 40's made that! The new bridge is amazing- we drove through there coming to UT from AZ once or twice and never thought it would be done. We had dinner at the Rio Buffet, played Cover your Assets, kind of slept in and had a nice weekend away. The Hurricastle is a super nice house and we are looking forward to making lots of memories there like we did in the condo in St George.