Christmas At My Mom's

After a leisurely Christmas morning and brunch, we packed up the kids and headed up to my mom's house to spend a few days. It was perfectly Christmasy...White Christmas and all... as we headed up to Sandpoint. We seriously live in such a beautiful part of the world. I love the pine trees frosted with snow. The picture above is just as we were going past the turn off to the lake. Gorgeous.

When we got there the place was hoppin'!! Stacey and her two kids and Kelley and Elle had already arrived. There was were cousins, Christmas music, cookies and good food galore. My mom's house was absolutely beautiful!! Ken was in Florida spending Christmas with his daughter; John was running his dog kennel; Kirk and Kaiden were spending Christmas in Utah; and Jordin and family were all in KC this year.

Ailey, Elle (in the Snow White Dress-Up Santa brought her), Dane and Bryn

Dane and Kameron growing up so fast. They, along with Tyler, were the sole men in the place. Tyler and Kameron did many manly things like chopping and hauling wood for the fire :)

 Kelley helped too

 Reilly and Stacey at work in the kitchen

There was some seriously good food...for Christmas Dinner we had 4 different kinds of fondue and my mom's famous Caesar Salad.

 Stacey making bearnaise sauce...yum.

It was so nice to get up there and to just be able to RELAX after a busy holiday season. It is always so cozy and nice at my mom's house. I love visiting!!

A wild group!! Kameron, Reilly, Elle, Ailey, Mom, Bryn, River, Stacey and Dane

 Reilly is looking so darn grown-up these days

 Kam was pretty excited about that Dicks Sporting Goods Gift Card

 My mom made this beautiful ornament and the one Reilly is holding. Love them.

After presents we sugared the kids up some more with some of these:

We just kept doling them out too. What were we thinking?? Those kids barely slept a wink that night!!

The next two days consisted of staying in our pajamas and/or lounge wear all day, playing games, playing in the snow, doing puzzles, eating, and playing some more. It was nice! Except for the all of the puzzling. There are some serious puzzlers in our family with the exception of one person...me!! I absolutely loathe, hate, and despise puzzles. You are either a puzzler or not. Lucky for me Santa brought me a new iPhone so I had something to do during "puzzle time." blah blah.

 Throw Tyler into that picture and you have "The Puzzlers Four"...Snooze Fest 2012

 Jr. Puzzlers...some of the Puzzlers 4 have reproduced

 Ahh...the cookie eating Arts and Crafts Crowd. Now THIS is a group I enjoy!! ;)

 And the biscuit makers...another group after my own heart

My mom had TONS AND TONS of snow so there was lots of playing outside. The kids had a great time out there. Unfortunately it wasn't packing snow...just powder...which is perfect for this:

Licking Jello in the snow...way more delicious than any snowcone. Now here is the group with which I most closely identify myself. This was one of my all-time favorite winter past-times as a kid. Don't think I didn't lick some that day too. Because I did. Jello Snow always a good time. To kick it up a notch use lemon jello to horrify the neighbors. :)

Cherry made them look like little vampires...ha ha.

The kids had icicle contests...No children were in any danger. Tyler, on the other hand, possibly.

 Kameron won with that bad boy

Ailey and Dane sat and sat in that trailer staring off into the woods several times this visit. They were having long deep conversations about who knows what. They would get suspiciously quiet whenever I tried to sneak up on them to take a picture. They looked like Ma and Pa Pioneer.

Bryn is my little snow bunnie. She just loves it outside and will stay out for quite awhile.

 Such a poser

 Make that two posers

 Make that three posers

 A good Christmas was had by all!!

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas too.

Christmas Eve 2012

This Christmas Eve we turned the night over to the kids...the evening's activities, program, and entertainment. It went pretty well. Except for one brief moment when I threatened to cancel Christmas and had to take a personal quiet time in our bedroom for awhile. By Christmas Eve I was done with cooking, baking, wrapping, and the whole lot. After a little personal time and some Chex Mix I reemerged for a night of fun. This year has been so incredibly busy with so much STUFF and not all of that STUFF is a whole lot of fun if you are the mom and the one who has to make the all magic happen. It's a lot of work!!

We had a delicious and festive dinner, even if it got off to a late start, and then it was time for the fun to begin. Kameron and Ailey had been working on our Christmas program for over a week. They made programs, planned songs, musical performances, readings, activities, and made personal programs for each of us. They did a great job!!

Here they are running the show

 

Reilly was the narrator and Kameron, Ailey and Bryn acted out the Nativity

Ailey the angel (We've gotten so much mileage out of that Baptism dress!!), Kameron as Joseph, and Bryn as the cutest and most serious Mary that you have ever seen. It was darling.

Then it was PAJAMA TIME!!

Reilly got a luscious pink vintage 60's nightgown

Ever since last year when my mom made all the little girls their "princess jammies" with matching peignoirs all the rest of the girls...old and young...wanted one too. I found this little gem at a thrift store. It is awesome. Someone sewed that little number...it was homemade. There was also a yellow one made by the same person but I left it behind. Big mistake. When I went back for it another day it was gone!! Tragic.

Ailey requested footy jammies this year. She is crazy. I absolutely hated those as a kid. For whatever reason our family called pajamas like that "Wooly Bears". No idea why.

After searching high and low I finally found myself some vintage princess jammies circa the 70's...with sleeves!! SCORE!! (Tyler opted out of Christmas jammies this year. Party pooper.)

Then the music portion of the night began...

Reilly played multiple songs for us while we sang Christmas carols and her recital piece I'll Be Home For Christmas.

Ailey played her recital piece We Three Kings

 

 Kameron treated us to Jingle Bells on the trumpet

 Ailey and Bryn sang a duet God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman

 These two did an AWESOME job!!

We did a bunch of our family traditions, read the scriptures, and the book The Night Before Christmas. Then it was time to set out the cookies and eggnog and hang up the stockings.

Oh yes. The night would not be complete without a family photo and a little self-timer fun. We are easily amused. This is Tyler's FAVORITE part of the night. Not.

Then the kids were all snuggled and tucked in their beds while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads...

 

 And we waited for Santa to come and do his thing. :)

Merry Christmas

Christmas Break Has Begun

The kids are out of school and we have been busy with all kinds of fun things. Reilly had a wonderful concert downtown for her high school's music department. We are lucky to have great choir, band, and orchestra teachers. The kids did an exceptional job!!

We've also been doing a lot of Christmas shopping and baking...fun with friends, lunches out, book club, parties, playing in the snow, watching Christmas movies, and caroling. Reilly and Kameron, along with the youth of our ward, had a really neat experience caroling at an assisted living facility the other night that they will not soon forget. Christmas provides so many wonderful opportunities to think of those around us and to do special things for them. I love it.

The item in the picture above is a Christmas decoration that my mom made when I was just a baby. I have always loved its simple beauty. When we were up at her house over Thanksgiving she gave it to me. It is sitting on our piano and it has been reminding me all season that it is the small things that truly matter.

We got enjoy listening to the girls play in their Christmas piano recital. They both did an outstanding job!! I am so pleased that Reilly reconsidered taking piano lessons. She quit last year...yet I found her playing the piano more than ever. She decided to start up again this fall. Jodi (her piano and my friend) has done a good job of helping her find music that she enjoys playing and that has been a huge boost to her practicing. Ailey is really coming along well too. It's fun to see them progressing.

Reilly played a beautiful version of I'll Be Home For Christmas.

 Ailey played We Three Kings and did an outstanding job.

We celebrated my Mom's birthday with a big family sushi party. It was a lot of fun, a little crazy, and a great way to celebrate an amazing woman. I am lucky to have such an incredible mother.

 The Birthday Girl and her husband Ken

 John and Stacey

 Kelley and Elle

 Elle and Bryn

 Mom and 7 of her 10 Grandchildren

Mom and 3 of her 5 children. Kirk and Jordin live too far away. But not for long...Jordin and Ramon are supposed to be moving out here by summertime. Woohoo!! Can't wait.

Then we headed over to Justin and Hannah's house to do a little more celebrating and to spend some time with this sweet baby. Paige is absolutely adorable and I have been over to their house once again since then to hold this little sweetie pie. Nothing is more calming than holding a darling baby. Thanks Justin and Hannah for sharing her with all of us. She has truly been the best Christmas gift to the whole family this year.

Bryn thinks Paige is just about the best thing EVER!!

School is out, the kids are home, there is some snow on the ground, presents are nearly all purchased and we are just enjoying one another and doing a little of this...

Snowman/Snowlady Building Contest

AND... a WHOLE LOT of this...

 Merry Christmas!!