It Was Christmas

It was Christmas about a month ago.  And we Christmased until we couldn't Christmas anymore.  In fact, until I couldn't even write about Christmas before taking a month to recover!
Dustin's mom joined us for Christmas this year.  She flew in a week before and stayed until a few days after.

The kids were out of school, starting the Friday before Christmas.  So we packed in all the fun we could handle.  We made all sorts of yummy treats to eat.

We decorated cookies with friends. 

We took the kids bowling on Christmas Eve day.

Dustin and I resurrected our old bowling shirts from our college days.  We were in a league with our friends at BYU.  Ah, those were the days.

We had our traditional Bethlehem dinner on Christmas Eve.  When I ask my kids what their favorite part of Christmas is, they tell me it is our Bethlehem dinner.  Dustin takes the kids to buy a rotisserie chicken (this year it was chicken nuggets from McDonald because the store was all out by the time they went to buy the chicken.), while I hurry and transform the living room into Bethlehem.  I drape Christmas lights around the room, lay blankets on the floor, and bring our finger foods in so we can eat on the floor.  I turn all the lights off except the Christmas lights and as the kids come in, I dress each of them up as a figure from the Nativity.  We try to keep it reverent (try) as they come in and then we read the Christmas story and act it out.  Dustin and I bear our testimonies of the Savior, and there is always such a peaceful feeling.  Then we eat our dinner, open jammies and play games.  It is a fun night for us! 

 This time, we added a wise man (our neighbor, Todd, from down the road).

Chritmas jammies.

Playing games.

And then it was off to bed, so that Santa could come!

 Ryan got his skateboard!

Look at all that loot.

The funny thing was, by about 10 minutes after unwrapping presents, the boys had their snow stuff on and were playing outside in our White Christmas.  I told Dustin that even after all our work, Heavenly Father gave them what they were the most excited about: snow!

Grant has been asking me to buy him dragon fruit from the grocery store for months, so we finally got him one for Christmas (those things are like $8 a pound!!).  He was super excited to open it and look at it, and a little less excited to eat it after he tasted it.  It didn't have too much flavor, kind of like a bland kiwi.  But the experience was fun!

 Notice his missing two front teeth!  Now he has lost 3!

A couple of days after Christmas, my parents and sister Nicole, and her family, came up.  We got together with Jen, Lynnette, Nicole and their families and my parents, and Lana was still in town.  In the end we had 22 people here for dinner.  My preschool room came in very handy!

Edith looked a little shell shocked at first, but she quickly remembered that I was her favorite aunt, and warmed right up!

Lana left for home a couple of days later, and then Nicole and her family came to stay.  We had such a wonderful Christmas!