Grandma & Grandpa & Christmas Eve

 Christmas Week!

On Monday Camden has his preschool Christmas party (walked away with a racetrack that launches the car into a T-Rex's mouth, could there BE a more perfect toy for a 4-year-old boy?), and then that night we went to the Lights at the Gardens on Spring Creek. It's such a pretty walk around the Gardens and the cutest Santa set up. The boys had some surprise wishes for Santa and I decided that next year we'll visit Santa earlier in the month of December... Luckily sometimes Santa uses Amazon and they're pretty quick, so things came together.

On Tuesday my parents came! We were so excited to have them here for all the Christmas magic this week. That night I had a tea party for Young Womens -- the youth invited people in the ward to come, mostly older people, and we had a fun night chatting, playing trivia games, eating snacks, and learning to index.

On Wednesday we took my parents down to Loveland to see the lights at Centerra. It was such a nice walk, and doing it on a Wednesday was a game changer compared to our Saturday experience last year. 

On Thursday Westin got to go to a special third grade breakfast for anyone who had completed 75% or more of their optional homework. He was so excited to go. He missed the others because I'm done telling him what he needs to do -- but in November he took charge and made it happen. He even makes me proud by figuring out he can do his homework during school whenever he finishes something fast. Story of all four years of high school for me.. though that didn't serve me well in college because studying and homework felt very intrusive at that point :) That afternoon we had hot chocolate and watched The Polar Express, and then Michael had his book exchange with his Reading Rainbros book club. There has never been a better name for anything. Except maybe when I named Michael's dental school regatta/canoe team The FluoRiders. Do you get it? Get it? I'm still so proud of it. But Reading Rainbros might take the cake.

On Friday we did really magical fun Christmas things -- a Lasik consultation for Michael and then dragged my parents to the bank to be witnesses while we got our will and other documents notarized haha. Thanks, Mom and Dad. But that afternoon we left the littles with my parenst and Michael volunteered in Bennett's class party and I helped with Westin's. It was fun to be with them at school. Those class parties are straight up crazy, how do teachers do what they do! Bless them. Then that night the boys were with Kelbre and we took my parents to a dinner theater to watch Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It was so much fun to be with them and to watch such talented people! That show is so fun.

Saturday we went to the Winter Farmer's Market and it was such sunny, warm weather. We played in the outside area for a while too and the boys had fun running around. That night we drove around and looked at Christmas Lights and dropped off some Little Debbie Gingerbread to our favorite houses. We have a neighbor a few streets away who has a HUGE inflatable Santa and the boys were so happy every time we drove by it. It was fun to drop a treat by and talk to them about their dedication to the inflatable life. 

Sunday we had a nice church program and I accompanied the choir in a couple really pretty songs. It was fun to practice them all month. And then we had a nice Christmas Eve dinner with my parents, then finished off our 12 days of Christmas drop offs. The boys have totally loved being sneaky this month, though they never quite got the quiet part down. This was expected. Then they wanted to drop a treat by Station 10 to the Firemen who were working Christmas Eve. They gave the boys firemen hats and it made them so happy.

This was such a fun week leading up to Christmas. I loved having my parents here. I loved getting out of bed to make the last steps of my cranberry Christmas star and laying by my Christmas tree after Santa came and everyone was in bed. December deserves a serious moment of pause for anyone who is working the job of making magic. My kids are at such fun ages for Christmas and I cried on Christmas Eve thinking about not having a two-year-old next year. It's so bittersweet to watch these cute boys grow up. 

He was absolutely thrilled about walking away from his class gift exchange with this.
I was.... thrilled he was thrilled but it stops there haha.

We're so weirded out by these sunny December days but we're happily taking them!

I think little waffles freeze better than the big ones,
but it's a tedious morning when I want to stock our freezer with these!

Spring Creek lights! 
We loved this last year.

Sweetest Santa.
Learned a few things about what the kids want for Christmas.
Made a mental note to visit Santa earlier in December next year...

Don't be fooled, no one is asleep here...

... this is just a cute little Asher stalling bedtime and wanting to cuddle his big Westin. 
He calls him Wessy and he just loooooves him.

We ended at 26 cubes of butter in this year's toffee adventure.
I bagged the toffee instead of plated it and it was a game changer for deliveries, so much better.
I think I ate a full batch as I packaged....

Michael got a fancy Christmas present from high up at work and it will see very little use haha.

We had a tea party for Young Womens, for the youth and a variety of people they invited from the ward.
It turned out so cute and was a really special night for them all.

Grandma and Grandpa came in time for some Christmas fun!
We went to the lights at Centerra and the boys loved them, particularly Asher.
He was NOT happy when it was time to go.

My mail-checking buddy.

The Reading Rainbros had their annual book exchange.
I just can't. This picture will forever make me smile.
It makes me smile in many ways haha.

We took my parents to a dinner theater with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for Christmas. It was such a fun night with them!

The boys wanted to visit the fire station they love to take them a little Christmas Eve treat. We just took them Oreos so they could have full trust in them :)  They gave the boys fire hats and it was really sweet.

Santa came!
The luggage for the big boys was pretty practical but he brought some fun stuff too :)

The neighbor treat counter... people are just so sweet here.

Up late Christmas Eve night to make my cranberry star,
then my annual decompress next to the Christmas tree all by myself while I revel in all that December was :) December is so much. But Christmas is so wonderful.