Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

We had such a Merry Christmas!

The boys were up at a very reasonable time of 7:00, which I'm always surprised by. I think maybe they have such a hard time falling asleep from excitement that they sleep a little later? I don't know, I just feel like we have way earlier mornings around here than Christmas Morning usually and it doesn't add up in my mind. :)

The boys woke up Grandma and Grandpa, then it was Stockings time! We were all done opening presents before 9:00am and that felt a little early haha. I feel like older boys drive the morning forward in their excitement now where when they were littler they would get more distracted playing as they went. But it was so fun, and we had a good day playing with new games and toys and walking to the school to play outside for a bit. We seriously lucked out on weather this month and I'm so grateful it made it possible for my parents to visit us for Christmas time.

We spent a lot of nights playing Codenames after the boys went to bed, and a lot of snacking from our counter of neighbor-treat-goodness. We got Thai take out one night and had fun just being together in that time warp between Christmas and New Years.

My parents drove home Friday morning, and just a few hours later Katie and her boys came up to make gingerbread cookies with us. It was so fun to turn around and have cousin time during the hours we're usually all bummed after Grandma and Grandpa leave.

On New Year's Eve we had our traditional appetizers for dinner, then went to the Baileys house for more appetizers :) and games. Asher took a super late nap that day which was perfect, and we kept all the boys there until about 8:30. Then it was home to sleep until next year. But Westin begged to stay at the Bailey's with his best buddy and make it to midnight. Quinn's mom brought him home soon after that and he was so happy to have stayed up for the first time. Looks like there's no turning back from that :) And waiting up for him was pretty surreal. We'll have many nights in our future waiting up for kids to come home, but I wasn't expecting to have one so soon and it just made him feel way too old. I can't believe he'll turn 10 this year. A decade of motherhood coming up. Still soooo much to learn.

I wrote down a couple goals in Social, Mental, Physical, and Spiritual categories for the year and kept hem very simple and measurable. I love the feeling of a fresh start. But I also semi-believe the new year starts when my kids go back to school, which is not until the second week of January, so, aiming for those resolutions then haha. We had such a fun week. 

I love a good Christmas breakfast. We repeated last year's cranberry start and overnight breakfast casserole because we all liked it so much. Actually I put a vote to changing to a Nutella version of the star but it was shot down, cranberry orange held on.

Camden totally loved a library book we had this year called Pizza Mouse and I found a used copy of it online since it's discontinued. He has it memorized and loves to read it. It was so fun to watch him open this. He'd randomly talk about the book after we returned it to the library and how he missed it haha. Sweet boy.

Asher got some wheels!
Which came not a day too soon because for the last two weeks he's been trying to steal Camden's bike haha.

Christmas chaos

The three older bros got a Yoto player and Asher wants in on it... whoops. I didn't really believe them when they said they're great for 2-12 on the site and figured it would just be for the older kids.
Hoping these buy us some successful flight time this year!

I bought some battery candles for holiday dinners and they make me happy :)

This cutie has been wearing this snake bracelet night and day lately.

Day-after-Christmas trip to Scheels to see the animals and find Grandpa some boots.

Ferris wheel ride with Grandma and Grandpa!
Asher got the two of us kicked off because he wouldn't stop crying haha.
But everyone else had an enjoyable ride.

Stair project!

Ok magnetic Mixtiles really are awesome.
I ordered these from there and then the small cute varied gold frames from Etsy to give it a more eclectic look, need to add those in.

Nightly Codenames and treats with mom and dad.

Stair project done!
I wanted all four babies on my wall, and toddlers.
Because those babies and toddlers are slipping into little and big boys and sometimes it's hard to grasp the little people they used to be. I pause on my stairs a lot now :)

Asher loves his Grandma and Grandpa!

A walk downtown to see the lights on Main Street and all around there.

Cocoa and Toast might be my very top comfort food.
Has to be homemade bread, and not the dense kind.
Has to be creamy chocolate.
I can't tell you how many times I ate this at my grandma's house growing up.

Always so sad to say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa.
We were so lucky to have them for Christmas this year.

Luckily just a few hours after they left we had Katie and the boys up for Gingerbread cookies.
I was so happy they could come up then and distract us from being alone again :)

A Broncos cookie, a Holker cookie (guy in our ward that plays for CSU -- he's up for the NFL draft this year and Westin is stoked about it). Football boy.

Asher at the park is a total vibe.

New Year's Eve Sunday!

Another holiday, another candlelight dinner ;) 
I want the boys to remember special dinners!

Always apps for dinner on New Year's Eve.

We went to a friend's house for games and food until about 8:30, then came home to put the little guys to bed. But Westin stayed with a friend there and made it to midnight for his first time. Waiting up for him at home seemed like a glimpse of all the many late nights to come when we have older kids out with friends... so crazy.