Christmas Joys

 We stayed in Texas this year for Christmas.  It's hard to not get to go home and see all of our families.  We miss all the running around, parties, food, laughter, and fun with everyone.  But we found out its also kinda fun to have our own quiet little Christmas, where we get to create our own traditions, teach our kids about the Savior and his birth and help them focus on that, and just relax.  We get to focus on our kids and making it special for them, and not worry about anything else.  I get to decorate our house for Christmas, and see the Christmas decor for more than one week.  It really was so fun to do it by ourselves.  We loved the whole month of December!  We had a little activity advent calendar, and each day there was a fun activity for us to do.  So we were literally celebrating Christmas all month long.  I took a few pics along the way and I forgot to take a few pics along the way.  Anyway, we had a lot of fun together.

We made Christmas sugar cookies one day, and Jeter for some reason was not tired at all that night, so I let him stay up with me and we decorated cookies till midnight, while Jerzi and Had slept.

This picture isn't very good I know, but that night was fun, so I want the memories.  For our ward Christmas party, they have dinner and a talent show.  These guys taped glow sticks on them and danced in pitch black. It was hilarious!  The ward party was good. Jerzi wouldn't sit on Santa's lap, for a big surprise.  And Jeter went to our neighbor's outdoor movie theater b-day party while we went to the ward Christmas party.  Outdoor movies in December, gotta love Texas!

 We started the tradition last year of getting dinner and eating it in our car as we look at Christmas lights.  Pizza, Christmas lights, family, and belting out Christmas music.  It doesn't get any better!

 One of Santa's little elves, Harley, from the North Pole, came and stayed with us the month of December.   It was exciting to have him here and Jeter and Jerzi loved him.  But mostly they just loved to see where he was at in the mornings when they would wake up.  Too bad Jerzi's behavior didn't really change when Harley was around.  That would have been a real treat.  Harley must've taken into account that she is only three and doesn't care who sees her throw fits, she just needs to do it sometimes..... or all the time, cuz she still got spoiled for Christmas.

We made snowflakes so we could feel like it was winter, cold and Christmassy.  Jeter loved making them.  Then the little neighborhood kids came over and saw them and they wanted to make some too.  So we took paper and scissors out on the driveway and pretty soon the whole neighborhood crew were making snowflakes with us.  

Jete and Jerz opted for a gingerbread train this year.  I forgot to get a picture of the whole train, but it turned out pretty cute for a pre-made kit, with the dinky little candies it comes with.    

Our cute little tiny, Christmas tree. 

 It will be such a great day when we get to get a big ol' tree that goes clear up to the ceiling.  For now, hand me down fake trees will work.  

Me and my siblings used to always sleep out by the Christmas tree every year growing up.  I loved it.  And I loved staying up late and talking and being with them.  So I carried the tradition on with my own family.  We pile up the blankets and pillows and all sleep out by the tree.  Had is a good sport and does it even though I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm crazy for wanting to sleep on the floor when we have a perfectly good, soft bed we could be sleeping in.  

On Christmas Eve we opened up pajamas, drank egg nogg, read the story about the Savior's birth, talked about all the fun things we liked doing this year, and of course, got the milk and cookies ready for Santa.  Jeter and Jerzi were sure to not let us forget to put food out for the reindeer.  So we put some oatmeal and carrots on a plate, and Jerz added her own touches, by adding hoot (fruit) snacks and a single cracker.

Christmas morning, coming down the stairs and seeing all the presents Santa brought.

I didn't really take too many pics Christmas morning, so we could just enjoy it all, but I did get a few of Jerz, being as girly as they come.  Jeter bought this kid makeup for Jerzi for Christmas and wow, does she love it, along with her new pink sparkly dress! 

She got a little salon type thing and she played with it all day long!  She gave all of us new hairdo's, haircuts, and highlights.  Girl stuff is fun, I'm not gonna lie.  That would have been the funnest thing ever as a kid.

The finished product.  

She's got talent, what can I say? 

Christmas day, we hung out in our pajamas and played with our new toys.  Not long after we opened our presents, we got an emergency alert text on our phones, saying there's a tornado in your area and to take shelter now.  Well, where do you take shelter if you don't have a basement or tornado cellar?  We didn't know either.  So while the wind was blowing our neighbor's basketball hoop in circles, we went outside and moved our tramp closer to the house, so hopefully the house would block the wind from lifting it off the ground and over the fence. Then we went back in and played with our toys.  Every once in awhile, we'd check the windows for any signs of tornado's.  It looked stormy and windy, but luckily, we never saw one.  

We went to some friend's house for Christmas dinner and came back home and played some more.

  I'm so grateful for the Savior and that he came to Earth, and died for us.  I am grateful for my little family and that I got to celebrate it with them.  Christmas was so much fun this year!