Keeping December Simple {and fun!}

The last few Christmas seasons we've done an activity advent calendar with Brooke. It was one of those good ideas I got off of pinterest and honestly, it's been kind of a nightmare--more stressful than fun. Brooke was so excited about picking a daily activity and she'd drive me nuts begging for it each day. Also, how can I plan out a month's worth of activities beforehand? What if decorating sugar cookies falls on a day where something unexpected happens and we're not able to do it? Major disappointment and tears were to follow. So this year, knowing that I'd have a new baby, I decided not to do the activity advent calendar. And you know what? It was...nice. Peaceful. Stress-free. I just decided to keep it low key and just see what we could fit in. Some things were planned, and some were spur of the moment things. It kept December simple and the lead-up to Christmas low key for my kids.

Here are some of the things we did:

Breakfast with Santa on December 13th. We love this free community activity.

Our ward did a Polar Express themed Christmas party on December 19th. A lot of work was put into making everything run smoothly and it was our favorite ward Christmas party ever. The kids got to give their tickets to the conductor to ride the Polar Exress onto the stage to see Santa where they each got a bell.

I wasn't sure how Porter would react to Santa this year. Last year he didn't cry, but he definitely didn't want anything to do with him...just looked at Santa from afar. This year, he could barely contain his excitement to see Santa and we kept having to pull him back to keep from butting in front of the other kids in line.

 Brooke has always loved Santa and asked for a stuffed unicorn. Santa promised he'd leave her something special under the tree.

Another favorite was an unexpected night snowstorm. It was our first real snowfall of the season, right in time for Christmas! The kids wanted to get on their snowgear and play right away.

Another night we popped popcorn and watched Christmas movies. The Grinch was a family favorite this year. The kids were walking around the house saying, "da-da-da-daGRINCH!" for days afterward.

We made sugar cookies and took them around to friends.

On another snowy day Blake pulled the kids on a sled behind his four-wheeler around the neighborhood on our snow-packed streets.

If Brooke looks like she just got done crying it's because she just got done with a timeout.

Grant was mesmorized by our Christmas tree lights. 

 We received a box of homemade chocolates from one of our old college friends. What a talented lady!

I love the magic of Christmas as seen through my children's eyes. Each time we'd drive by a house with Christmas lights both kids, but Porter especially, would exclaim "Cwispmas tree!" (how Porter said Christmas and every decoration was a tree). Even though we kept it pretty low key, we still were able to fit in some fun things and make great memories.

Brooke's 6th Birthday

On December 17th, Brooke turned 6! I can't believe she's six years old. The night before her birthday Brooke said to me, "Mom, when I wake up I will stay in my room so you can surprise me." Truthfully, I wasn't planning on doing a surprise in the morning, but definitely knew she would be disappointed if I didn't have something for her to wake up too. I hung up some streamers and laid out a few presents and it made her day! 

In the morning she opened a new pair of boots to wear to school and got her American Girl dolls and clothes. We scored big time with those. Earlier in the month we visited her older cousin, Jean, who was getting rid of her dolls and clothing and decided to give them for Brooke. 

 Before school, Brooke got to have a special daddy/daughter date at McDonalds (Porter can't wait for his birthday McDonald's trip now) and she got to bring cupcakes to school with her. After school, we ate tacos (her birthday request) and had a Frozen cake. There were also a few smaller presents from Mom and Dad, including a locket which Brooke has been asking for for months.

 On December 19th the kindergarten kids didn't have school so it was the perfect day for a birthday party. We did a cooking party. The kids decorated crowns and aprons when they got there

 She opened gifts from her friends...

 Then we made homemade pizza and decorated cupcakes

Happy Birthday my sweet girl! I love you so much!

Merry Christmas 2014

2014 was another good year for our family. Mostly quiet and ordinary, but with some fun things sprinkled throughout.

Blake: enjoyed a fishing trip to Lake Powell in April and we (happily) ate fried fish and chips for months after he returned home. Shot an elk to fill our freezer for the year, took Brooke on a three day camping trip where they saw lots of wildlife, including a couple bears. His dedication to work made it so we accomplished a huge goal--getting our house paid off. It definitely would not have happened without his diligence in setting and keeping goals. He recently started a new position at work and is really looking forward to it.

Courtney: spent almost all of 2014 pregnant and unfortunately it was also the warmest fall we've ever had; it made for a miserable last trimester. It was a surprise to find out we were expecting another baby, but we knew this baby was meant to be in our family. I finished teaching in May, enjoyed the summer with the kids, and decided not to return again the fall. Staying at home has been a new adventure for me, but a good one. I know that it's the right decision. One of my favorite family moments was our family trip to St. George and Zions in May.

Brooke: started kindergarten this year. School has been another new adventure for us, but we've taken it in stride. She loves school and her teacher and friends there. It's so fun to listen to Brooke read to us and learn to write. She loves crafts, especially making things for others. She's also a great helper. She helps mom with the baby and is a good friend (most of the time) to Porter.

Porter: can't wait until he gets to ride the school bus. He also was potty trained this year. He loves nursery, wresting with dad and is a little jokster. I have a feeling he'll be playing tricks and joking with us. We love his happy personality.

Grant: was born! He is such a good natured little baby and we love him so much. Already he's more spoiled than the other two, but he's so cute that no one minds ;)

We've enjoyed a wonderful year and can't wait to see what 2015 has in store for us!

Grant's Blessing Day

We decided to bless Grant on December 07, 2014 in Highland. Blake's brother adopted a baby in May and it was finalized right before Thanksgiving so they were able to have him be sealed to their family in the temple and also have him blessed.  We decided to do Grant's blessing at the same time and just make it one big celebration.

Besides Grant and Dash, there were two other blessings in the ward.  Four baby boys were blessed. Grant's blessing was third. He was so good during the blessing and Blake said he was awake and just looking around the entire time. I was so touched afterward because I hadn't taken notes during the blessing and was hurrying trying to remember and write things down. After the meeting, a woman from the ward came up to me and said that she had taken notes and gave them to me. I was so touched and happy that someone felt compelled to do that for me. 

During the testimonies several people mentioned how special it was to have 4 blessings in a Sunday and what a special time of year to have a new baby as we remember the birth of our Savior. 

After sacrament meeting, we went back to Chris and Launa's house for brunch. Brooke and Porter loved being able to see and play with cousins. My mom and brother Jared also came. Blake's work schedule is crazy this month so we aren't able to make it any of the family Christmas parties this year. We were happy that we were able to celebrate with them this weekend.

 Grant & Dash:

Tree Tradition 2014

Great weather made for  fun day on the mountain to get our Christmas tree this year. We went with some friends, brought hot cocoa and snacks and had a great family outing. Grant slept most of the time in the truck, just making a quick appearance for pictures.