First ski day

 

 We hit the slopes a couple days after Christmas and although the conditions weren't ideal, any time on the mountain as a family is!  I am so happy that our whole family loves to ski, it is one of our favorite things to do together!  I especially can't wait for the days when the boys are really good at it and I have to keep up with them!

Christmas 2014

 

Christmas Sunday.  It was like pulling teeth to get a family picture on the porch (I wanted one outside by the trees, but it was pouring rain).  Somehow, we managed to get a decent picture of "normal" smiles.  Oh, the little things.

 

Christmas Eve, while I was cooking dinner, I peaked in on Carson and found him watching out the window at the snow.  "Mom, it's snowing rapidly! We are going to have a white Christmas after all!"

 

Before the chaos began.  We make our boys wait until after we wake up and then make a big breakfast.  It may seem torturous, but they don't know any different and it prolongs the day when you aren't opening presents at 6am!

 

Not amused. ;)

 

Santa did well.  The LEGO Batcave.  Just what we need, more Legos.

 

Carson was happy that Santa got him a new Panthers hat. ;)

 

This kid is into magic lately and is learning lots of cool card tricks!

 

More Legos. ;) 

The best gift of Christmas to me is that the boys don't fight all day long!  They are so happy and busy playing with their new toys that they get along so well!  Happy kids=happy Mom!

Winter Aglow

We went with our friends, the Lennbergs and the Marlatts to the Winter Aglow Festival in Boise one night.  There was a million other people there, but it was sure fun to see all the lights!

 

Is it too much to ask for a normal family picture?!

 

My friend, Courtney's little girl, Kaita, makes me want a little girl so bad!  She is so dang cute!

 

 Best photo bomb by Rorie!

 

 

Our tree and Santa

 

The boys had a visit with Santa, although I had to bribe them to sit on his lap and take a photo! (I told them I would sit on his lap if they did.)  The conversation went something like this:

 

Austin: "Santa, you don't need to bother asking me what I want because I know the REAL Santa is in the North Pole busy making presents."

 

Carson: "Santa, for Christmas I want a lot of things but at the top of the list is a flat-billed, fitted, size 7 Panthers hat.  My mom ruined my old one in the wash and that was my favorite hat."

 

We decorated the tree!  As much as I loathe putting lights on a tree every year, I enjoy how excited the boys get over decorating the tree!

Farewell dinner for Howells

Our friends, the Howells, are moving to CA and we are sad to lose them! (That makes it 3 good friends that have moved in the last 2 years.) We decided to have one last date night before they left and celebrated by doing a progressive dinner and dessert (at two different restaurants) and a white elephant gift exchange! The gifts were hilarious and outrageous and let's just say, I haven't laughed that hard in a LONG time!

 

 

 

One of the favorite and most creative white elephant gifts was this box of "chocolates" that wasn't really a box of chocolates!  There were some half-eaten chocolates in there, but the rest of the box was filled with random stuff like rocks, bottle caps, a penny, belly button lint, and the best, a dead goldfish!

 

What a crazy, fun bunch right here!

Boys will be boys

 

Sometimes I have to snap random pictures of these two so that I can remember all of the little things!  For example, Exhibit A, aka the picture above.  These two love to wrestle and could do it 24/7!  Many times while they are wrestling, someone gets hurt and I get mad at them for doing it, but most of the time, they are just having fun and getting some energy out!  I love that they are best buds (again, most of the time).

 

Exhibit B: Carson and his random outfit choices.  One day on a freezing cold day in December, Carson decided to wear to school his basketball shorts, his three-sizes-too-big football jersey (which he wore 3 days in a row), his tiger hat, and not pictured are his snow boots (which I made him take off).  What a character! I've learned that sometimes you just have to pick your battles.

 

Exhibit C: The boys reading on (and smothering) the dog.  They do this practically every morning.  This is just sweet and cute and I know someday I will miss seeing this sight when they are bigger! 

Exhibit D: Pre-shower shenanigans one evening before bed.  They were just about to get in the shower and were having the funniest conversation.  It went something like this:

 

Austin: "When I get chest and armpit hair, I will be a man."

 

Carson: "You also have to snore, have a 4-pack, and a scratchy face."

 

This was proceeded by lots of laughter, bodily noises, and flexing what they call "pec power".  I'm sure the ladies will be lining up. ;)

Stake Christmas concert

 

 

 

We had our Stake Christmas community event tonight.  Eric played the cello in a couple of songs, once with the Youth Choir, and another time as a solo.  (He did amazing, as always.)  Eric and I were also asked to "play" Mary and Joseph in the live nativity and it was a great experience trying to act the part.  I think we nailed it!

 

 

Besides the music, one of my favorite parts of the whole event was the "Christ" room.  It was a room that displayed pictures and paintings of Christ throughout his life.  Many of them I had seen before, but there were several that I had never seen.  The picture below stood out to me the most.  I stood there absolutely captivated by it.  I felt like the artist who painted Christ really knew him, and depicted him in a way that felt so real.  As I stood there staring at it, I got the sense that Christ did indeed know me.  I could feel him borrowing his eyes into my soul, and I yearned to be in his arms.  I felt such gratitude for my Savior in this moment and for the significance of Christmas.  I am so thankful for his birth, his life, his example, and his sacrifice.  He is the reason for the season and the greatest gift we could ever ask for!