Christmas without snow

Mon 22: Everyone was invited to Nana's house (J's mom) for the Christmas story reading and carols with hot cocoa and cookies afterwards. Gpa displayed pictures during the reading and even got the kids involved by asking questions. Nana played the piano in between pictures with appropriate carols. It was a terrific way to start the week with the story of Christ's birth and our family singing favorite Christmas songs.

Wed 24: Back to Nana's for a soup buffet and then...opening of all the grandkids presents. Gpa handed the presents out. In the beginning there was an attempt to watch each child open their gifts but in the end it was a tornado of wrapping paper and squeals of delight. Very entertaining for all.
Thurs 25: J and I woke up before E did so we had our own quiet, intimate gift exchange. Then it was time to make the quiche. In J's family, Christmas morning quiche is a long standing tradition and this year we were the lucky hosts. When E woke up we surrounded her with her presents and watched her shred her presents open. I think she enjoyed the opening more than the presents. Since I missed this event last year ( I was in Ohio for a funeral) this was a special treat to watch. After the paper was thrown away she finally noticed new toys to play with and gave each one a turn.

E's fav new toy sings the alphabet









Family then started arriving and we feasted on crab and Lorraine quiches and monkey bread. It was loud and joyful. After our much needed naps we headed back to Nana's for a Christmas feast.

Fri 26: I spent the morning and late afternoon searching out deals on Christmas decorations, wrapping paper that will last me until next year or longer and winter clothes that E will wear next year. It felt like I was spending a lot of $ but I know in the long run it will save us a ton from avoiding full retail costs next winter.
The most important part of my day was the hour I spent at the temple with my mom and husband. The Spirit was sweet as ever and reminded me that I should try to go more often.

It's the end of another holiday season. We have watched nearly 2 Christmas movies a night since Thanksgiving, have received cards and letter from family and friends, have eaten a variety of treats given from our neighbors and have played Christmas music every night during dinner. It has been a wonderful month, but as every season must end so too must December. I am hopeful for wonderful things in 2009....

Funastics (click here to go to the website)
A few weeks ago I met up with a few friends and tried out this cute gymnastics place. The kids had a blast on the balance beam, a mini trampoline, some tunnels and other obstacle courses. Towards the end of our sessions 2 bounce houses were set up for the kids to jump on and crawl through. I will definitely have to bring E back and maybe even sign her up for classes when she's a little older. I'm not sure if it is due to her height but E was not very coordinated on the balance beam. She did however, learn to do a somersault and has loved doing them since.