emphasis on the H: Christmas 2012

This year we broke from tradition to create/reinforce our own traditions. We usually spend the two week break from school out in Utah to spend time with our parents and siblings that still live there and of course to spend as many days as possible on the slopes, or at least as many days as people can handle. I'm about a 3 day skier whereas the boys and Jared could easily ski 7 or more times, trying to hit as many different resorts as possible. They all, even Jonah, can ski faster than me and within the next three to five years they'll be making two runs to my one!

Christmas Eve was spent with the Evans family where we enjoyed calm chowder and wild rice mushroom soup in bread bowls....so fun. The kids were turned lose to come up with their own nativity pageant and they came up with a creative twist that included a missionary (Caleb), who told the Christmas story to an "investigator" (Lucy), including a hilarious "Three Wise Guys" rap with Caleb, Gavin, and Lucy. We were all impressed and laughing at the end. We parted ways early enough to ding-dong ditch the Cranes with a few gifts for them and were completely stealth until Jared tried to roll down his window to give the kids the all-clear sign and set off the car alarm!! Too funny.

Mary and Joseph

The Three Wise Guys rap

The whole gang

Back at home it was new PJ time and a meeting on the couch for the reading of Luke 2 and the giving of sibling gifts. I'm so glad that we did this on the eve of Christmas because they boys were so excited about what they were giving and this allowed them to have the time and focus on the brother exchange, versus what they were getting. They were all generous with what they gave and I was also impressed with how grateful they were to each other. So many hugs! Jared then read Matthew 2 and Luke 2 and the kids were off to bed while Jared and I pulled things together.

The next morning looked like this:

Traditional waiting, waiting, and waiting.

Huge surprises!

Kendama Boy....probably your favorite gift

Urban Beetz headphones

Gavin's new keepsake book about his baptism

This was finished in 2 days. Gavin prefers separation by size.

Surprise foosball table in background. Jonah likes to separate by color.

Jonah's favorite gifts: more Stufties

So happy and so very grateful

We finished off the night with a lovely salmon dinner with greens and our new favorite fruit salad: grapefruit, pomegranate, and blackberry.....a lot of work, but oh so worth it! (Jared says it's his "heroin"...) We then stayed up way too late watching the extended version of "The Fellowship of the Ring" (Movie #1 of the Lord of the Rings) and Jonah was the least bothered by the horrible Orcs.... clearly we've desensitized him too early.

The next two days were spent in pj's that were never taken off - - playing guitar, building Legos (those blessed toys), digging for real fossilized dino poop, playing foosball, watching new movies including Napoleon Dynamite.....a new favorite of the boys in our newly carpeted basement with new couch and 60" plasma t.v. with surround sound system with this crazy subwoofer. So fun, so cozy, so perfect!