Christmas Crazy (Parte Dos)

The first half of December was crazy busy. And the rest of December (not even including Christmas) followed suit. Why would we want it any other way? I say, when your life is already so busy that you want to pull your hair out and scream into a pillow, why not just go ahead and add a few more crafts, work parties, and other social obligations to the mix to really make life fun?

So, that's what we did.

First up the Friday before Christmas: Savanna's school assembly. 

You better believe there's a P.E. Student of the Month at good old MPE.

 I even got to sit behind J and watch her squirm around 

and mess with her friends the whole time, so it was doubly fun.

That night was our "Cowboy Christmas" ward party, of which 

this is the only photograph: an adorable tumbleweed snowman.

The next day was Lexa's very first dance recital.

Cutest little Snowflake Serenade I ever did see.

(I think our diva may have finally found her niche.)

Later that afternoon we saw a beautiful performance of The Nutcracker downtown

Soon after, I started working on a Top Secret Christmas Project for Craig

(that he found out about a couple days before he was supposed to...oops).

Then we rounded out the pre-Christmas madness 

with a much-needed family movie night at home...

...and a GCU sponsored family Christmas party

(outdoors, no less!)

Whoa, Nellie. I sure hope January is boring-oring-oring.

One More Sleep

There's magic in the air this evening,

Magic in the air.

The world is at her best, you know, 

When people love and care.

The promise of excitement is one the night will keep

After all, there's only one more sleep til Christmas.

The world has got a smile today, 

The world has got a glow.

There's no such thing as strangers

When a stranger says hello.

And everyone is family; we're having so much fun.

After all, there's only one more sleep til Christmas.

'Tis the season to be jolly and joyous.

With a burst of pleasure, we feel it arrive.

It's the season when the saints can employ us

To spread the news about peace and to keep love alive.

There's something in the wind today

That's good for everyone.

Yes, faith is in our hearts today,

We're shining like the sun.

And everyone can feel it; the feeling's running deep.

After all, there's only one more sleep til Christmas.

After all, there's only one more sleep til Christmas...Day.

Temple Lights

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, 

and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” 

~ Norman Vincent Peale

Slow down, Christmas, you are coming too fast!

Family Pics

We tried to do the smart thing and get our family pictures done early this year. Since we live in Phoenix, and fall is pretty much non-existent here, it was still pretty darn hot in October the day we did these. At 11:00 in the morning. Thankfully, none of us melted and we all survived with minimal trauma, though there may or may not have been some profuse sweating going on. Which is probably why Spencer went right for the sprinklers as soon as his shots were done. And why we totally let him.

Kudos to our friend Kirstynn for braving the heat and getting some awesome shots. Great photographers are hard to come by and she did a bang-up job of putting up with all our shenanigans and taking some great photos in the process.

Here are just a few of my faves.

Whew. Thank goodness we get to wait a whole year before doing THAT again.

Bedtime for Lexa

I punch my time card as soon as the kids go to bed. Clocked out. Checked out. What have you.

By the time they have been gently tucked away, prayed with, and read to, along with all manner of other night-time rituals, I am exhausted, and pretty much done for the night. This means that I don't typically do very well when they get up after they are supposed to be in bed. (And when I say, "I don't do very well," what I really mean is that I'm not very nice. At all.) 

Such was the case last night when Alexa got back up after an already particularly lengthy putting-to-bed process. (And after I had already let her stay up way past her bedtime to reenact the Nativity Story for me with the Little People toys, unhindered by the creative differences of her sisters.)

She walked in the office, and I looked at her and all I said was, "No." (Well, my mouth said "no." My brain said, "Aauugghh! Go back to bed where I just put you! I just spent the last 14 hours with you and I'm tired, tired, tired!) She proceeded to tell me that she was scared, so I suggested that she open the door to the bathroom (where the light was already on) even wider, and that she could also open the door out to the hall. (And then my brain begged her to please please please go back to bed where she belonged so that I could have a complete thought to myself and a moment of absolute silence for the first time that day.)

Then she confessed. "Well, it's not really about the light. It's just that I want to stay up and eat ice cream and watch TV." (My mouth stayed serious. But my brain laughed and laughed.)

What does she think this is, Bedtime for Frances? (A favorite childhood story in which Frances the Badger keeps getting out of bed because she's scared of different things in her room, and her parents finally let her stay up and eat cake with them before sending her happily back to bed.) One problem: I am not Frances the Badger's nice mommy. And Alexa is not Frances the Badger.

Quickly running out of patience, I told her that that would not be happening, that she had already had dessert and stayed up very late, and that this was Mommy's time for herself and that she needed to high-tail it back to bed before I told Daddy she was still up. (Daddy is notorious for taking toys away from Little Girls Who Don't Listen.) Lexa got a scared look on her face and started to slink out of the room. As she was leaving, she held up her hand to the side of her mouth and said, "If Daddy comes in here, tell him you were talking to yourself."

I didn't see her again for the rest of the night.

She is my favorite 4-year-old. But I tell you, that favorite status expires every night at 8:30.