Christmas 2015

Last Christmas Aunt Stacey gave the girls snowmen kits, but we didn't get a chance to use them because there just wasn't enough snow!  So the first snow fall this year (which brought at least a foot to our neighborhood) was the moment we'd been waiting for!  Jon came home early from work that afternoon so that he could build some snowmen with his girls.  Lydia, Sophie and I had already been outside for a solid hour or more shoveling the driveway while Mia napped.  They loved playing in the snow and joined in with our sweet young women neighbors when they came to help clear the concrete.  Things worked out perfectly so that Lydia and Sophie had enough time to warm up with hot chocolate just before Jon came home.  Then they headed back out and were incredibly helpful (eating snow and stomping through the newly shoveled piles) while their dad shaped the snowmen.  In fact, their biggest contribution included putting on the coal buttons which eventually ended up in the right spots.

A new tradition began around Thanksgiving when Aunt Abby took the girls to the mall and introduced them to Sephora.  It was, in a word, heaven. Honestly, that outing changed Sophie's life; she will never be the same.  It's something she's talked about often and knows that if Aunt Abby is in town there will absolutely be a trip to Sephora.  This time around Lydia knew exactly what colors she wanted and didn't waste time admiring anything else.  After looking like a butterfly in November Sophie had all the confidence in the world that her Aunties would make her look beautiful.  And Aunt Abby and Aunt Sarah did just that.  They dolled them up while Aunt Jess, Mia and I watched on. 

Preparing for Christmas is always a whirlwind and incredibly stressful.  This year was a little better since Jon and I had made great efforts to not procrastinate homemade gifts and shopping in general, but somehow things still were being finished at the very last minute.  I love doing the calendar for Grandma and Grandpa Blackhurst and it's been so fun to make a calendar for just our family, but I'm learning that I'd really benefit by collecting/filing pictures throughout the year.  Hopefully I can remember that for next year! Jon's magnet board for Uncle Nate looked awesome when he finished.  He'd learned some tips from making Isaac and Amber's last year and we got a kick out of plastering it with pictures of our family.  We also included Nate's "dating" trading card that Jon came up with when we decided to set him up with our Bishop's daughter.   We thought he ought to have a copy.  Baking neighbor treats was also a little more stressful than it probably needed to be.  Why is it that baking for someone else often leads to poorer results than normal?  The caramel I was melting nearly burned before I realized I should take it off the stove.  Fortunately the caramel filled brownies turned out just fine in the end.  Our neighbors are too kind, but we do enjoy sharing the love this time of year.  Our Christmas card came together in the end too.  

 

Christmas Eve with the Frazier side was wonderful even though we started it by spending the afternoon out in the bitter cold.  We braved the biting wind and snow (at least that's how I remember it) and went sledding at the Elementary school behind Grandma and Grandpa Frazier's school with Grandpa and the Talbots.  I, sadly (wink wink), needed to feed Mia so we weren't able to endure as long as everyone else, but Lydia had the time of her life sledding on her own down the hill again and again and again.  She was so proud of herself!  Sophie and I slid down together a few times before I went in and then she and Jon went down the hill over and over again until the girls' little cheeks and noses were bright pink.  Dinner was delicious.  Shrimp. Little smokies rolled in crescent rolls.  Cheese ball and crackers.  Veggie tray.  Lots of fruit.  Meatballs. And probably more yummy goodness that I can no longer remember.  

  We then dressed up for the nativity.  Well, Mia and I watched everyone else get dressed up and prepare to perform.  I loved doing this as a kid growing up and love that the girls get to participate with both our families each Christmas Eve.  I'm sure the time will come when we'll do it with just our little family, but until then we look forward to these moments. 

And then it was time to open presents.  Cathy made the girls the cutest hats!  Anna for Sophie, Elsa for Lydia and the cutest little white and blue hat for Mia. We took a time out to admire them and the girls just adored the hats!  So we snapped several pictures of the girls wearing their beautiful new hats and then moved on. When Sophie opened Stacey's gift card to McDonald's we all knew who had won Christmas for her!  She could not stop jumping up and down and running around exclaiming, "Aunt Stacey's taking us to McDonalds! Aunt Stacey's taking us to McDonalds! Aunt Stacey's taking us to McDonalds!"  It was truly a thrilling moment for her.  And it lasted much much longer than anticipated.  When everyone opened the Lagoon passes from Grandma and Grandpa Frazier we knew that Christmas could have ended right then and there and we'd been super spoiled.  We are so excited to visit the carousel and ride the boats and go to Lagoona beach this summer.  And getting to go with cousins makes it even better!

Christmas morning was a delight.  Lydia got her Care Bear and jump rope and Sophie's kitty, puppy and tree with a star on top were exactly what she wanted.  The Star Wars books we got for dad would bring much entertainment in the weeks to come (more on that in a later post) and Mia sucked her thumb and happily watched her sisters.  These horses have been and will continue to be used for many horse races around the kitchen and living room and our Monday night games have and will continue to include Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders and Hungry, Hungry Hippos as part of our family night after our lessons.  We still need to work on being happy for whoever reaches "King Candy" first, but we are working on it.  Oh, and it should be noted that the Utah shirts and the BYU sweaters will be worn and enjoyed by all. They already are. Mia looks especially awesome in her dress and onesie.

Christmas morning with the Blackhursts was an extension of the spoiling that began the night before.  Aunt Sarah made these awesome cinnamon rolls and we got to talk to the Heiselts before everyone arrived. We then gathered together to open gifts.  Isaac and Amber really outdid themselves.  The Treehouse Museum passes are so perfect!  Between going there and to Lagoon our girls have it made this year!  And the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books have been a hit already.  Both Lydia and Sophie have their favorite stories, but we look forward to completing the series and then revisiting them again and again.  The family trees with pictures of everyone in both our families made me want to cry!  They're such a beautiful and thoughtful gift and I look at them every day.   I love that every member of the family is included on our trees, and find the girls peering at them often.  I know that took quite a bit of work to put together and getting all the pictures from Jon's mom seemed like really going the extra mile for sure.  And the aprons!  They. Are. Adorable!  The girls look so darling in them and since they help me so much in the kitchen it'll be even more fun for them to dress up a bit when we're getting fancy with the spices. ;) Such a fun day.  So great to spend time with family.

Chuck-A-Rama was a fun night as always.  Thanks Mom and Dad for taking us there each year.   Love their scones.  The girls could probably have slurped slushy all night and been perfectly happy. It was so fun running into friends from the home ward and I got to catch up with Martha and meet her cute family.  Afterward some of the brothers came over for games, Inside Out and fun discussion.  I just love this pic of Mia with her Uncles.  That little tongue! Always making an appearance.