I admit... having kids during the holiday season makes the season more fun. This is not the case for everything though, so I'll count the holidays as a win.
The littlest things excite my energetic son. Watching "The Grinch" was the best in his eyes. Seeing "The Santa Clause" was just as good and James asked if we could watch more Charlie frequently. (He didn't know the name of the movie.) Each time we got a new Christmas card in the mail was thrilling for James and he "helped" add it to the wall. Going to see a live nativity was exhilarating and the fact that James knew Mary and Joseph (our friends) about pushed him over the edge. He had so many questions during the program. Delivering wrapping paper to our friends and neighbors was equally stimulating for James and he kept tabs on all of his friends by ensuring we delivered some to them. Teaching James Christmas songs was extra neat too. His favorite was "Shepherd's Carol" and he constantly asked me to sing him "Mary, Mary."
Snow makes for more fun than anything in James' eyes. We went to Eden with Andrew's family for Christmas this year. James had the time of his life with dozens of cousins to play with and tons of snow. He was fearless while sledding and even went off some jumps. Izzy loved being carried around by all of her cousins and got her hair done in a ponytail for the first time. The "favorite things" gift exchange, white elephant, ABH video, and talent show made for a terrific week. I was able to read 2 books while there (completing my reading goal for the year) and we played so many games! Splendor was a hit. Some things we don't want to dwell on too long are Andrew's injured shoulder. He fell while snowboarding. My forgotten boots and gloves. (Thankfully Malia grabbed my boots for me.) Our car getting stuck in the driveway. It made me rethink our decision to buy a van. Snow tires are definitely in our plans for the future.
After returning from Eden, we went tubing with my family. James wasn't scared at all and was giddy gliding down the mountain. We also had a snow storm and James and Daddy made a snowman. They named it and everything. James talked to the snowman as if he were a human. It was adorable.
Jill and Rob flew in for the break. We will be seeing them less now that they live in Massachusetts. We didn't waste a minute of the time we had with them. We continued the Denning Salsa tradition and made and delivered salsas around the neighborhood. We got cozy matching pajamas. The boys got "Dunder Mifflin" pajamas. My dad loudly asked, "What's Dunder Muffin?" which gave us all a good laugh. We played many games... Hand and Foot, Secret Hitler (Chris gave this to Andrew for Christmas), Scheming and Skulking, a new meme game, and more. The ladies went to see "Little Women" which was a hit! I LOVED it and am dying to reread the book. We went out to eat a couple of times and had many family dinners. We tried the restaurant at the jail called "Serving Time Cafe" which I've been wanting to do for over a year. It has rave reviews and I was disappointed by my tasteless burger. Oh well.
Delivering salsa in style
For Christmas, Andrew booked me a massage and I can hardly wait for that! He also got me some other things-- a yoga mat for the PIYO class I attend at the gym, a workout shirt, and a reading light clip that I can attach to my book. This was so thoughtful! I usually require less sleep than Andrew, so now I can happily read in bed instead of escaping to the closest in hopes of not waking him. Andrew's main gift from me was tickets to Tuacahn this summer to see the play "Count of Monte Cristo." July can't come soon enough! Some other noteworthy gifts are: an instant pot which I broke in last night, thanks mom! An 8 man tent for Andrew which we will use this summer at the Ditto reunion. A new flagpole/flag that says Ditto for the front of our house and an adorable pink jacket. For James, we tried to stick with basic things: a need (3 pairs of pants), a want (paint book), something to read (Tikki Tikki Tembo), something to wear (Snowpants and gloves). Santa brought him blocks. We are so blessed!
We had an amazing break and we are all sad to see it end. Andrew had lots of time off of work and we made some unforgettable memories. Today is his first day back at work and boy do we miss him. I've heard "when will Daddy be home" a few too many times already. We are so grateful for this time of year. Teaching our kids about the Savior's birth was a unique experience. I'm eager for next Christmas already and so is James for that matter.
