Christmas Traditions

Christmas was wonderful this year.  We had so much fun with all our favorite Christmas traditions.  We LOVE Christmas!

We go to Christmas in Color every year.  It's a light show choreographed to music but we like it because you drive through it so you are nice and warm in your car.  The kids like it because we take our van and we let them stand up through the sunroof!

Memphis had pack mtg where he received his last few belt loops for wolves (he is going into bears soon!) and he was also chosen for the do your best award.  I was taking pictures and his facial expressions were so funny I had to post them.  We are proud of Memphis for all he has done in scouts and he loves going.

We got a couple cookie making kits from friends and family so we made cookies throughout the month.  Some we made for Santa!  The kids loved the ugly sweater cookie kit they got from their Grandma Thorpe.

December 10th marked the day me and Danny met 10 years ago!!!  Golden Anniversary! Crazy to think we have know each other that long.  We went to Arctic Circle that first night so we always go there to celebrate.  We let the kids tag along this year.  I found this picture that I took of the picture in our room.  This was about a week after we met.  So young!

Being a teacher in December is CRAZY!  The kids are so wound up and of course the teachers just want to be done and have a break.  Whew it was crazy but we made it through.

On December 15th my nephew James turned 1.  He is such a cutie.  His blue eyes get me everytime.  They celebrated by going to California and celebrated with his dad's family and my other sister and her little boy Max.  I love the picture they got of my two nephews.  Max and James are the cutest.  Wish we lived closer I am missing them and they are growing up so fast!

Our school had it's annual Christmas Sing.  I love that my kids go to the school I teach at so I can see them.  Kayzee and Memphis did so well singing and Memphis was hamming it up as usual.

Our family friends rented out a time at the city indoor pool to celebrate one of their boys' birthday and they always invite us.  We had fun swimming in the middle of winter.

All Kayzee wanted for Christmas was 'her two front teeth'!  Not really but we loved teasing her about it;)

Every Christmas we go to a family movie.  This year we went to Ferdinand.  Perfect family movie we loved it!

We also have a family game night.  This year we had everyone pick a game.  Memphis chose hide and go seek, Kayzee chose 4 corners, Daddy chose yatzee, and mommy chose trouble.  It was a fun night!  Both kids rolled a yatzee.  Memphis even rolled two! Me and Danny also play a game just the two of us this year we played 5 crowns and I totally beat him by a lot!

Pictures of my twin sisters and their little families this Christmas.

Our Christmas Eve tradition is eating dinner by candlelight.  The kids think it is so much fun.  We also open up new Christmas Jammies from my mom.  She went all out this year and got us matching ones!

 Kids were so excited for Santa to come ha ha!

The kids were good this year so Santa came!

Sorry some of the next pictures are blurry.  Didn't realize I had a smudge on the lens.

Christmas morning...

Memphis and Kayzee asked why they didn't get as many presents as last year.  They learned that the things they want are getting more and more expensive so they will get less because they cost more.  The kids also got gifts that couldn't really be put under the tree (see below) and some other family members sent money so they got to buy more.  Memphis bought Lego Dimensions and Kayzee bought lots of girlie stuff:)

 Family gifts and gifts for me and Danny.

 Me and Danny got our gifts for each other early...I got a new washer and dryer and he got a new gun!

 We also bought a new couch that turns into a bed easily for when lots of family stay over.

 With our Christmas money from family Danny bought a new ice fishing tent (also his birthday present ha ha).  I of course bought more books!  I was driving by the scholastic warehouse and they were having their BOGO sale.  Buy a book get one free say what?!?!?!  I got $225 worth of books for only $58.  I also got a gift card to Barnes and Noble so I bought more books.  So I now have 54 new books to read toward my 2018 goal of reading 100 books!!!

We have had a weird winter this year.  Unseasonably warm and no snow.  Not really any rain either.  Not good for our water levels for summer.  Christmas isn't Christmas in Utah without snow.  I guess a lot of people prayed hard enough because we got a white Christmas!  Not a lot but enough to make a muddy snow man and last for two days.  It's all gone and warm again but the kids enjoyed it while it lasted.

 Christmas Tradition of Danny's home made cinnamon rolls YUM! and we also had yummy dinner and I made my Grandma Thorpe's famous mud pie.

 I love one of the gifts I thought of for my mom this year.  My mom is always wearing an apron so I had to make one for her with her grandkids.  Put the picture we took with all her grandkids together and put my kids' handprints on it and had them sign it and then mailed it to my two sisters to add their kids.  Merry Christmas Mom!

I finished my goal of reading 100 chapter books in 2017!  Some of my favorites...

*The Orphan Keeper (so uplifting)

*The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend (A girl who sometimes like books more than people. That's me sometimes)

*Uninvited (Gave me a new perspective on my relationships with the people around me. What/Who I should focus on to feel truly loved and find what/who matters most in my life at this point in my life being a working mom because sometimes it's just hard)

*A Man Called Ove (I cried I laughed and I loved)

The Christmas present that was not under the tree this year was punch passes to my kids' new favorite place...FUNTOPIA!  I have posted about it before but it's a wall climbing place for kids.  Tons of different themed walls and courses.  Now my kids can go play and burn off some energy whenever they want.

Me and my best friend Amy found a new place for our kids to go play.  Coconut Cove...My kids' loved it so much the first time we went they played for 5 hours!!!  They loved it so much we went back the next day but they only lasted 2 hours ha ha!  I just love that they are running around having fun off screens and burning off some energy during the winter.

Best nine pictures of 2017: Memphis got baptized, spring break trip for my bday to see my family and get grandkids together, strep 8 times in 6 months and found out I had mono, finished our basement, annual summer trip to bear lake, best vacation ever LEGOLAND, finished our front room, read 100 books, bought another car.  I have not been doing well the last couple months so I am trying to reinvent myself and find a new healthy and happier me.

We celebrated ringing in the new year at Danny's brother's house with some of his family.  It was fun to play games all night and hang out with family.  Memphis actually made it to midnight this year.  Happy New Year.  Here's to 2018!