Stay-cation

Since are doing such a push to make this Christmas about memories more than gifts we decided to take the boys on a mini vacation.  But we ended up with the flu and didn't make it to Leavenworth as planned, so this weekend we had a stay-cation instead.  We started at IHOP for breakfast then went shopping for a secret Santa gift, then went home and Sabree napped while the boys played barbershop.  Dave has been begging for a haircut and Tanner did a bang up job.  He even did a John Deere logo on the side of his head :). Then we went to linner at 3:00 at granny's buffet, much to Dave's chagrin.  The boys loved it.  Then our big gun surprise was the movie Frozen.  We said that we were going to get tickets and Dave led them to believe it was for a helicopter ride.  They were even more excited when it was the movie instead!  (Good thing!) 

Tanner asked Braden why he also makes crazy faces in every picture and Brady replied that he doesn't know how to do anything different.

Family Christmas party

A few of our friends got together for a family Christmas party.  I was in charge of games and we has a blast.  We raced the make reindeer antlers, raced to fill the bowl with reindeer poop, ate yummy treats, played the candy bar game, played an adult white elephant game, and then had a kid gift-walk.  So fun for everyone!  Oh, and we all wore Christmas sweaters - some uglier than others.

First snow!

We got our first snowfall of the winter on Friday.  Braden and William were so excited to shovel the driveway.  Even Sabree thought she could help!

Tis the Season

It snuck up on us this year with Thanksgiving so late in the month, but December is here and so is the rush that seems to come with it.  This year I am trying to focus on our family and making memories more than getting stuff.  We have asked our grandparents to please give us their time for Christmas instead of toys, and we have told the kids that we are doing other things for Christmas than just buying more toys to get broken and thrown out.  I made a calendar with the fun things we are going to do each day, and so far we have done each one.  Of course it started with putting up the tree.

Everyone wanted a turn putting up the star, so we had a replay of that event.

We have done some neighborhood secret santas, had hot cocoa and candy canes, cut out snowflakes, and yesterday the boys and I went to the play "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" at the Academy of Children's theater.  We all loved it.

Tuesday night was our ward Christmas party.  We got to see Ho Ho and the kids sang in the program.  Brady didn't sing because he wasn't done eating and wanted to finish.  It was a fun evening for the family.

I have also been doing a little shopping here and there.  My little helpers are so cute.  And, I have decided that if everyone would wear pink sparkle boots the world's problems would dissipate.  EVERYONE we walk past makes comments about Sabree's boots.

The other day I was at Value Village and Sabree found a little wagon.  She loaded it up with all the babies on the shelf and hauled them around.  You have heard of "No Child left Behind"....  Well this was "no baby left behind."  It was cute, and a simple miracle that we got out of there without them.