It's possible that I posted this previously, but I couldn't pass up the chance to put this cuteness out there on the blogosphere again. John LOVES Christmas, especially the Christmas village which conveniently includes a school bus and fire truck (aka "wee-ooh").
John has been my little buddy through lots of Christmas prep. He loves to walk older siblings to the school bus and will point out with enthusiasm any school bus he sees around town, but if you ask him if he wants to go on a school bus, he will shake his head emphatically and reply, "No! Stay Mommy."
Works for me. I love this little buddy. He helped me box chocolates. (I even have a precious video of him putting all the ribbons on).
John also helped tackle the task of decorating our wooden tree with Hershey kiss "ornaments." Only a few of the kisses didn't make it as far as the tree, and I'm impressed that John has let the other ones go uneaten. I told him we can eat it when we have the violin recital. So far, so good.
*This tree was given to us by a dear friend, Brother Gordon Olsen, who made it and painted it. He has since passed away, but we remember him fondly as we decorate it each year.
After some debate, it was decided that Emma got to put the star on the tree first this year. We were going to do repeat events for each kid, but the interest waned and I certainly haven't brought it up again.
We hung our stockings up. Adam always wants to go in age order, but I won out convincing him that there is some worthy symbolism in the father leading the family...and therefore his stocking starts the lineup.
Here is Spencer with his stocking.
Emma hanging her stocking.
John with his stocking.
The kids took the pictures of Adam and me. Their idea, not mine. It's a little blurry, but fun to be included in the evening's photo shoot.
Adam with his stocking.
"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care."
We got most of our Christmas decorating done before Adam left for Russia. However, while he was gone we still managed to do lots of Christmasy things. Emma and John helped me make Rice Krispy Treat Christmas Trees (something my mom used to do when we were young).
We decorated with sprinkles to look like Christmas lights.
We took the trees to a gingerbread house-making party, hosted by the Rothmans. These houses were amazing. It's the first time in my life I've ever eaten any of the structure itself, but this gingerbread recipe is Goo-oood.
We loved spending the evening with such fun friends. I was especially grateful for a way to break up the evenings during Adam's absence.
The kids and I decided that while Daddy was away, we needed to play. One night, that meant getting dinner at Costco.
We also went to see Santa at the ward party while Adam was away. Spencer asked for a Lego Ninjaho Ultra Sonic Raider set.
Emma is hoping for Jenny, Target's version of the American Girl Doll.
John was super brave. He didn't want to sit in Santa's lap but was happy to talk to him this year. We had read the book Brave Santa, which is fantastic for helping kids get up the courage to talk with the big man. John practiced with me before the event and asked Santa for a fire hat, though we were able to clarify with Santa that we have quite a few of those around our house and maybe a fire truck would be an acceptable alternative.
Now anytime we see a picture of Santa, John tells the story of when he met Santa. "Santa. Church. Fire hat. Tan tane." (Today I figured out that means "candy cane," which Santa gave him at the end of their brief chat).
The day Adam was to come home, Spencer and Emma got to pass the afternoon on a special Gma and Gpa date. They went to the Kennedy Center to see Ballet West put on "The Nutcracker." Emma was on the edge of her seat for the entire production. Her favorite dance was the Spanish dance. Spencer liked the part where children appear from under the skirt of an old woman. He also loved the battles and the hot cocoa (with M&Ms) that he got at intermission. That's my 7 year old.
Gma, Gpa, Spencer, and Emma at the Kennedy Center.
Our family started the "Elf on a Shelf" tradition last year, and the kids love waking up to find Nick's new hiding spot each morning. Spencer sometimes has to find him later in the day since he rushes to an early school bus each day.
Admittedly, ever since Daddy returned from Russia, Nick has been hiding in the clever places and doing strange things. One morning Nick was drinking our syrup from a crazy straw. Emma kept checking back through the day to see how much he had drunk. Silly Nick!
Sunday was a marathon day for Adam. He had returned from Russia Saturday evening only to speak in church, teach Sunbeams, and have tithing settlement the following day. In addition, he was solo parenting in the morning while I was at ward council. We both decided that it was a good idea for him and kiddos to have an early bedtime, which meant that they were unable to attend our Stake's Sing-Along "Messiah." The event was well-attended nonetheless.
A friend sent the photo below. I love playing this music; it makes me so content. There's no better way to celebrate the Christmas season than by playing beautiful music that tells of the Savior's birth, ministry, and mission here on Earth. It was a powerful experience, and I loved that I got to share it with dear friend (and violin student) Melaney Tagg.
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