Christmas Day

 I love that Christmas was on a Sunday!  It makes it that much easier to be focused on Christ during the entire day.  What it also meant was that the "materialistic" part of the day was split into multiple sections.

We started the day with the boys jumping on all of their Aunties and Uncles (with our help ;-) to get them up for the day.  Evan was absolutely convinced that he had heard a thump on the roof in the middle of the night.  He knew it was Santa and was just beside himself excited for what was awaiting him under the tree.

I LOVE the magic of Christmas and watching that joy in my children's faces is more precious than any word can describe.  We boogied downstairs with the whole family and opened our Santa gift, gift to Jesus , and rifled through our stockings.  Then it was time to get pretty and head off to church.

Church was so fun for me.  It was the special Christmas program in the congregation I grew up in, and I sang in the choir next to my mom and played my oboe (probably a little better than I did in high school).  I loved it!!  Every moment!

I just think this is a funny picture of my Sis-in-Law, Sharley.

 After church we came back home and dived head first into our present opening routine.  The boys got everything they asked for ... and more.  Thank you everyone for spoiling our children!  :-)

Some of the main gifts were:
Santa brought Evan a pirate Lego that he asked for and Landon the cars Lego that he asked for.
Auntie Sarah gave us a bunch of pirate stuff, including a well loved Captain Jack.
Landon got a Rapunzel doll from Mommy and Daddy and he slept with it the rest of the week we were in San Diego!
GG got Landon a back pack.  To say he is in love with his back pack would be an understatement!!!!!
Grandma made them some snow balls to use inside the house.

There are more, but my fingers are now tired and I need to finish this blog ;-)

After presents came our phone call with my brother Alex.  He is on a mission for our church in Chile and his mission president lets him Skype in.  I love that he can use Skype because it means that the entire family can talk to him, even Brandon who spent Christmas in Texas.  It means so much to be able to see him and meet his companion.  Even Sheba (our 18 year old cat) got in on the action, and we all got to meet Rosalie (my brothers baby who was born 2 days before Christmas).  It was a perfect day!!!

Oh the magic of Childhood captured in a photo!

Yeah the day was THAT good!!!

Christmas Eve

Shopping at Costco and then to the Muppet movie.  Now the boys will randomly spit out ... 

"Mom, am I a man?  No I'm not a Muppet."

 Every Christmas Eve our family has a talent show.  Ben made his home made tacos ... yum yum yum!!!!

Ben's beautiful helper Sharley

 With my boys being the only children in the house everyone jumped onto their love of swords.

 Nobody is spared from the danger that the sword can impose

 Evan was so excited to perform his talents ....

 He wanted to show everyone that he could defeat me.

 .... and to drink milk like a cat.

 Daddy did push-ups with the kids.

... and Landon sang "Red Solo Cup!!!"  It is so CUTE when he does this.

 Then came the time to open the Christmas Eve presents.  Evan was really REALLY excited until ...

 .... he got the present open.  Evan's fit lasted a long time.

 So Trevor decided that he would join in when he got pants from Alycia.

 Evan finally calmed down when he realized that Santa wouldn't come the next morning if he continued.

and then we played Telestrations all night long!!!!!  This is Justin's drawing of ....

(I will reveal the answer in my next post)

Our Christmas Break ... Day 1

Now that pictures are mostly consolidated (thank you daddy!) and I have now purchased food for our family I can start up on my poor neglected bloggy blog.

The flight to San Diego was crazy!  Our flight was switched and we ended up with a 5 hour layover in Salt Lake City.  Not a fantastic idea for anyone, let alone a family traveling with a 2 and a 4 year old late at night.  Of course we gave it a bit of Palmer magic and it turned into the BEST layover of my life.  Justin has some cousins who live near SLC and they found some carseats for the boys, picked us up and we hit the town.  We ate at Cafe Rio (oh how I miss that place!) and walked around temple square looking at the lights.  It was awesome!!!!!

We got back on our flight no problem but were delayed for de-icing.  We pulled into the airport in San Diego an hour and a half late!!  I swear we were the last ones in the airport, but the pilots gave the boys some wings so it made it all worth it for them :-)

 The next day we hit up Disney.  Yes folks the day after our crazy travel day we went to Disneyland.  It was COLD!!!  I mean ... really cold!  What else can you say?  I loved it, the boys loved it, everyone else loved it!  I am such a Disney girl, its ridiculous :-)  I think my little Landon is going to take after me.  Every single day since this first day at Disney he has asked if we are going to go back.

At the end of the day Justin, GG, and Sarah took the little boys home.  I stayed for another hour or so with my parents.  I realized that I can't remember a time that I have been alone with them.  I am the oldest of 6 and I literally can't remember a time I was alone with both of my parents.  It was such a treat for me and a time that I will literally treasure for so long!

(Funny side note:  When everyone first left we still had GG's wheelchair so I hopped in.  My Dad was sweet and said, you don't have to get out I'll push you.  I realized then that the last time I was probably truly alone with both of my parents was right before my little brother Brandon was born and I would have been pushed in a stroller.  It made me laugh how we were repeating life.)

 Landon HAD to get his picture with "Winnie Pooh".  He was in awe!

 We had the BEST lunch EVER at Louisiana square

 I haven't been on Mr. Toads ride for a long time.  Did you know that you die and go to hell on the ride?? Not really my favorite.

I finally figured out a way to make this little boy sleep!  Take hime to Disneyland ... it wears him right out! ;-)

By far my favorite experiences this trip were seeing the Haunted house and It's a small world decked out for Christmas.  Especially "It's a Small World".  It was gorgeous!!!!  I was in awe and the boys were in awe!

did I mention that it was cold?

 It's a small world at night

 they even made it snow

I got to see an old friend of mine who works at Disney.  It was nice to see Kim again.

Chase the Sun

So glad I stayed!  Justin is back home in the cold so he can work and I am soaking up the sun in beautiful San Diego!  We've been to the beach twice and today the boys took a nap and I got to lay in the sun listening to music.  I honestly can't remember when I got to do that last.  AMAZING!