Traditions

Christmas this year was full of traditions.  We carried on our old ones and added in one or two.  But a big tradition we didn't carry on was living in a new place.  This was our 9th Christmas together and this was the first time we've lived in the same house two Christmases in a row.  I didn't have to figure out where to put my decorations or the tree.  That was a first.  To be honest, I wish that tradition hadn't been broken.  We wish we were in a new place in Idaho.  In the last year we've had some opportunities face us that seemed promising to get us back out there, but they didn't work out.  We're disappointed of course, and trying to accept the fact that we might actually be here for a while, wondering WHY?  It will be 2 years next month.  Most days I feel like I'm getting past that stir crazy feeling of wanting to get out of here.  We have good friends, the kids have friends, we're just missing the family part. 

CHRISTMAS EVE

We've always had really random Christmas celebrations.  When we first got married it was just the two of us.  My parents got divorced right before our first Christmas together so that left me with no desire to go home for the holidays.  I also had zero desire to spend it with Josh's family, and they lived in Seattle anyway, so our first several Christmases we spent alone.  One year my sister was there because she was at BYU-I too.  One year we did end up spending it in Boise because Josh's parents moved there.  And a couple of times we've been invited over to friend's homes for parties or dinners.  This year we had some people over.  Josh's old boss, who hired him in Birmingham 5 years ago, moved to Charlotte a week before Christmas.  We were good friends while we lived there.  We were in the same ward for over a year, and we actually spent Christmas Eve with them the one Christmas we lived in Alabama.  I was finally able to return the favor!  We also had our other friend's over, whose kids were all out in Utah for Christmas.  So we had a full house of 12.  We ate a big dinner and then sat around and talked and played games.  After they all left we read of Jesus' birth from the Bible then opened the annual pj's that I'm too lazy to make anymore.  And completely skipped the picture in front of the tree because of the late hour.  I'll have to stage it later.

CHRISTMAS

Christmas morning was so much fun this year!  Jayden woke us up with bright eyes, so excited to see what Santa had brought.  He had been asking for a puppy for months.  Last summer he wrote a letter to Santa asking for one.  And then at the mall there was a desk and mailbox for letters to him and he asked for 3 puppies, a bowl for water, and a bowl for food.  I was trying to prep him beforehand because we knew he wasn't going to get one, and I was really nervous there would be tears.  As he was opening his first gift, a small odd shaped thing, he said, "Maybe this is a puppy!"  It wasn't, but he didn't mention the puppy again for the rest of the morning.  Sigh of relief.  I guess with all his other loot he forgot about it.  He says his favorite gift is all the spy gear he got complete with glasses that allow him to see behind him.

Before we were able to sit down to start the opening Sidney had already torn into one of Josh's gifts.  It was so funny, I wasn't expecting her to be so into the ripping.  But she tore into everything with so much intensity, Josh and I laughed all morning.  Paper was flying everywhere.  We can tell her favorite gift was the baby gear for her baby dolls.  She puts her babies to bed in their new crib next to her every night now with such care.  And they take a lot of naps during the day and she's always putting her finger to her mouth and saying, "Shhhh.  Baby.  Shhhh."  She had this look on her face all morning.

After presents I made our traditional biscuits and gravy breakfast.  This year the biscuits were snowmen.  I always love my biscuits.

After laying around all day in our jammies, eating way too much candy, and playing with our new goodies, we made ice cream snowmen.  The ice cream got a little too soft before we dished up, and it was our first attempt, so they're not perfect, but we had fun and hope to do it every year.

We let some of them melt instead of eating them.  But they'll be back next year.

After the ice cream we headed out to look at Christmas lights.  It had just started snowing so it made it extra magical.  Snow in December is unusual here.  We drank hot chocolate and Sidney wore some pj's with hot chocolate on them.

A few more fun photos.  At first Sidney thought all the baby gear was for her and she sat in the crib while watching the Disney World parade.  She was also sneaking candy any time she got the chance.

Jayden with his spy watch and his spy face.