Christmas Day 2015

 Christmas Day started for us around 7:30am which was wonderful! The kids actually slept longer than we thought they would! AND it snowed ALL NIGHT so we woke up to another winter wonderland! This year I got a little crazy with stocking stuffers! They wouldn't all "fit" inside! And I wrapped all of them just like my Mom used to do when we got older! Anything to make it last a little longer right?!! :)

 Will and Brianne had gone out shopping for us as well and had wrapped all our gifts and put them under the tree. It was so sweet to see them do that and want to give us something special!

 Opening stocking stuffers- these are emoji pillows! Brianne's is the crying laughing one and Will's is the smiling face! Love these!

 Chan is smiling that BIG smile because we got him a new Hydroflask! if you don't know about these you should! They are amazing water containers that have amazing insulating! Anyway, he had one but lost it at one of Will's football games, so he was VERY excited to get a new one!

 Vlad got a new toy for Christmas and was already ripping the stuffing out of it! You can see it over by the table!

Duke got a new ball! He loves to chew on them and to play fetch! He has crazy amounts of energy!
(you can see Chan's new Hydroflask behind Duke on the floor) The kids got us such thoughtful gifts too! They bought Chan a new tie, his favorite candies from Hickory Farms and a new University of Utah hat! And for me they got a Swig refill cup & gift card, a new phone case, bath & body car fresheners and an adult coloring book! The kids were happy with their gifts too which always makes us happy.

 After we opened our gifts for each other and cleaned up a bit Chan and Will went out to snow blow the driveway and sidewalks. There was A LOT of snow! And it snowed for most of the day too! Once we were done it wasn't long that we jumped into the truck and headed to Tom & Kathy's house. It was quite the adventure!

 We arrived and then had our usual breakfast fondue before heading downstairs to open gifts with each other. By the way this was Brianne's FAVORITE gift- the Pink Utah sweatshirt from Grandma Panko & Pa Boo and the Utes hat from Will :) Looks so cute on her too!

 Once we got downstairs it was all about the little kids first! They had a lot to open and had been waiting very patiently for a while! I don't think they could wait another minute!

 We all enjoy watching the little kids open gifts anyway, so it was fun! And the stuff they got was pretty cool too! It's awesome how technology is in a lot of the kids toys now days! Will was wearing Christmas gifts too! We gave him clothes for Christmas so he's wearing a new shirt and pants! Lookin' good!

 Our kids got some amazing gifts too- Brianne got the microphone stand she really wanted and Will got some XBox One games he has been wanting, but the thing we were MOST excited about was the gifts we were giving this year! That's to come...

 Brooke and Mark gave Chan and I a selfie stick! This was Will helping me get it set up! Brianne is afraid that I have one! I am so crazy about pictures already that she's worried what I'll do next! Ha!

 So here's the gift we were so excited about. This year we made these blankets for my parents and Chan's parents. They have photos of all the kids/grand kids on them and are a soft plush throw blanket. My parents LOVED theirs and sent us this photo after they opened it!

 Kathy loved hers as well- she just cried when she opened it and held it up. This is a photo I took of hers a while back. She was so happy with it that she said she is taking it everywhere! That made us so happy! I also gave Brooke and Annie's families sets of campfire sticks & sacks to put them in. They were painted cute and I wrote their names on all of them. I figured with all the camping they do they NEED those!

 Of course the best part of the day was this! Talking to Carter via Skype! It was different doing it at Tom & Kathy's house because it wasn't just us chatting with him. Everyone that was there had a chance to say hello too. I know Carter enjoyed seeing and talking to them all. He sounded so good and loved all the gifts he had received. He was transferred a couple days after our Skype and we still don't know where to- we will find out soon! A few interesting things we talked about were:

The weirdest thing he ate was a pigs foot- he said it was disgusting and couldn't eat it.
He hasn't ridden his bike in several months- it's out on his balcony.
Christmas Day for missionaries is just like any other day!
"Grandpa" takes them to the same restaurant to eat every time and it's not that great- Haha
There's lots of bugs in Florida- especially big spiders called banana spiders that weave huge webs in between palm trees. He told us to google it- and I did- and now I am going to have nightmares! Yuck!
He has lots of inside jokes with his companions and they laugh a lot!
They listen to David Archuletta when they are in the car
He doesn't get as many emails as when he first went out- and doesn't like to focus on that.
He's often too tired to work out but when he runs on the treadmill can do a 9 minute mile!
He still loves Oregon Ducks and asked for a Duck's shirt! :)

 There was SOOOO much more said, but I should have taken notes because my mind can't recall everything. The most important thing was that we got to SEE him and hear him laugh and know that he is doing amazing things there in Florida! We couldn't be any prouder of him!

The day after Christmas I noticed that Brianne had written this on our frame in our room and it made my heart smile! You can't get a better message than that and I agree- it was an amazing Christmas! How grateful I am for Christ all year. I can't imagine my life without Him and my Heavenly Father in it. They help keep me focused on what is most important! Merry Christmas everyone! Much love from our family to yours!

Christmas Eve

 On Christmas Eve the first thing I did (after running a quick errand) was go out and get Swig and donuts for me and the kiddos! Chan was already at work so that he could get home as soon as possible! I thought it was the perfect way to start the day! Loads of sugar!! haha!

 Before we left for family dinner I insisted we take a quick family "selfie" with Santa hats! I think we were all looking pretty good and very ready for dinner!

 Chan's part of dinner was the 7 layer salad and aspic. This year dinner was going to be at Annie's house and we were doing Mema's Christmas dinner. It has been quite a long time since we had that! When we were first married we would go to Mema's house every Christmas Eve for prime Rib, 7 layer salad, aspic, creamed potatoes, green beans and rolls. So I was honestly excited to see it come back this year!

 Tom even dressed up for the occasion and had on a tie! I haven't seen him in a tie for a few years! :) We enjoyed visiting and snacking on appetizers. I was also enjoying the "Holiday Slush" I made! Brianne helped me make it too- it's basically water, sugar, pineapple juice, maraschino cherries, bananas and orange juice concentrate. You make it and freeze it and serve it over sprite. It is SOOO yummy!!!!

 Annie and Gerardo setting up the "kids" table! There wasn't room for us to all sit together, which was fine, we just enjoy being together as a family under the same roof!

 Here's all the cousins! From front left: Sophie, Chloe, Dakota over to Myles then Brianne and Will. Aren't they cute! I don't think some of the kids loved the food, but hopefully as they get older they will learn to love it like we do! Well, except the aspic, I am still not a fan of that! Haha!

 After dinner it was time for Christmas Eve gifts. This year my kids did not want pajamas so I had to get creative and get things that were on their list. Will got a T-Shirt and button up shirt from Aeropostale and Brianne got a sweatshirt from Pink. They were both very happy!

Not long after dinner we all cleaned up and headed for home to prepare for Santa's arrival! Now that are kids are older that is a MUCH easier thing to handle, but they are just as excited as when they were little! Which I LOVE!! Because I am just as excited too! Christmas time is truly a magical time of year! Happy EVE everyone!

Christmas Cookies

 The week of Christmas Kathy and Tom invited all the kids and Grand kids over to make Christmas cookies and salt dough ornaments. We've done it the last few years (the cookies- not ornaments) and it's always fun to see what people can create! These are our snowmen... this purple one is Will's! I personally loved the marshmallow arms! But I think he liked eating them a bit more than decorating them! Or at least it seems that way! Haha!

 This one is Brianne's! I loved her use of licorice as the arms and I loved her frosting hat. It looks awesome!

 These are mine. I take a LONG time to do mine! I placed each of those dots by hand... I have issues! Haha! But seriously, I figure whats the hurry anyway! I would rather get it exactly the way I want it!

 This one was also Brianne's! She likes to change things up too :)

 This is my salt dough ornament. I had no idea what I was going to do when she handed me the ball of dough! I just ended up braiding it and making a wreath! I painted it green later that night and it looked really good! I might need to do more of these next year!

 Brianne was having fun being creative with the dough too! She made a music note (that I didn't get a picture of) that turned out amazing!

Here is the heart she made! I love how she did the coil around the edge of the heart! It was a fun time! We even stayed late for dinner and Chan came up too. A fun way to kick off the holiday! Thanks Tom & Kathy!

Christmas Concert Choir

 In the last weeks of school Brianne's Concert Choir had their Christmas Concert. They only performed 4 songs but I am honestly glad! First, it makes for a shorter concert which is always nice especially when it's a busy time of year. And second, it usually means all four will be amazing!

 And that is exactly what happened! Mr Abbott is a VERY strict teacher and this concert choir is made up of several choir classes. They only meet once (sometimes twice) to perform together before their concerts. So he insists that his students work hard during class so that when they do finally come together it all works as it should!

 Kathy and Brooke's daughter Sophie came to the concert along with Will and I. Chan was in New Orleans when this concert took place. Kathy said if she closed her eyes that you'd never know it was a middle school choir! And I have to agree! They really do a fantastic job!

Brianne was asked to sing in the soprano section this year. She didn't love the idea at first but now is enjoying it! I keep telling her that she needs to challenge herself and not get too comfortable in any spot! I am glad she is doing that and enjoying it too! She is also the President of her class again and loves it! Music is such an important part of her life and I am thrilled she is embracing it!

Work decor and parties

 Right after Thanksgiving at work we got busy decorating! There was quite a bit of decor for fall too, so that had to be put away first! We got all the bins out from storage and got busy bringing Christmas cheer to the office! We were all also given a tree coloring page to color! It was supposed to be a contest, but I think it ended up being just for fun! Anyway, we all helped put out the Christmas decorations, but Sherrie (one of the ladies I work with) wanted to take care of the front desk. She was going to bring in items from home like she had for fall (which was amazing). On my first day back in December this is what I walked into!

 A winter wonderland!!! Isn't it amazing! People would literally stop and take pictures of it as they walked by! It was funny! She definitely has a talent! When we get back from winter break our desk is going to look SO bare! Haha!

 Here's my finished tree! I worked on it for a long time! I really enjoyed doing it! I even got out my old set of colored pencils I used to use in my art classes! I had so much fun doing this!

 The last Wednesday before our winter break we had a work party/ugly sweater contest and these two were the favorites! That is Sherrie on the left and she MADE her outfit! It's "Elf on the Shelf" Hahaha! And Alyce is on the right and she made hers as well! She didn't love hers though- she said it was too bulky! Haha! We also did a white elephant gift exchange and it was FUN! There was some interesting stuff, funny stuff and even a few nice things intermixed!

 Then on the Friday before break we did Christmas Bingo! And this time anyone in our building could come. It was SO fun! My neighbor/boss Everett put it together, and apparently does this every year, and is the one to run it. There was a table of prizes at the front of the board room to win! I won 3 times! Haha! It was so fun!

 We also watched Christmas movies with a projector up on to the wall all day in our back office. I seriously work at the funnest office!

I had to get a quick picture of the table. Janet and I did this for the party. We went downstairs to our teacher resource center and did die cuts for the lights, used bulletin board paper and then drew in the black lines to connect the lights! Cute right?!! I need to remember this in case I ever do any parties where I need cheap and easy decor!

Now it's time to enjoy winter break! No work until January 6th for me! Woo hoo!

Christmas Decor 2015

This year we had TWO new Christmas tree's. One was brand new that Chan and I purchased for our front room instead of doing a live tree this year. Last year I kept forgetting to water the tree and it got VERY dry and I was worried it would turn brown or catch fire! Haha! So this year I really wanted a fake one again so I wouldn't have to worry about watering etc! The other tree was new to us, but not a "new" tree. A friend of mine from Indian Hills was getting rid of her tree after last Christmas and was going to take it to DI, so I asked if I could have it! She thought that was great- it saved her a trip! Me and Will went over and picked it up last January and I was super excited to see what it was like! Here's how that one turned out...

It ended up being WAY more work that I intended! It was a pre-lit tree but as I was putting it together some of the lights were not working.... sigh.... so Chan and I ended up cutting them all off. Yup.... each branch had to have the lights cut off! It took us HOURS! But once it was done, I put it together and just used the Christmas lights I already had and.... voila!!! I think it turned out GREAT! We could actually fit all of our family ornaments on it which is exactly what I wanted! Yay! And another funny side note- the wreath next to it was also pre-lit and I've had it for years. It used to be Chan's grandmother's (Mema's) wreath. The lights on it also stopped working! So I cut all those off and put a new strand of lights on. Thankfully I already had those too!

 I also decided to change up the mantle in that room this year. I have always put my nativities up there, but I added the tree's and the plaque that I made last year. I love how it turned out and I think I am going to do this every year! I love nativity scenes! They make me happy! The one in the middle (southwestern one) is one my Mom had when I was growing up. She bought it with my aunt Susan at an art show in Scottsdale years ago. The one to the left of that of Mary and Joseph was a wedding gift. And to the left of that is one I purchased years ago at a boutique. The one to the right of the southwestern one was a gift to us from our Bishop when Chan was serving as ward Clerk. Lastly the one on the far right was a gift given to us from our dear friends Swen and Kristi. I am hoping to collect more over the next few years!

 These pictures were on the back door by this room. Will and Brianne colored them at a youth activity we were doing for the primary aged kids! I thought they were fun and so I put them up on the door through the holidays!

These were sent to us this year by my sweet nieces and nephew! I HAD to put them in my kitchen so that I would see them every day! Aren't they just precious! I don't get to see them as often as I would like so things like this mean the world to me!

 This is our "new" tree! Chan and I both picked it out at the store and loved it! Our favorite thing is that the lights change from colored lights to white lights! My kids like my "deco tree" much better now because of that! Hahaha!

 After we got the tree up Chan and Will put the Lego train together and put it under the tree. It took up so much space it made it a little tricky to find room for the gifts, but we got it all worked out!

 This is the sofa area next to the tree. You'll notice another nativity on top of the bookshelf. This one I purchased and painted myself :)

 This is in the same room as well. I did this different than in years past too. I just got creative with what I already had and switched it up! I like how it turned out!

This is my favorite thing! Christmas Cards are one of the many things I love about the holiday season! I love checking the mailbox and getting them, reading the messages, and posting them on my door! I had many more after this photo too! I should have taken a photo later on! Anyway, there's nothing better than the Christmas season! It brings an extra warmth to the home that I just love! The house is filled with the spirit of Christ! It doesn't get much better than that!