Santa Claus is comin' to town!

At 7AM on Christmas morning Will came upstairs and was ready to open presents.  Annie was still asleep, so Dallas and I went in to wake her up.  I rubbed her back and Dallas said, "Wake up, Annie."  Annie squirmed and tried to get back under her blankets.  Then I said, "It's Christmas, Annie!"

Her eyes shot open and she exclaimed, "Santa's here!!!"

It was magic.  I wish their faces on Christmas morning could be burned into my memory!

Christmas Day was a bit crazy- running from place to place visiting with our families.  Dallas and I both agreed that Second Christmas was much more enjoyable.  We celebrated Second Christmas the day following Christmas Day and we were able to stay home all day, play with toys, watch our new movies, have Beyblade Tournaments ("Ready, Set, Beyblade!") and overall just enjoy each other

.

Deliver Us

Sometimes at Christmas I feel lost. Somewhere between parties and presents, Christmas cards and neighbor gifts, Santa Claus and all of those magic reindeer, I get swallowed up in a lot of things that don't matter.  This year I have taken more time to reflect.

I have yet to do neighbor gifts.

I didn't send out any Christmas cards.

Family parties were focused more on relationships than gifts.

And I have read the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John- the gospels that chronicle the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ. My focus has been so much better this year because I have been thinking about the one thing that makes a difference to everyone- that many many years ago there was a sweet baby boy born in the most humble of circumstances.

I can't help but think that His mother, Mary, thought He was sure to be the most beautiful baby in the world- just as I did my own children. I wonder if she really understood that as surely as she delivered Him, that He would deliver her, and us, right back.

He led a perfect life so that he could show us the way to return to our Father in Heaven. I am so, so grateful. He is the greatest gift that we could ever receive. Merry Christmas.

Christmas- Nicoll (extended) Style!

The Nicoll extended family party is all about tradition! We always do the nativity with the children (or those that act like children- Jordan), play games together, complete a humanitarian project, Grandma Nicoll makes all of the kids pajamas, and we eat, eat, eat.  This year was no different!

More than anything, we love being able to sit around and talk. It's sad how our families get so bit that oftentimes we only see each other once a year.  It's important to make the effort to be there and I'm grateful that it has worked out so that we have been able to be there every year. 

Christmas- Wilson Style

I do believe that any sort of creative gene that I have comes from my Mother.  She's not the best decorator and doesn't craft, but my Mom knows how to put together some games!

We have a tradition that every year at our Christmas party my Mom comes up with games for the adults.  Now, I should tell you that not everyone in our family loves to play games (cough- Cami and Nate- cough) so my Mom gets us all interested by using the one thing we all can't get enough of....

MONEY.

We've played trivia, we've shot at targets with dart guns, we did the hula to string ornaments on the Christmas tree, and this year was the mother of all games- A treasure hunt (with the winners of the rounds getting the most points), mixed with some target shooting, and some "Minute to Win it" type games.

The competition is fierce and we all try to act like we don't care.

But we care.  We care A LOT.

We ran all over their yard in our coats searching for clues, I used the brim of a hat to place some toothbrushes in a toothbrush holder (in record time!), and Will, Dallas and I did our best at the target shooting.  When everything was figured the standings were:  Clay and Leslee (1), James and Kaydee (2), Dallas and Amylee (3), Cami and Nate (4), and Sam (DNS).

Lucky for us we all ended up with the same prize in dollar amounts in Smith's gift cards to use for our food storage.

We always have such a fun time at the Wilson party, and I'm so grateful for my parents who not only do a wonderful job at making sure we have a good time, but they are so thoughtful of their gifts and always take into account what we need.

I love my family.

Makeover!

Annie is sporting a new look!  Dallas had been asking me to cut her hair short for awhile now.  I love a little girl with a bob, but I was having a hard time letting go of her ringlets.  (Annie calls her ringlets "kitty curls".  You put a "kitty" in front of it and suddenly she'll sit still for anything!  Hmmm.... maybe I should start calling it "Kitty Church"?)  She looks so grown up with her new do!

I would love that sweet little face even if it were attached to a bald head.

Little Angels

Nothing is cuter than a kid wrapped up in a Christmas outfit. Nothing.

That. girl.

"I'm your Mom, huh Mom."  -Annie

So this explains why she is bossing me around all the time.

Festival of Trees

Every year I go to the Festival of Trees with my Mom. Every year we eat at Sweet Tomatoes.  Every year it makes me cry. Every year I'm reminded of how poor my decorating skills are.

This year we went to see my adorable niece Lauren perform with her show choir.  It is so fun!  She is a little drama queen which, we all know, means that she holds a special place in my heart.  She is a fantastic performer and we love watching her!

My little fisherman loved the fisherman tree the best.

Lauren- center- on stage with her group.

Next generation Drama Queen.

Meet Ledger

On December 1st a magical Christmas Elf arrived on our door. He was wrapped in packaging that said, "Special Delivery from the North Pole." We don't know who delivered it, so it must have been Santa Claus. Our elf came with very specific instructions:

• Give him a name.
• Do not touch him- for it would take away his Christmas Magic!

Oh dear.  My boys really are cute.  Promise.

Thanks to Dallas, our elf's name is Ledger.  He's a quiet little guy that spends his days in odd places taking note of our behavior.  Good or bad, he reports to Santa Claus at the North Pole each night, then returns to our house and hides in a new spot each morning, just waiting for us to find him.  So far we've found him:

• On our clock.

• Hanging from the ceiling fan.
• Hidden in Will's stocking munching on a candy cane.
• He emptied out our miniature Santa's sleigh and went for a ride.
• Perched on Annie's cabinet so as to take better watch on this little two-year-old of ours.

I must say, he has improved the behavior of some people in our house drastically.  (Ahem, Will).  We never know where he is going to hide next and has been a race to see who can find him first in the morning.  We are loving him!  I know our family will miss Ledger when he has to go to the North Pole on Christmas Eve, but we are already looking forward to spending many more Christmases with him in the future.