It ended up being a fun night, and the kids really enjoyed it. That's why we do these things, as I was quick to remind Jeff. I know he already knows the story of the Nativity.We spent one night getting our tree and decorating it. This is the first year ever we are going to be in our own home for Christmas morning. The tree is a Noble Fir and it smells great. But, as you can see, it's not the best for ornaments. The branches are not very strong, so they are always falling off, and they get lost in its girth. Good thing I don't have many ornaments worth trying to show off.
We do have an ornament for every year we've been married, and it was fun for the kids to see which ones represent them. This is the one from last year. We took a trip to Arches in October, and it was one of the highlights of 2008.
The kids have been busy watching classic Christmas movies (Rudolph, Charlie Brown, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, etc.). It's fun to watch them experience things we have grown used to. Home Alone is set to record on Tuesday. They may be a bit young for that one, but we'll see...I love how the girls sit right next to each other on the couch, even though there is so much room.
As you may have heard if you are my Facebook friend, DAMON got a pink slip at school for using inappropriate language. He called a girl a "freaky mama." I had to make a big deal about it to him, telling him it's so important to be careful how he talks about girls, but Jeff and I couldn't stop laughing about it. Who knows where he came up with that.Jeff's laptop from school finally died a couple of weeks ago, and Jeff was throwing it away. Ever the collector, Damon salvaged some of the pieces and created his own computer with a pizza box and an Ensign. I thought it was very creative.
ALLIE has been going through another period of being scared of everything. She had one bad dream about a giant, and now is scared to go into her room alone. It's not nearly as bad as the first time around, but she tries her best to coerce Kyla into getting things for her, or at least accompanying her to the scary bedroom.
She got to play in the snow one afternoon entertained herself for about 30 minutes before she bailed for the warmer environment next door.
Speaking of KYLA, she has gotten three haircuts in the past few weeks. One I gave her, to try to even up the front and back. It wasn't perfect, but I thought she looked cute. The second one was courtesy of Allie, who cut off half of her pigtail. It wasn't very noticeable, so I wasn't too upset. The third one, she gave herself. She cut right down the middle of her head while she had a pigtail in. It's really hard to see in the picture, but you can tell that part of her bangs are shorter, and there is a patch right in the middle of her head that is shorter, too. So much for evening out the front and back. It will be some time before it is all even again.
I have got to find a way to lock up the scissors. Or soon Kyla will be bald.
JEFF has been busy going to basketball games. He went to three last week ( all work related, because he was taking a dentist). He saw the Jazz beat the Magic and then the Lakers, and also saw BYU beat ASU. It's getting a little old for me not having him here at night, but it's fun to see him at the Jazz games (their tickets are right behind the visitor's bench, so he's pretty easy to spot). On his way to one of the games last week, he got a ticket for crossing over the double line into the carpool lane. So, he got to spend last night at traffic school, making 4 out of 8 nights that he was gone. I know I have no reason to complain, but we like having him around. To be fair, he was tired of it, too. This is the only picture I have of Jeff from this month. He's supervising as Damon plays the Wii.
Speaking of the Wii, we recently got it fixed after months of not playing it. I really should have waited until Christmas morning to break it out again, it would have been enough for the kids. They have been playing every day and it's a fun family activity.
Finally, there's me. I am looking forward to Christmas. I am excited to start making some memories here in our home. On Wednesday night, I am planning on doing a journey dinner. We'll eat things that Joseph and Mary might have eaten (dried meat, dates, cheese, flat bread, grape juice, etc) and talk about what happened in Bethlehem, with only the light from candles (and the Christmas lights) turned on. We'll see how it goes, but I want to make it a tradition that we do every year.
I sliced my thumb on Friday last week, and it was pretty deep. I probably needed stitches, but it started healing alright on its own. Monday night it got reopened and began throbbing. I had a terrible time sleeping and I had to get up and get some Tylenol and an ice pack just to be able to sleep. It was horrible. And also amazing how such a small injury like that can set you back in life. This is from today, after it is finally healing again. I wish I had a picture from when it was nasty, just so I can remember why I need to be more careful with sharp knives.
It's been busy, and I know the fun is just about to begin. Can't wait to see what the rest of the month brings!
