A Thrift-Tree Christmas

We are so grateful that our move still left us close enough to regularly visit family. We were able to sneak away for the weekend before Christmas to attend the annual Excell Family Christmas Tea and Recital. 

I was on sugar cookie duty to keep the kids busy in the afternoon.

In the evening we did the nativity, a talent program, gift exchanges, and hot chocolate. 

How Mary is able to find so many coordinating jammies for so many different ages, I'll never know, but will always appreciate it. 

We had a few days off school before Christmas. The library is always my favorite place to start a school vacation. 

When the boys had burned through their books, they started making present towers as they dreamed up what could be inside each one. 

We did a special Night Light on Christmas Eve where we had the boys place all the figures of the nativity into the manger as we read the Christmas story out of the Bible. It was sweet. When they weren't fighting about who got to hold the wise men. 

With little boys tucked in their beds, Santa came! 

Cookies were eaten, milk was gulped, and a carrot was nibbled. The evidence is there!

We had a thrifty Christmas this year. I have been going to Goodwill weekly for the past three months trying to accumulate treasures. I've spent many afternoons at D.I. I also scoured Facebook Marketplace for Lego sets and other knick-knacks. By the time Christmas rolled around, we had one million presents, but I didn't feel at all like we had blown our budget. I was proud of my frugal endeavor!

Here are little people who were mad at me because I insisted on showering and putting on makeup before I'd let them bust through the wrapping paper and down the stairs on Christmas morning. 

Carson had been writing a Christmas list every week since July and always at the top of the list was "Donut Shop Opening," a gigantic Lego set that he had spotted in a Lego magazine as one of the new arrivals, and he couldn't get it out of his head. It was fun to see him get something he'd been wishing for, for such a long time. 

I was being funny one day and asked the boys what they were going to get me for Christmas. Carson said, "Well, what would you want? What do you even like?" I told him I wanted a dolphin, just to see how he would deal with that request. He immediately ran upstairs and started sifting through the Legos. He came downstairs about ten minutes later requesting a box, then wrapping paper, then tape. The next thing I knew, the first present was under the tree, addressed to me. I got my wish on Christmas, too!

The shocker of the year was a hoverboard! No one had requested a hoverboard, but I kept eyeing them, thinking of how much the boys would love to have one. Jeff found an awesome deal on one, so we went for it! Everyone has had a blast zipping around the house on it, and Eli keeps telling me he feels so spoiled that we got him a hoverboard. He has been very grateful this year for all of his gifts which has been warming my heart.

Carson and Lincoln got to work crafting some fuzzy monsters. This was a D.I. find and it was definitely a dud. But hey, for only $1.00, it was worth a try! 

Jonah loves Lego mini-figures, so he was happy to see Santa had brought a whole bunch. 

My favorite part about Christmas? The quiet that falls on the house while the kids settle into all their new toys. You can almost hear it. 

My sister has mentioned to me before that she always likes to have a project ready to complete the week of Christmas. With her kids occupied by all their new things, she can peacefully knock a few things off the to-do list. 

I had her voice in my head urging me to paint the pantry to match the rest of the house--a task I've been meaning to do, but have kept putting off. I busted out the paint the day after Christmas and I now have a beautifully organized (until a little someone spills pretzels all over) gray pantry! 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good house project!

Santa Clauses Coming to Town

It wasn't until this Christmas that we realized last Christmas was such a bust. We had a hard time with the holiday season last year because we had just moved into our house, we were trying to make friends, trying to get settled, trying to learn our way around a new place, and trying to paint an entire house. There wasn't much extra time for adding in all the things that make December feel like Christmas. 

This year was much different. We had enough time and energy this year to fit in some of our favorite traditions like making ornaments, building gingerbread houses, decorating sugar cookies, and participating in Light the World. 

It's been nice to have a second chance at Christmas in Vegas. This year it actually started to feel like we were home for the holidays in our new location. 

We finished off the year with Eli's last day of Cub Scouts. They did a rain gutter regatta and it was fun for everyone who wasn't in charge of my three youngest children. Let's just say the night ended with Carson flailing around in the backseat of our van like a dinosaur trapped in a jeep at Jurassic Park. Sounds and visuals identical.

My running buddies and I spent a Saturday morning downtown running in Santa suits. Because who doesn't say, "You know what would make running even more fun? Running in a Santa suit!"

We revisited Fremont Street. The street I had gone to sight-see one year earlier with my roommates and the place where I had vowed I would never again return. When I came the first time, I was so shocked by the weirdos in questionable clothing who were obviously drugged, and were looking like...well...to put it harshly...hoes.

On my revisit, reality hit me as I innocently traipsed down Fremont street. With each lingering stare from passersbys, I became more aware of my questionable clothing. I found myself drugged with runner's high. And it slowly donned on me that...well...to put it harshly... I was looking like a ho, ho, ho. I had become the Fremont Street weirdo.

Turns out it's fun being a weirdo! Especially when it's for a good Claus...er...cause.

Santa followed us to the ward party that evening. Lincoln was in awe.

 Jonah was terrified.

Carson was skeptical but was quickly convinced otherwise. 

 And Eli was only in it for the free candy cane.

 I made new ties for the boys for Christmas. Here they are simply having a wonderful Christmas tie.

Here's Jonah trying to persuade Santa of his innocence.

 Oh look, I even got a close-up! Hey, a girl's gotta update her profile pictures every once in a while.

 A lesson learned this month is that a stray jar of peanut butter cannot be trusted in the vicinity of this little knife-licker.

 Watch the evolution of a boy who was mad to be caught into a boy with no shame in his indulgences.

We hit up a few of the last things on our Pogo Pass one weekend when we had nothing else on the calendar. It was at the Lion Habitat Ranch where I learned my boys would for sure never make it in the world on survival instincts alone seeing as they have zero sense of danger.

It was also there where I learned giraffes can paint? With the help of coolers full of romaine lettuce for bribery. Also, how does romaine lettuce give a giraffe enough calories to grow into a giant animal? This was more puzzling to me than the painting thing.

It was also here where I learned male lions prefer to urinate across walkways instead of in their territory. So if you are standing on said walkway, you run the risk of being peed on by the king of the jungle. For those who are wondering, someone now has some good ammo for the next time he plays the game "Two Truths and a Lie."

Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!

 Also on our Pogo Pass was Uptown Jungle which paired perfectly with our lion adventure.

We'll end right here with Carson's Christmas-card-worthy artwork he brought home from school.