Traditions..Old and New

Hello friends.

I gotta tell you this week before Christmas is kicking my butt. I am tired. So very tired. I don't think I have got to bed before 1:00 for the past week now. And I still have got at least 3 more nights of it. Between finishing up a few gift ideas and all my wrapping, it is making for some late nights. Not to mention my dad had to go out of town unexpectedly and asked if I would do all of his wrapping as well. Of course I said yes. Then I saw his pile and I asked if I could change my mind. Ha, not really....I just smiled and said you are welcome.

And to make matters worse, I am not feeling so hot tonight. Either I am getting a certain nursing moms infection (you ladies know what I am referring to) or I am just getting sick. All I know is it is hurting like the dickens every time he eats off my right side and I have got the aches and chills. So thats awesome. This happened once before and I went to bed that night and woke up feeling much better the next day. So cross your fingers for me, will you?

Enough complaining. On to all the good...


While I still need to tackle all my kids SC presents, I do at least have most of the ones that belong under our tree wrapped. I always find it so interesting to hear how everyone does their presents. In our house we always buy our kids the boring things like coats and clothes and what not and that all goes under the tree from mom and dad. And then all the fun stuff comes from Santa. And Santa doesn't put his under the tree, he just puts them in a pile per kid next to their stocking. So we come on downstairs and each kid runs to their pile and opens their toys, and then we tackle the tree. That is how Santa did it for me when I was growing up and so that is how he does it for my kids.


We are just soaking every ounce out of Christmas that we can. On our nights at home we either snuggle in downstairs by the tree and watch one of our Christmas movies, or we load the kids up in the car and drive around to see the lights. This night was "The Grinch" with Jim Carey. Lincoln was a little too nervous so he fell asleep pretty dang quick.



Last Saturday night was one of my all time favorite parties. In good old Malad, Idaho of all places. We all gather with my Williams side of the family at one of my Grandpa's sisters house and all of her kids and grandkids and greats for a little food and fun. It is the tiniest house ever and fills about 60 or so people, and it is seriously so much fun. We have a Santa that comes every year and hands out the first present of the season, and it is always a goodie (mom and dad may help just a little). I just have the best memories of this party as a little girl and I love when I get to pass down these traditions to my kids.


Lincoln boy just hanging out...anxiously awaiting Santa.


The kids just go berserk waiting through dinner. They know that as soon as we are done eating the big guy will make his appearance. We all gather downstairs and await him. And sure enough about a half hour after dinner we hear his jingle bells just a ringing away as he stomps on down the stairs. Kids screaming and laughing, parents and grandparents just a smiling away. It is seriously picture perfect.

Santa brings all the present down together in one giant bag and pulls them out one by one. He reads each tag and you never know if you are going to be first up or last. Oh the suspense. Lincoln boy was one of the first.


Drakey bug came somewhere in the middle. What a kid, not even Santa scares him.


And oh my Carson boy, he was seriously the second to last out of like 35 kids. He was just going crazy. I could tell he was trying to act like it was no big deal, but as everyone passed him by and collected their presents he just got more and more antsy. Kept catching my eye and shrugging his shoulders. He kept goofing around with his collar which is what he does when he is nervous. Poor kid. Finally his big moment. He jumped up there on Santa's knee, answered all the typical questions, told Santa he would like a blue power ranger (which was news to me, never have I met a kid who changes his list quite this often, poor Santa) and collected his motorcycles. He was all smiles after that. He had been eying those motorcycles at Walmart for over a month. How did Santa know.



It was a fun night, such a fun night. Wouldn't be Christmas without Aunt Bonnie's party.

Next up, a new tradition.


Christmas Village in Ogden.

I have seriously never been, which is kinda sad considering I have lived in Utah my whole life. We usually go see the lights down at temple square and grab some dinner. But we decided to change it up this year. Temple Square is just a mad house. Too many people, no parking and the lights have kinda dwindled in recent years. Christmas Village is much closer and much more kid friendly. So many little stations and houses for kids to look at. We loved it.


It was just going to be me and Thiago and the kids, but then his parents and sister decided to come, and then my sister and her 2 kids, then my mom, then Thiago's brother and his wife and their 2 friends. We went and ate pizza at Tony's which is one of our favorite places, and then headed over to the village.



Many thanks to my cute friend Sierra, who posted her family's trip to the village on her blog. Thanks to her photography I knew they had a mailbox there for Santa's letters. Carson came prepared and dropped one in there for the jolly old man.









It was the start of a new tradition for us. Thiago and I were discussing Christmas tonight as we drove around the Layton park lights with our kids. Sometimes it seems like such a pain to drive all the way to Idaho for a party, or too much work getting the kids all bundled up in their winter clothes to walk around and see the lights but it is all worth it as you watch their little faces. Pure magic. Magic, and that is all there is to it. The spirit of the season lights up their eyes and I am reminded of the innocence of a child. Never, ever will I let that die out. I will fight to the very end to make sure my littles never lose sight of the magic that this season holds. Santa Clause is true, he lives in every single one of us that truly believe in something bigger than ourselves. We can't see it or touch it, but it's there. Hope you are all "feeling" it too!