Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas 2013

We started Christmas this year with decorating right after Thanksgiving while Paul had some time off to put the tree up. Here are a few of our Christmas vignettes. (I don't spend money on Christmas decorations so I know that they could be super cool and fancy, but simple is nice too)

I like to mix naturals with old and new touches...mostly from second-hand stores or simple crafts I've made. To me this creates a story. I've seen some inspiring projects and ideas on Pinterest...there are future Christmases for greater creations.

In the apothecary jars are real acorns that I picked off the ground behind the gym one VERY rainy day. I'm sure I looked like I was homeless, but they have a story now. You have to cure them a certain way otherwise you'll get a bug infestation.

I like the clean, natural elements that highlight the true meaning of Christmas.

Since I have two full weeks off, I'm trying to pack in as much "mommy time" as possible. We baked Finnish Lucia cookies and delivered them to friends. Baelor kept sneaking pinches off the dough while I was rolling it out, but all his germs got cooked out, right? I'll keep our other adventures for another post.

Grandma and Grandpa Guinn stayed home this year, a very rare occasion. So we celebrated by opening our presents and having Christmas dinner at their house along with Paul's brother, Bryan, and his family.

Baelor's favorite gift this year was a remote control car I bought a while back (it spins so never gets trapped in a corner)

Grandma Guinn went all out with a crown pork roast...booties and all

Baelor eating dinner in Paul's old highchair (also used by Reina)

Cousins' table: Corbin, Lauren, Logan, Reina, Degan, Brecken

Grandma and Grandpa even decided to display their village this year! It's always fun to see a great display.

Christmas evening we went "....over the river and through the fog to Grandmother and Grandfather Scarborough's house we went". The dense fog did make our trek into the countryside difficult, but we made it in time for the annual gift exchange. I got the not-so-coveted "angel" last year so it was my turn to disguise the little devil angel. Poor Cody got it (a rather newbie to the exchange). At least I included a clock that he actually liked (it was a countdown clock to when he can give the angel to someone else, as part of the riddle included in the gift).

Girls in their princess jammies (ignore Reina's hair...growing bangs out and she currently hates a clip)

Reina and Baelor got some very cool wooden toys from Grandpa Scarborough. He is a perfectionist when it comes to his woodworking, or anything for that matter. The girls got keepsake boxes with their names and a chosen music box song. Reina's has the music to "The Musicbox Dancer"- very appropriate.

The boys got semi-trucks with a flat bed (low boy) and side dumper! Baelor liked packing all the My Little Ponies and dumping them out. He is such a boy at heart. He'll turn Reina's doll hairdryer into a gun, or make a car out of a corner of toast.

The wooden toys are made out of very fine wood such as walnut and oak (not cheap pine), so they will be passed down as a great remembrance of Grandpa Scarborough.

Grandpa Scarborough with his well-known phrase: "See these fingers? You know what they are? Tickle fingers. They find little girls and they tickle them!"

We had most of my siblings and their families here for Christmas.

Baelor happened to get sick (a rare occasion for my kids besides colds) the night of Christmas while we were staying at Grandma and Grandpa Scarborough's house with 16 other people. He threw up once on the carpet before bed and several times more through the night. Luckily it was all in his pack-n-play so cleanup was just a lot of sheet changes. The weird thing is that he had no fever and was fine by morning. For being nearly two and only throwing up perhaps one other time, I'd say he's quite healthy.

The boys played outside

Finn and Baelor in G&G Scarborough's backyard

Like I said, the boys played outside...throwing Uncle Teem's new tomahawk

Actually us girls joined in as well!

The first time for all of us throwing a tomahawk! It was more fun than I gave a tomahawk credit...actually, never thought much of a tomahawk until this adventure. I even beat the guys in a friendly competition a couple of rounds. Take that!

The fog still had not lifted at all the day after Christmas!

This is ice, not rain

Here are some of our Christmas traditions:

-baking Lucia cookies

-reading chapter 2 in Luke in the New Testament (birth of the Savior)

-setting out cookies and carrots for Santa and his reindeer

-always finding tangerines, pistachios, chocolate gold coins and toothbrushes in our stockings

-having a special breakfast (this year was crepes)

-not waking up early to open presents

-only Santa gifts and stockings are opened in our pajamas

-Christmas music in the car for the month of December

Christmas morning: crepes with homemade jam and real cream

Future traditions:

-New pajamas the night before (just hasn't been needed yet)

-Doing a musical number for the Christmas program at church

-Secret Santa for a family in need 

Cookies for Santa and a carrot for each reindeer

Santa gift: My Little Ponies and Squinkies

Santa gift: Workbench

We are grateful for the blessings we enjoy because of our Savior, the Prince of Peace.