What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more...

Christmas, like a large portion of the globe, is my most favorite holiday. I always approach each December with a hop in my step. Some Wiseman must haves for the month: Christmas music (this year we added Michael Buble and the Biebs to the mix), a tree scented candle (the four ft. fake just doesn't do it for us), and peanut butter blossoms (you know the cookies with the hershey kiss in the middle...I have about 2 dozen of them in my belly). I can say that I honestly enjoyed about 95% of the Christmas season this year (the other 5 % was when I ventured out to shop the week before Christmas-IKEA with a toddler in December is overwhelming). We got to do some fun family activities this year and for the first year in awhile, I felt like we were much more focused on the reason for this wonderful season. We had many wonderful experiences to contribute to that. Here are some of the highlights:

ZOOLIGHTS

This year I wanted to see what ZooLights was all about. I picked a horrible day to go! The wind was piercingly cold and it was ridiculously freezing, despite no snow. We invited our friends, The Glausers, out to join us. They were such troopers to come along! Ellie absolutely loves their son, Gavin. His name has now become part of her limited vocabulary and one of her favorite activities this month was pointing his face out to us amongst our collage of Christmas cards. We endured the chill and ended up having a great time!

Paul RARELY feels the need to give a normal smile in pictures. Hence, the surprised, shocked, confused, etc. looks that predominantly are featured by him throughout my posts. 

Eloise enjoyed seeing a few of Santa's reindeer. They decided to refrain from the picture. Ellie isn't waving at the camera, she just has too many layers on that she can't lower her arms:) 

Someone's not going to be visiting our house this year. Ellie hated Santa. He was such a nice guy, he even tried to have me sit next to him and hold Ellie to see if that would help. Despite our tactics, she wasn't feeling the jolly, big man. Over the next few weeks she grew to enjoy looking at Santa in books and on tv and will even tell you that Santa says, "HO HO HO". Maybe next years encounter will be a little more cheery.

FIRST PRESIDENCY DEVOTIONAL
Paul and I were able to sneak away from our little munchkin for awhile and head downtown for the Christmas Devotional. It was a great way to kick-off the month and get us in the right mindset. I am always speechless after hearing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in that building. Incredible. Paul is very partial to President Erying and really loved his talk.

SECRET SANTA
Paul's family had the great idea to do a Secret Santa this year instead of giving sibling gifts. I hope this becomes a tradition. It was wonderful to hear the touching story of this family and think about them this year as we did our shopping. I know it had a great impact on me and I can't wait to be able to do this with my kids over the coming years to help them understand how much they have to be grateful for.

MORGAN

(Halloween costumes for a December post...I know:) I wish I would have thought to get another picture. But isn't she the cutest angry bird you've ever seen?)

I have had the opportunity to work with this beautiful girl each day for a few hours as her aide. I have absolutely loved getting back into the classroom. It was very informative, insightful, and interesting to get to view the school system from a different point of view. The Christmas break marked my last day of working with her and I approached the day with dread. Morgan challenged me everyday and I left each day a better teacher, person, and parent. I learned so much during this brief time and know I will walk back into the classroom one day a better teacher because of this experience. This December I was very grateful to have gotten to know Morgan and her wonderful family.

FAMILY PARTIES

Both sides of Paul's family do an annual Christmas party. It is fun to catch up with cousins, aunts & uncles, and the ever growing amount of kiddos. I love the traditions that we do each year.
 On one side we always play the left/right present game (remember that great story about Tommy Right) and do a coin grab (everyone gets the chance to grab as many coins as they can from a ginormous bucket; one hand only and NO SCOOPING!!). It is ridiculously fun to try to grab more than my husband.
On the other side we always decorate gingerbread houses. Paul was incredibly patient with Ellie as she knocked over the bowl of skittles about 5 times in a row.

CHRISTMAS DAY

Christmas day is always a marathon! Luckily this year it was on Sunday so with church we were able to enjoy some peace, serenity, and reflection. We started out the day at home. Ellie's Christmas present to her parents: sleeping in until 9:00! It was great! Despite her poor showing earlier in the month, Santa paid her a visit.  She loved ripping the paper and discovering there was something inside. She would squeal with delight when she unwrapped each gift. She didn't really want to play with anything-just wanted to move on to unwrapping another gift.

We then rushed over to Paul's grandparents to wish them a Merry Christmas and dapple at possibly the BEST eggs I have ever tasted. We booted up to church and made it just in time. Eloise also made it through all of the meeting without having to go to the hall. It was a Christmas miracle!
Next stop: my parent's house. We opened even more gifts with my family. Ellie again squealed and clapped at the unwrapping process. She also loved seeing what her cousins got. The extended family arrived soon after for more gifts, yummy food, and our annual bingo game.

(Ellie's cousin Max...he makes a dang cute Kristopher Kringle)

Ellie loves having her Aunt Kellie home from New Mexico for the college break. Her parents love it too-new babysitter:)

My sister and her cute family.

Jason, Rachel, & Max. And then there's Chad...:)

Last up: Paul's parents. Eloise again got spoiled and loved being around family. I was all pictured out and put the camera away for this event.
By the end of the day we were all pooped! We did manage to sneak in one family photo however:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Oldie but Goodie

When I met Paul I was just a young 19 year old. I remember being flabbergasted when he told me he was 25! 25! That was ancient to me (was it even okay that I date someone that much older than me?) Gross. Nevertheless, his charming self won me over and now 6 years later I find myself that ancient old age of 25! Which means, yes, my husband is 31! This past week Paul celebrated his birthday. I'm not sure if celebrate is quite the word for what Paul did on his birthday this year. I've gotten boring. We managed a few enjoyable activities though:

One of the traditions we had for birthdays in my house growing up was my mom and dad always made signs for the birthday kid and hung them up around the house. I loved waking up on my birthday and searching the house for the clever sayings and poems that my parents had come up with. This was a tradition I was definitely going to carry on. I have indeed decorated the halls, doors, and cabinets of our home for Paul's birthday each year (and yeah, he does it for me too...what a keeper).

We also go to temple square as a family every December. This year we decided to go on Paul's birthday. We weren't a very jovial crew. It was COLD! And we weren't fans of the massive crowds we had to battle. We walked around enough for Eloise to enjoy the lights and snap a few photos but we were probably in the car looking for a parking spot longer than actually walking around. Scrooges...I know!

In honor of my oldie, but goodie birthday boy I have listed a few oldies, but goodies to best help you get to know Paul a little more:

*Birthday boy in his new Bronco Tee


1. The Entertainer by Billy Joel: Paul's mission in life is to make people laugh. He is very witty, sarcastic, and sharp on his feet. He can certainly liven up a dull or awkward situation.
2. He Works Hard For The Money by Donna Summer: Okay, I know this song is 'She works hard for the money' but it was fitting for Paul. Paul is a very hard worker. He is a very talented Real Estate Agent but also is an excellent cook, dishwasher, launderer, etc. He can fix about anything in the house or on a car and is always willing to lend a helping hand. When Paul does something, he always does a top notch job.
3. We Are The Champions by Queen: Although this definitely wasn't the year this song could be sung for Paul's sports teams, we've celebrated victories in the past. I think there are about 2 months out of the year when there isn't some sports team that Paul is cheering on. Be it the Utes, Angels, Broncos, or Jazz, we stay busy cheering some franchise on all year round. Paul was also a champion of his own feat this past November. We went down to St. George for our annual Mesquite Marathon with his family and Paul dominated the half marathon with having done, let's say, inadequate training. He also participated in the Las Vegas Ragnar a few weeks earlier. A champion indeed.
4. When Daddy Let Me Drive by Alan Jackson: Paul is an incredible dad. Ellie is ecstatic when Paul comes through the door each evening. She loves rough housing with him and getting tossed about all over the place. She loves following him around the house-inspecting every little thing he does. I can already see her in a few years with her tool belt on, 'helping daddy'.
5. The Best Of Times by Styx: I couldn't make a list of songs and not take my chance at getting sappy and sentimental so I'll try and be quick about it. Amidst the craziness and the trials and the pitfalls and speed bumps that we have encountered over the years, we have had many great moments. I believe the small, simple daily pleasures we enjoy as a family make these days the best of times.

Utah men are we...

Anyone who knows Paul knows that he is an avid sports fan, especially when it comes to the Utes. We dated during the off season and were engaged by the time football season came around so little did I know what I was getting myself into:) I quickly learned that Saturdays no longer meant chores, errands, and dates but rather early mornings, tailgating, food, games, and LOTS of football talk. Over the years I have learned how to put honey-do's in during the week, how to make 100 twice baked potatoes, how to loathe twice baked potatoes, how to sit through a blizzard to the very end of a game being up 50, how to brace myself for a shoulder hoist after a touchdown, and how to survive as a single parent during away and bowl games.  Football season is definitely a learning experience that requires patience on behalf of every wife. Despite the chaos each fall brings I can't help but find myself giddy each time that autumn breeze starts to fill the air. I know with the cooler weather also comes plenty of time to catch up with friends that I rarely get to see in the off season, it means reuniting with my fellow ticket holders (I spend more time talking to the sweet couple I sit next to every year than Paul), it means delicious food, it means (most of the time) a break for Paul and I from our rambunctious daughter, it means celebrations and laughs, it means the Utah fight song being stuck in my head for weeks (not sure if that's a good thing), and it means some good ole college football.

We were very excited for our inaugural year of being a part of the PAC 12. I was curious to see how our Utes would perform amongst some of the elite teams of college football. It was certainly a roller coaster of a year with disappointment, a glimmer of hope, and then complete heartbreak. All in all though, we enjoyed this year and are looking forward to the future. 

 In Paul's effort to inculcate our daughter, we decided to take Ellie to a game this year. We decided the first game would probably be our best shot. With the good weather and Eloise's inability to walk, we braced ourselves for a long day at the stadium. We hit up the teepee (yes, that giant teepee is us...stop on by and say hi) for some grub and headed over to the game. 

Ellie spent the first quarter marveling at all of the noises, people, and action going on. First quarter: SUCCESS!

The second and third quarters were spent pulling out any object to keep Ellie in her seat (including lots of snacks). Things seemed a little touch-and-go for a minute but we survived. 

And cha-ching! She past out for the fourth quarter. 

For our own sanity as well as for those around us, we decided not to take Ellie along for any of the other games. However, we enjoyed giving her a glimpse of her future as one of the 'fairest co-eds'...