Pictures from December

I didn't download pictures from my good camera very often this month -- I was trying to keep up with December Daily posts with my phone.  I'm glad I did it, but the picture quality is so much better on my real camera.

Here are a few collages from this month of fun!

 

Almost all of the Christmas decorations in the house.  I never took a picture of the nativity scene on the piano or the beautiful wreath that hangs at the entrance of the hallway (with a sign in the middle that says "Merry Days, Silent Nights."  I also hung mistletoe this year for the first time.  In fact, it's still up.  Theres always a straggler or two, isn't there?!  I ended up cutting up a couple of vinyl reindeer that went on the wall over the Singapore nativity (left side of collage, second picture down).  It added some nice contrast.  I love love love our home at Christmas time.  I have a very simple style all the rest of the year - at Christmas everything is bigger, warmer, and cozier.  I love it.  And I love taking everything down just a day or so after Christmas.  Oh...and I didn't take any pictures of the front of the house!  Darn!!  It was so pretty this year.  Candy cane colored lights across the front, a wreath with a fun Merry Christmas sign in the middle, alpine trees and present boxes on the porch.  It was my favorite outside scene we've had since living here.  

 

Stanton had a fun afternoon watching home movies with the kids.  He's pretty much finished transferring everything and getting it organized and backed up.  The kids LOVED watching themselves.

 Pictures from the Greg & Wendy Rose party.  It's so fun to be together with my immediates!

 

This is the girls at their piano recital with their amazing teacher, Shirlene Shaw.  She is beautiful, amazingly talented (I mean, seriously amazingly talented on the piano), and a gifted teacher.  We are beyond lucky that we have her in our neighborhood.

 Pictures from the Gary & Dorothy family party.  The kids loved their presents from their cousins.  And isn't Jordyn adorable with those missing teeth?!  And hi, Cindy the supermodel!  If I didn't love you so much, I might be tempted to hate you.  :)

 My cutest ever Kindergarten boy, Brigham.   I always think those tree hats look mighty Papal.  :)

 From the Dave & Judy Allen Christmas party.  I couldn't help but notice the resemblance to the thumb-sucking Prince John from the Disney Robin Hood movie.  :)

 Notes about each picture on the collage.  I hope they're readable in the book!  Probably the thing most noteworthy was the picture on the bottom left.  Sweet Brigham and Mary played Joseph and Mary.  Brigham took his role very seriously.  He held little Mary's hand over Baby Jesus' head the entire time we did the nativity.  It was so tender and sweet.

Pictures from our Christmas Eve party.  I loved the nativity!  I spent the afternoon organizing the costumes so they were so easy and cute that night.  And oh goodness, could those sweet kids be any cuter?!  I know I've posted so many pictures of Cannon lately.  He is just melting my heart lately.  That top left picture of him was as Joseph.  Ugh, he is just edible.  Love that boy!  Also, this was one of our best batches of clam chowder ever.  What a great tradition for Christmas Eve!

 I don't know why I take so few pictures every Christmas morning -- I mean, I guess it's because we're just enjoying every second of it in real life, but still, I wish I would at least remember to take a picture of each of them surrounded by their loot!  There's always next year, right?!

These are pics of the kids with some of their favorite gifts.  Can you guess which one was NOT a favorite gift, thought?  Yep, Brigham had a "Christmas Story" moment (a la them looking at their socks and chucking them behind the couch) when he opened a new church shirt.  His face was priceless.  I'm happy to report that a week later, the gifts they each received are still being loved and used.  I love when we (and Santa) get it right!