Growing up

Winter Break in Utah

When we were in Utah during the summer,  Grandma Widdison let my kids choose one of her paintings.  The one Lilly chose was the one that Grandma was going to enter into the fair.  She said Lilly could have it after that.  On a very regular basis Lilly would ask me when she was going to get her picture.  Then she would go through this whole thing about how Bridger and I got to bring ours home and she didn't get to;  How long did she have to wait.   So after all that waiting, Grandma gave it to Lilly. She was so happy and carried it around all day.

When we got home from Utah, there were a few more presents.  The kids were excited about these.  Bridger got Slushy Magic and Lilly got a nursery to take care of her babies.

Merry Christmas 2012

Well we did it.  We finally told our kids the secret about how Santa knows if they are naughty or nice.   He sends an elf to their house to watch and then every night he goes back to the North Pole to report to Santa. Every day we found him in a new spot in our home.  Bridger and Lilly named their elf Jingles.  We love that elf.  Bridger and Lilly had a lot of fun searching for him every morning.  

When it came time to leave for Utah, the kids had a hard time leaving Jingles behind.  So we allowed him to travel with us.  Jingles rode on Bridger's lap and shared his seat belt.

Christmas Eve at Johnson's

Christmas Eve at the Johnson's is a little crazy but a whole lot of fun. We changed tradition a little to accommodate going to in-laws house.  We have it in the morning.  Christmas Eve lasts all day long now and we have a lot of fun.  The last few years we have played games to get to know each other better.  We always open Christmas pajamas.

opening new pajamas

Christmas Eve at the Doman's

Christmas Eve at the Doman's is so much fun.  Lilly has taken over the role of Mary.  You would have to fight her if you wanted to a turn.  She was so sad this year that baby Sam was too big to be baby Jesus.  Bridger reluctantly played Joesph again.  I'm glad because these are the cutest pictures!

At this point we are all exhausted but we have our own family traditions we have to fight to squeeze in somewhere.  The kids love to feed the reindeer.  They spend quite awhile mixing the food so it is just right.  Then they try to equally spread it between all the bags.  The bags are left on the porch.

This year we had to say a sad goodbye to Jingles.  We can't wait to see him next year!

Christmas Morning

reading farewell letter from Jingles