All Things Christmas!

December was filled with all sorts of activities and celebrating Christmas.  It was a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed all the new things and experiences.  I got tired though...and was happy when Christmas was finally over.  Isn't that awful?  I think we did too many things.  Next year we will have to pick and choose a bit better instead of doing everything.  Anyways, here are the many pictures I took of our adventurous Christmas season.

The kids loved putting the ornaments on the Christmas tree.  Nels and I had to be okay with clumps of ornaments in one spot instead of strategically placed all over the tree.  :)

But it was magical watching them put the ornaments on and to be all excited about it.

At night they would take the jingle bells off the tree and we would sing Christmas songs before bedtime.  I enjoyed that.

Isak had his step ladder so he could reach up high.

And another day, Kira dressed up with her tutu, sunglasses and the necklace she laced.  Cheese.

The first Monday in December I happened to look on the library website and noticed the handbell concert was that night.  I asked my neighbor if she wanted to come with me and the kids (Nels had to work late).  She said yes.  So we went to the half hour handbell, sing-a-long Christmas songs concert.

The kids were pretty captivated with all the handbells and singing.

It definitely got us in the Christmas mood.

We also went to the Christmas Ward Party.  I tried to get pictures of us.  We all dressed in red...but these are the best ones.

You could put cut out paper ornaments on the trees.

It was a fun ward party.  Even if the twins wouldn't look at the camera for one picture.  :)

Nels's mom prepared a big Gingerbread House making day.  She made real gingerbread cut out pieces for our houses and lots of candy.  The kids used graham crackers.  They loved putting the candy on the houses. AND eating it.  Holy cow.  It was hard to make them stop eating it!

This is Isak's house.  I just let him put candy wherever he wanted to once I got the graham crackers put together.  He loved it.

Nels's Mom...gingerbread house maker extraordinaire.  She is standing next to Isak's house.

Nels's sisters and mom...left to right...Britta, Mom, Anna-Lisa and Kierstin.

Isak with his house.

And I tried to decorate a house.  I really did.  But it did not turn out.  I am not even good at decorating my own house.  I felt overwhelmed and made Nels take over.  haha.  He handled it better than me.

Other's worked masterpieces.

This picture may look familiar.  We posted it on Facebook to announce that we were having boy/girl twins!

Isak and me with his house in front of the Christmas tree.

And Nels and Kira with Kira's house.

I think Nels ended up doing a lot of the decorating while Kira ate the candy. haha.

So he gets a picture with the house by himself.

And another outing.  Frosting sugar cookies.  Wow.  Isak loved doing this and he spent a lot of time making sure his cookie was completely covered in frosting.

Kira would put some frosting on the cookie and then lick it. :)

And Nels decorated his nicely.  I did not.  I put one color on and then ate it.  I wish I was better at these type of things.

Nels and his dad with their cookie creations.

Isak finally ate one of his frosted cookies.

I have wanted to spend Christmas Eve with my family for several years now.  So I was extremely happy to be able to participate in the nights festivities.  My whole family met at my sister's Kari house for dinner.  Kari's husband smoked ribs and turkey and we all brought different sides to go with it.  Mmmmm. Good!  Here's a few pictures.

Isak was just being adorable.

After dinner we watched the older kids perform the nativity story.  Then it was time to open up the traditional pajamas.  The kids and Nels waited patiently.  :)

We also exchanged sibling gifts and gave our gifts to our parents as well.  Aunt Melissa had our family and she gave the kids Magformers.  It was a hit!  Some of the other cousins helped them play with it.  She also got us Christmas plates!

Here's our kids with their Christmas pj's and Nels is wearing his new BYU pajama pants.  I got matching BYU pajama pants too.

And here's my big happy family!  My how it has grown.  And it will be growing some more with my sister's twins and our twins joining the family.  Yes, my parents will be grandparents to 3 sets of boy/girl twins and a total of 24 grandchildren.

So that was Christmas Eve.  It sadly came to an end and we drove home in a blizzard.
The kids slept the whole way home and stayed asleep when we put them in their beds.  Nels and I set up Christmas (gratefully all the wrapping was done so we just put the gifts under the tree) and went to bed a little before midnight.

Christmas morning!  Yay!  I tried to get a pic with me and the kids and our pajamas.  This was the best one.

The twins LOVED unwrapping presents.

After the stocking gifts I tried to get a pic of them in front of the tree.

Kira was pretty excited that she got another stuffed horsey!

Isak got another stuffed doggy.  :)

And after all the unwrapping Kira put a show on for us in her tutu, pajamas, new slippers and sunglasses.

We enjoyed a yummy breakfast.  Bacon, orange juice and apple dutch oven pancakes.

We spent the rest of Christmas with my family at my sister Melissa's house.  We played games and ate more yummy food.  And then Christmas was over.  I think we made a lot of happy memories!
Here's a picture my sister Mandi took of us on Christmas Eve.  We are all looking at the camera!  I love this picture.  Thanks Mandi!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  And now there is less than 9 months until Christmas 2016!