Waiting for Christmas...

Dec. 23, my birthday!! The kids and Darin did the breakfast party thing for me. Candles in a stack of pancakes. So fun!! Cards from the kids are my favorite gift!! And always fun PINK stuff from Marilyn!! We headed to Salt Lake for the day. Darin and the kids went to a movie while I shopped. Then we went out for our annual eating out at Tucanos with the kids. They just love those meat guys!! Yummy stuff. Then is was Tracks to temple square to see the lights. Kids to bed and hours and hours of wrapping!!!

Christmas Eve. We spent the day cooking and preparing and enjoying the festive feeling!! Logan didn't get out of bed in the morning. We started to worry he'd had a seizure because he was sleeping so late. Come to find out he was trying to sleep through the day and skip right to Christmas morning!! He asked several times during the day to go to bed!! So fun to see the magic of believers alive and well!!

We had Rose and her four darling girls over for Christmas Eve. It was just so fun to plan for guests and not just us. We had a feast...ham dinner, cheesecake, the works. Gave presents, played the present game, watched the "Christmas Oranges" DVD, and just relaxed. I have spent a lot of time with these girls in the past three or four months and have grown to love them so much!! Ali is my little buddy, and asks me to come over and play. Sophia just melts me when she says, "Hi Mir". She likes me!!! Summer is hilarious and always has me laughing at her stories and antics. (Did you know she her cats are secretly Ninjas?) And Ava, Ellie's friend and classmate has such a tender heart and is the peacemaker in her family. Rose is amazing and is holding her life and her family together with the grace and dignity that only Rose could do. So sad they got the stomach flu late that night and were sick on Christmas. I am crossing my fingers that we don't get it as well.

The kids were more than happy to go to bed this one night of the year. They left misc. leftover treats out for Santa. And they decided water, so the milk didn't get warm. And exactly 9 carrots outside for the reindeer.

I set out some quick breakfast ideas, since we had to be to church by 9:00. The lights went off, the tree lights glowed, and the house waited for Santa!! (Well, I think I did a puzzle til 1:00 AM.)