December was truly a season of Joy for our family!
My dad surprised us with a quick trip while Elias was in England for work.
It was fun to watch him teach the kids "Hands Up, Hands Down",
and a few native dances.
We celebrated his birthday with some of his favorite tamales.
He thought he was hilarious when he bought each of the kids a singing Christmas dog. 
And I thought it was hilarious when I sent them all into his room to wake him up at 6:30 the next morning with their dogs.
We love you Grandpa Peter! Thanks for the visit.
Other activities this month included learning how to feed Joy,
cuddling,
playing pretend,
trying to get hurt,
building forts,
playing with Daddy,
more snuggling,
crafting,
helping Daddy with house projects,
puzzling,
dressing up,
and a few bad dreams.
We held two again this year and they were both a lot of fun. A funny story from one night is that I was talking with two older couples when Boyd ran up to me to interrupt our conversation and declare loudly, "My penis keeps peeing in my pants!"
We also taught the kids how to do ring-and-runs this year. It was a riot! It was probably my favorite memory of the season. The boys absolutely loved it and frantically scattered as soon as the doorbell was rung. Summer couldn't handle the excitement of it all and was furious with each new house. Here is a text I sent my friend that night:
One Saturday Elias took each kid to the Dollar Store one by one to buy presents for their siblings. Then the week before Christmas, each child got a "special bedtime" where they got to stay up late with Mom and Dad to wrap their siblings' presents and do one activity of their choice.
We al loved it.
And I guess because it has happened the last three years, the chocolate Eiffel Tower has become a tradition. Elias brings it home from work and the kids get to take a few bites before we clean it up and freeze it. Next month we will melt it down and have friends over for a big chocolate fondue night.
The kids had their first school pictures.
Elias and I went to his company Christmas party.
Unfortunately it was the same night as the ward Christmas party so luckily the Foutz family was kind enough to take the kids to see Santa and then bring them home for bed. We are so grateful for their friendship!
Another wonderful Christmas memory was our evening with the Beesons. They have been like family to us and it was so fun to celebrate Christ's birth together.
On the morning of the 23rd we headed out to Las Vegas for the Christensen family reunion.
We enjoyed dance parties,
catching up,
making Christmas cookies with Grandpa Peter and Nana,
a Nativity,
and a Jerusalem dinner.
Christmas morning was magical as we all gathered in Corie's room to sing "We wish you a merry Christmas...and we wish you'd wake up!"
It was special to have all of my siblings and their families there.
Two grandparents, nine adults and twelve grandchildren.
It was so much fun to open presents and then go to church together.
The next day Nana and Grandpa Peter took the grandkids out on an adventure. 
Elias, Joy and Hannah humored me and joined me for an adventure at the Seven Magic Mountains. Yes, they are just seven stacks of florescent-colored fake rocks by the side of the highway outside Las Vegas.
And I loved it!
I'm grateful Elias is always willing to join me on adventures.
At the last minute we decided to drive up to Utah to spend a day with Elias' family before the left town.
We had a blast going to the aquarium,
playing with cousins,
wrestling,
and celebrating Christmas.
We stuck around in Utah for a few more days to relax,
play with Chelsea and Taylor,
visit the Mortensens,
hang out with John and Jenn's family,
and go bowling.
One day we took the kids down to Orem for the Nickelcade and J Dawgs.
They were in heaven. It was every 3-year-old boy's dream of the perfect day.
We all got sick somewhere along the trip, and unfortunately Joy was fighting a temperature of 103 for a few days while we were in Utah. (I somehow forgot to take a picture of the urgent care center.) But we are all on the mend and are so grateful that we were able to wrap up 2016 in the best way. With family.
Brittany et al.
1 comment:
The doorbell ditching story is hilarious! So glad you spent so much time with family over the holidays! <3
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