Christmas Eve festivities

 Christmas Eve is always so much fun at Grammy and Grampy's house!  We eat a delicious dinner and lots of yummy desserts.  But the best part is the present game Grammy started a few years ago.  Cameron always makes the game fun.  We didn't think it could get any funnier than last year when he stole the present from Spencer, but this year there was no shortage of laughter!!  He stole the present from Lindsie that she really wanted.  Good thing the cousins are such good sports!  

 After dinner all the grandkids went downstairs to the play room and made a "surprise" for Grammy and Grampy.  The best part was when Kenzie ran upstairs and said "don't come downstairs yet we are just wrapping up the tree we made you guys."  LOL

Cameron was so roux of the tree.  He thought it was so awesome to make that for them.  He said "I bet that's the biggest present they have ever gotten".

 Then we all opened our one present.  Cameron opened up his from Aunt Michele.  He was so excited!  He ran over and gave her a big hug!  He loves making stuff and she got him the melty bead things that he wanted so bad!

 Troy and Mackenzie are so cute together.  Troy loves to play with Kenzie and Cameron loves to wrestle with Troy.  He is a great cousin!

 Mackenzie loves Lindsie.  She loves when Lindsie plays with her.  These are such cute pictures.  Mackenzie took this present from Troy.  He kept trying to get Cameron to trade his present and was saying "Cameron, you want this sign so Santa knows to stop at your house.  If you have this sign he will know to stop there first."  Cameron didn't fall for that, but Mackenzie did :)  She made sure I put the sign in her room when she went to bed and said, "the sign needs to go right there, so Santa will come mom."  Then she brought the sign out of her room in the morning too and said, "Santa came because he knew we had this sign!"  

 Right before we left Grammy and Grampy's house Kenzie decided she needed to add a few more things to her Christmas list!  HA HA!

 One last present to open before going to bed.  Of course they have to get Christmas jammies! 

 All ready for bed.  This year we (Cameron) remembered to set out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer (we forgot last year...oops!)  Cameron also thought it would be a good idea to leave one of his Christmas lists by the cookies in case Santa read it and saw something else he wanted to give Cameron.

Oh the magic of Christmas!!  It's so much better with kids :)  Of course we are grateful for the real meaning of Christmas and the birth of our Savior!!

Sundaes with Santa

 We went to Leatherby's to have ice cream sundaes with Santa.

Cameron drew some pictures to give Santa.   Mackenzie gave Santa a high five, but she was really nervous with him and didn't want to talk to him or sit on his lap.  She kept asking where Mrs. Clause was.  Ha Ha!

 Santa loved the portrait Cameron drew of him.

 I love this picture.  It was such a fun night.  Cameron got so much attention from Santa and he just kept talking to him.  He told Santa that he learned a song about him in school and that he knows he likes to go to Hawaii for Christmas.  He said, "do you know how to do the hula?" 

Santa was determined to win Kenzie over.  He kept coming over to the table and trying to get her to share her food etc.  Finally when we were walking out he walked out with us and Kenzie gave him high five again.  LOL  

Beautiful lights!!

 So the weather this winter has been so mild, actually really warm.  We kept planning to go to temple square to see the lights, but something came up every night.  So, the night we could go ended up being the coldest night in a long time!!    No snow, but super cold!  We spent lots of time in the visitor center.  Cameron loved listening to all the stories, watching the videos, and learning more about Jesus and our church.

 Then we wandered around outside to see all the beautiful lights.  It's amazing how pretty they make it this time of year.  There was a singles ward that was handing out hot chocolate for their activity that night.  We were so grateful, it was just want we needed!

 warming up.....

 I love this picture.  I asked Cameron what he was staring at and he said, "angel Moroni, I just love that on top of the temple."

Ginger bread houses

 We decorated gingerbread houses....from real, homemade gingerbread...not graham crackers :)

 They had so much fun decorating them.  Cameron concentrated hard and was focused on his work of art!

 Mackenzie made hers exactly like she wanted...candy placed everywhere :)

 They tasted as good as they smelled!!

I did plan to leave them out for decoration, but they had other plans!  Maybe next year, we will decorate one to leave out and decorate one to eat :)  They did taste delish!!

Bakers Dozen

Right after Mackenzie's Christmas performance we drove to St. George.  The next morning I ran a half marathon called the Bakers Dozen.  It was such a fun/funny race.  You had to eat a treat (doughnut, sugar cookie, Twinkie, cupcake etc.) at each station in order to get your medal.  It was a little colder than it normally is in St. George this time of year but once I started running it got warm :)  The race was about 25 miles from where the hotel was, I woke up early and left before anyone was awake.  The best surprise was daddy, Cameron, and Mackenzie took a taxi to meet me at the end.  What a great surprise!    Then we went back to the hotel to swim and get in the hot tub!!

It was a great weekend.  Quick, but fun.  The medal was hilarious.  It was GIANT and HEAVY!!

Mackenzie's Christmas Program

 Mackenzie was so excited for her first performance ever!!  It was her Christmas program for pre-school.  Her teacher, Mrs. Tafoya, helped her get her costume on.  We got there early, but still had to sit way in the back (that's why my pictures are blurt...I had to zoom in so much on my phone). Grammy and Grampy came (I will post pictures when I get them off Jeremy's camera). 

 They were Santa's little elfs.

 She was so excited, and so happy we were there to watch! 

Cute little Kenzie sang the songs she knew.  It was so cute to listen to her sing them at home.  She would come home from school some days and be singing the songs they had practiced.  It was fun to watch her do the actions to the songs too.  She wasn't shy at all, she had fun and was soooo good to sit there the whole program.  It really was pretty long for this age :)

Cameron's Christmas program

 Cameron's school had a Kindergarten program for Grandparents' Day. (I am not sure why they called it that and not just a Christmas program??)  Anyway, Cameron was SO CUTE in the program!  I am pretty sure I didn't stop smiling during the whole thing!  He sang his heart out.  This is my favorite picture ever.  Look at how happy he looks and how he is doing the actions and singing....!  This was his favorite song too.  It was something about Christmas in Hawaii and Santa doing the hula.

 Cameron was proud to have Grammy and Grampy there to watch him.  After they had milk and cookies for everyone.

His excitement was so cute!!

Then we got to go to his classroom and the kids could read or draw or do what they wanted with their grandparents.  Cameron asked Grampy to read him a book.  It was a great day and one he will always remember :)