Huge Christmas Post

We got a Christmas tree early this year and it was awesome!

It stayed green through the whole season and smelled amazing.

Setting it up at home

What it looked like all lit up,

with our paper bag advent calendar in the back ground.

I remember some of my first memories of christmas was the excitement of an advent calendar.

My neighbor was a nice old man who had a chocolate advent and 

I would go there everyday to open a new number and pick out whatever treat was inside.

Every year I make a paper bag advent with scriptures and treats/toys in it,

and the kids take turns opening it and we all read the scriptures together.

One of the toys was a ornament painting kit.

Ethan painted this penguin.

One of our FHE lessons is always about building our lives on the Savior

and of course we build ginger bread houses. :)

After eating some treats we brushed our teeth and Sophie wanted to brush mine

Are they clean??

  

Every year the city of Schertz has the Festival of Angels

They have food and rides and booths and SNOW!

They bring in a snow machine and make sledding hills for the kids. 

All you guys up north are probably laughing at us, but if it weren't for this festival every year,

my kids would have no idea what snow is really like.

This year we went with our little friend "W" and had a blast!

Snowball fight!!

Anytime Ethan is allowed to throw things he goes for it! 

We saw a bungee ride and the kids got in line to wait their turn

The wait took a while and "W" decided he'd rather go watch the parade

Then there were two waiting in line

Sophie decided the wait was too long

She went with Daniel and "W" to ride the train

Ethan stuck it out and got strapped in

He bounced pretty high, the wait was all worth it!

Daniel's company had their Christmas party downtown

The view of San Antonio's Christmas lights

The ward Christmas Party was a lot of fun

Sophie was a little lamb in the nativity

Sophie and Fe, the little girl I watch during the week, got to be lambs together

Here they are with the other animals

Ethan is the Wise Man in the blue rob, entering stage right.

My little lamb and wise man!

This is our wonderful neighbor and her dog.

She was a preschool teacher for a long time and is so great with the kids.

We love you Ms. Roslyn!

This year Daniel took the kids to see Santa at our library down the street

Ethan took Christmas and the naughty list very seriously this year.

He had specific things he asked for that he told Santa about.

A few weeks before Christmas we took a drive to the airport.

We picked up some special people to stay for a few weeks

Grammie Joyce and Papa Ken!

They joined us for the rest of our Christmas adventures.

First of which was Samuel's Christmas Concert

We had fun clapping and cheering for him

Samuel playing his clarinet

A few days later we went to Auntie Lizzie's house to visit

Auntie Lizzie lives on a farm and the kids love the wide-open spaces

There are cows and dogs and...

Chickens!

We let them out to play and so we could collect the eggs

Auntie Lizzie's house is so fun!

Uncle Jacoby carried the eggs in his shirt and tried not to break them

Ethan and Sophie ran after the chickens

It was the first time that us ladies had gotten together in a looong time. 

I wish we could all hang out more!!

The drive home from Lizzie's is long, but we love it.

The night we got back from Auntie Lizzie's, Samuel's siblings flew into town!

We went Christmas caroling with them

They are a lot of fun

The night before Christmas I put together a few last minute toys...

I cleaned the house...

and got everything under the tree...

Samuel didn't even wake up when I put out the stockings

I love the night-time glow of the Christmas tree. :)

Ethan was so excited about Christmas that he got up in the middle of the night 

and fell asleep with us in our bed.

"But Santa already came! NOW can I go open my presents????"

Daniel helped him find his stocking

Grammie and Papa in matching jammies

Opening stockings

I finally couldn't wait any longer and went to wake up Sophie.

Happy girl

Taking time to stretch, come on girl, let's go!!

Finally getting out of bed. This is the first year the Sophie 

understood presents on Christmas morning.

Stocking!

Hugging her first present. She hugs and pets everything.

She got "kissy-lips" (chapstick) in her stocking

We skyped with Grandma Marcia and Papa Ed

Merry Christmas!!

Daniel likes to shake his presents

The Big Finale!

Exchanging gifts with the siblings

After Christmas we drove Grammie and Papa up to Houston so he could 

see his family. Then we went to the NASA Space Center

It was very crowded there, but they had a lot of fun stuff

Huge play place

Sophie with the map of the space center

Ethan built a wall of blocks

We got to tour a lot of the space center

The complex was HUGE

The command center for a lot of the Apollo missions.

After visiting a big longer at the space center we realized that the place was too crowded and the kids were too young to really get it so we left and drove back to San Antonio. 

It was a fun trip to close out 2012!