Christmas is practically here!

I finally got around to making a wreath. It turned out a little lopsided but it has withstand some storms so we'll call it good.

More than a week ago one of my children came to my room to tell me that while they were playing Tigey Tag, he/she knocked over my brown vase. Justin brought back this vase when he went on a school trip a month before Henry was born. Life was very different 11 years ago, simple but hard, with no money, Justin finishing his graduate degree, a two-year-old and a baby on the way. I look at this vase often and think of how far we have come. Henry knocked it into a hundred pieces. It seemed irreparable but I had to try. I don't have a picture of it in it's many pieces but you can see the glue lines in the piece on the left. The center piece is made up of maybe 8 pieces and the top piece luckily was till intact.

I told myself it was a real-life jigsaw puzzle and that I could stop at anytime, it was still just a vase after all. Slowly and stickily I began piecing each fragment and shard until it finally came together after 3 days and 2 tubes of glue.

Restored to it's spot next to my dad's childhood BB gun, it looks much the same from that distance. It has taken on new meaning for me. I am really proud of this child and how they took responsibility for what happened and were honest about it. It was a moment of a parenting win and I really wanted to fix it to show them that we can fix mistakes we make when we own our actions and ask for help.

This year's Christmas ornaments: snowflakes and stars. I gave them a hard time for all painting them the same colors but I kind of like how they look like a set.

By asking all my sisters to sign up, I got 4 tickets to the Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert. I felt like such a good mom able to take both of my daughters. I felt like such a bad mom when we learned that Sarah's orchestra concert was the same night. She thought about skipping it for the concert but when she realized how impossible the makeup assignment was she decided to stay for her concert. Erica and I still went along with Nadine and Diane. 

We drove to Murray and then got on Trax into downtown. We ate dinner at the mall and while we waited for our food, Erica rode the escalater six times.

After dinner we walked through the part of temple square that was open. They had several nativities themed from around the world. I liked it. I was telling Erica that when I was a kid, this was THE place to come see Christmas lights. No one else did it like temple square.

The temple was all wrapped in scaffolding, like a present to be unwrapped.

The old tabernacle looked like a gingerbread house.

We thought this one represented New Zealand.

Erica's reaction when we walked into the conference center auditorium was so cute. "Is that a giant screen?" No, we're really in here. That's real. I tried explaining to her it's where they have general conference but she said she didn't remember.

She wasn't feeling so well and was really tired but I think she enjoyed it. 

And then we got home just before midnight. Poor thing was so tired and woke up sick the next morning so she stayed home from school.

Random icicle picture. We don't have a rain gutter on this little piece of roof between the kids' bedrooms so we get some impressive 4-foot icicles.

Saturday was the funeral for my aunt Arlene. My uncle John died in August and then she died just 4 months later. It was pretty unexpected. It was nice to see my cousins again. It's an end of an era: no more Symes in Moroni for the first time.

I got home from the funeral in the afternoon and then picked up Sarah and drove to Layton for the baby shower for my nephew Peyton's wife Marissa. They are having a baby this week! He'll be the firstborn son of the firstborn son of the firstborn son and the first great-grandchild for my parents. I'm going to be a great aunt!

We met at Kneaders and ate dinner and played a couple of games and she opened presents. It was a lot of fun but a lot of driving for one day! Plus the boys were now sick with whatever Erica had and I woke up Sunday sick too. 

Justin wasn't feeling well Tuesday but Sarah is still going strong! I was fine by Tuesday but it has been a long week of sickness. Everyone went to school on Wednesday for one last day before the break.

Wednesday I also helped in Erica's class party. I had them play Christmas charades and it was so funny to watch. Some kids are so creative while others will barely move at all.

Thursday I baked like 200 cookies for the neighbor gifts. It went pretty quickly with the new oven we got just a couple of days before. It is a split oven so I could cook a lot at a time.

Then I put them in these little boxes James put togoether for me. I tried them with ribbon and a tag and the kids were off! They delivered several on our street and then later we took them to their primary teachers.

That night we had Christmas enchiladas. That's what we're calling having red and green enchiladas in one night. They were so good and looked so festive. We might have to do this every year.

I got my parents a strand of these bubble lights. My parents said they had them on their trees growing up and I found some at an antique store. I think they are so cute.

Finally we come to Christmas Eve Eve. This is one of our favorite days of the year. Justin and I spend most of the day cooking together in the kitchen while the kids play with friends. Then we have an ultimate fancy dinner where I make everyone dress nice and use their best manners.

We had beef shortribs, risotto, green beans and pretzel jello. (James finally took off his coat after I told him he couldn't have any pretzel jello if he didn't)

Then the kids open new pajamas. Erica was sad hers and Sarah's didn't match this year but Sarah has moved up into women's sizes.

And now we are to Christmas Eve. It's a day full of making food for the next couple of days and party all evening!