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!

Let's get ready for Christmas

 James had an assignment to make a video of himself explaining his favorite holiday tradition. He really wanted to tell his class about all the advent calendars we have. He really didn't want to make a video. We compromised with some photos instead and he wanted to take them. 

He didn't want to tell me what he said to his class.

On the 3rd the Dyes went to our super secret tree grove to get our Christmas trees. We passed Scofield Reservoir and marveled at the ice fishermen.

Justin had never seen so many tents. Neither have I but I don't pay attention to such things nor have I been to Scofield as much as he has. It was 9 degrees out.

After a thrilling ride blazing a trail in the undriven road, we made it to our spot with only minimal getting stuck. James and Erica do not like sliding and bumping and getting stuck, even if it's just for a moment.

Justin and I found our tree and called down to the kids to have them give their approval. They were occupied with doughnuts and sleds so they didn't care. James did finally climb up with doughnut in hand. He slipped a couple of times and got his doughnut snowy, thus this face.

Isn't she a beauty?

This is tree camp.

This is us.

When we were about to head out Justin quiped "uh oh, we're stuck" and James instantly burst out into the most panicked tears and cry I've ever seen. It took a long time to reassure him. It was sad but a tiny kind of funny. Little bit.

After that we drove over the mountain and ate lunch in Fairview. 

I wanted a skinny tree so that our chairs would still fit in the living room and I wanted it super tall because that's fun. We measured and measured and got it just right.

Decorating time! It took a couple of hours Saturday for Sarah and I to get the lights on. We were tired so we watched Elf instead of doing the ornaments. We did that Sunday evening after the church devotional.

"Dad's the hook guy. If you need one, he'll hook you up." He was also the star guy because no one was nearly tall enough to reach the top.

James tried and tried to get this ornament as high as he could reach so he could have the highest ornament.

He did it! It was the highest ornament for a few minutes.

Showing off last year's creation.

Monday I finished putting the rest of the ornaments on since the kids lost interest. I made this garland for the banister with leftover limbs from Corey and Nadine's tree.

And this wreath.

Here's our tree all lit up. I think it's my favorite tree ever, if I can keep it lit. We've had two sets of lights poop out on us and that makes me crazy.

I'll be super tired of it all by New Year's but for now it's all so magical and cozy.

Who likes snow so much he has to run out and play in it before school? This kid.

This was a crazy week and the upside was I didn't have to make dinner for 3 nights. Tuesday was our Relief Society Christmas dinner that I was kind of in charge of. It came together beautifully because everyone did their part. But it was stressful when the sister in charge of centerpieces showed up with 15 minutes to go. We had a lot of leftover food and since I'm the only one on the committee with kids at home, I took home most of it. We have salad and baked potatoes to last us a week. The kids made quick work of the cake.  I didn't get any photos of the event but I am proud to announce I pulled off using the projector with no technical difficulties.

Thursday was the bishopric and high council dinner with their wives hosted by the stake presidency. That was fun and fancy.

I just feel like it's important for everyone to know I've had this wool coat since I was a senior in high school. Yes, 21 years old and it's awesome. 

Friday was Justin's work party. Here he is accepting his award for 10 years with the company. It's a photo that gets more awkward the more I look at it.

Here we go. That's better.

It's a motor grater. The kids will love seeing it on his desk when they visit him at work like the skid steer (or whatever it's called) for his 5 year award. The guy with the 35-year award got a dump truck so we're aiming for that.

Here are all the partners. Justin, Ryan (president), Kevin, and the three Anderson brothers I can never keep straight.

Saturday I made the kids paint me some ornaments.

For several years at Rees they made clay ornaments in art and they were my favorite. Then they got a new art teacher and she was lame and didn't do that. Then we moved. So I buy these ornaments at Hobby Lobby and we do it ourselves.

I sprayed them with a clear coat and here's how they turned out. Henry's is the one with the fried egg.

For this week we have to make divinity and fudge (again) and watch more Christmas movies and I have to finish a quilt. Our new oven was to be delivered tomorrow but it's been delayed until next Monday.