Christmas day

The kids woke up around 7:15, but we made them wait until Ella woke up to go downstairs.  They patiently watched TV in our room until 8.  I would have never been able to do that as a kid!! 

For breakfast I had a couple things made to just pop in the oven this morning. They baked while we opened presents.  Good thing I spent all that time and energy to prepare them the night before—the kids didn’t even like any of it.  I’ll definitely be adjusting for next year. 

Christmas excitement!

Ella was a little confused at first that we were now telling her it was okay to open presents.  But as soon as she did one, she was all over it.  She just opened anything she could get her hands on. 

Ella got a little people house, snap n style dolls, baby bottles and supplies, and a stroller.

Luke got a scooter, the Play Mobil police station, wooden blocks and magformers. 

 

Andrew got lots of Legos, a set of zoobs, Skylanders swap force, and swap force characters. 

Josh got lots of art supplies, Legos, MP3 player, and the game Telestrations.  

The Christmas mess.  Sheesh.

And the Christmas garbage that will take us months to get rid of. 

Dad was the man on demand helping everyone to put together all their toys.

Ella LOVES her stroller.  She pushes it around everywhere.

And she’s very much into pretending with her babies.  She feeds them, gives them toys, gives them bottles, binkys, and blankets, and puts them to bed.  Words cannot describe how fun it is to teach her how to be a mommy.  I love it. 

  

Josh finished his rocket Lego set. 

Ella loves her little people house as well.  She’s always putting the daddy on the potty which is pretty accurate. 

After a nice, low key Christmas dinner we played Dixit.  It was pretty fun, and I think the kids liked it. 

It was a great day. 

So thankful for the birth of my Savior Jesus Christ. 

Merry Christmas!

2013 Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas!  We hope you are all happy and healthy!  We love this time of year when we can focus on the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and what His life means to us.  Because of Him, we can overcome all heartache, sin, and death.  We are truly blessed to have the knowledge that He lives, and we will see Him again. 

For spring break I took all the kids to Oklahoma by myself to visit Grandma and Grandpa Morris.  A couple weeks later we flew to Utah to welcome Grandma and Grandpa Hancock home from their mission. It was so good to see them again after a year and a half.  In July we made the yearly drive back to Utah to spend more time with both of our families.  On November 2nd Andrew was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and we had a house full of family to help celebrate.  Whew!  We are grateful for all the time we got to spend with our families throughout the year despite the fact that they live far away. 

Ella is almost 18 months old and almost in nursery at church (insert cheers from mom and dad).  She isn't walking yet, but goes to physical therapy once a week to help her figure it out and strengthen her muscles.  Her favorite things include her binky, blankie, babies, singing, fruit snacks, milkshakes, and computers.  We are thankful for the drama and excitement she brings to our family.  We all adore her.

Luke is 5 1/2 and in dual language Spanish kindergarten.  He loves the challenge and comes home with new Spanish vocabulary every day.  Luke is probably our most social child who loves to have playdates with his friends.  He played soccer for the first time this fall.  He took it very seriously and loved every minute of it.  He also loves to play with his brothers, ride his bike, and is generally a pretty happy guy.

Andrew is 8 and in the 2nd grade.  He started cub scouts in September and is finally getting used to wearing his cub scout uniform without a fight.  He's very picky about what he wears and has made a goal to wear shorts the entire school year.  Good thing we live in a pretty mild climate.  Andrew loves soccer,  playing catch with the football and video games (much to his mother's dismay).  This past fall he played up a grade in soccer to help challenge him.

Josh is 9 1/2 and in the 4th grade.  He enjoys school and does very well.  He likes soccer, drawing, reading, and writing.  With the help of his Aunt Julie, he recently published his own comic book called Snack Time.  He wants to be a cartoonist when he grows up.  He had a great soccer season this past fall and is excited to start his second year of basketball after Christmas. 

Kim is still busier than ever (will it ever change?).  I enjoy managing the house, volunteering in the kids' classrooms, teaching the CTR5 class at church, and being the PTA secretary.  I was recently accepted into the BYU General Studies degree program and will hopefully be finishing my degree within the next 8 years. lol. 

Darrin reached his 10th year at Intel (crazy!!) and does great at working hard for his family.  He coached 3 soccer teams all at the same time this fall (also crazy!!) and still plays on a team of his own.  He continues to enjoy being in the bishopric at church and serving the members the ward.  He's a wonderful dad who knows when to relax and have fun. 

We are thankful for our associations with all of you.  Each of you have touched our lives in ways that you may not even know.  We wish you all the best this Christmas and throughout the coming year!  --K

Christmas lights and lanterns.

Yesterday (Monday) Darrin took the day off, and we worked on getting a lot done around the house. Andrew had his 8 year check up at the doctor, and Darrin had physical therapy.  I went grocery shopping, did the laundry, and cleaned up. 

For FHE we went to the Raceway where they have a fun light display to drive through.  Ella was asleep when we got there, but we woke her up to see the lights. 

It was pretty fun.  Darrin and I were expecting a little bit more for the money we paid, but the kids had fun, and I guess that’s all that counts. 

We came home, put the kids to bed, turned on the TV and worked on putting away Lego sets that the kids have built in the last couple months.  It’s a super fun job to go through and account for every piece in the whole set. 

Today (Tuesday) I got up and went for a run with a couple friends.  Love girl chat in the morning. 

We set to work prepping the food for Christmas Eve dinner.  We had to make sweet potatoes, Jello, and rolls.  I also made sugar cookies so the kids could leave cookies for Santa.  Luke was most excited and loved using the cookie cutters to make the shapes.  Can I just say I’m totally in love with my new Pampered Chef pastry mat??  It non slip, non stick, and can go in the dishwasher.  Best investment ever.  Made making sugar cookies so easy. 

Darrin took the boys to McDonalds for lunch and got a car wash.  Josh cleaned out the van when they got home.  Merry Christmas to me!!!

We took Darrin’s car to the shop and found out it needed $825 of work done on it.  Considering we haven’t done much on it in 10 years, we weren’t super surprised, but that still is a lot of money.  Merry Christmas to the car. 

At 4:30 we headed to Chad and Julie’s for Christmas Eve dinner.  Ella toddled all over their house and enjoyed playing with the kids.  She one of them now.  She also loved this toy that sings. 

Dinner was yummy as usual.

Afterwards Tanya gave us a great lesson on gift giving and then we read the story from the Bible and sang Christmas songs.  Ella even tried to sing a long.  It was pretty cute. 

We had birthday cake for baby Jesus and then headed home to go to bed!

As we pulled up we found the park decorated with lanterns.  They are so pretty!  I keep looking out the window to see them.  It’s really bugging me that we weren’t here to see who did it.  I love it though.

To top off the night we let the boys open their Christmas PJs from Grandma and Grandpa Hancock. 

Now everyone is asleep, and Santa will be here soon.  This is the first year in our whole married life we’ve had everything wrapped before Christmas Eve, and it’s been so relaxing—hence the blogging. 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Goodies, a ponytail, and a party.

Thursday started out as a slow day with not much going on.  Ella played cars while the boys were gone to school.  She walking everywhere now which is so fun.

And I watched a webinar about how to stop yelling at and nagging my kids to get things done.  I was reminded of a few things that will hopefully help. 

Ella was fascinated with the melted snowman snow globe that we have.  So magical!

This week Ella has become obsessed with her baby doll (which is perfect for what she’s getting for Christmas).  She likes to sleep with it, and I think it’s pretty darn cute. 

I decided to start the Christmas baking cause we didn't have much going on that day.  I made Oreo balls (YUM), cookie press cookies, and candy cane brownies.  Darrin made almond bark.  I tried to make caramel but this year both batches failed.  One tasted burned and the other one tasted good, but didn’t look that great.  Someday I will have it perfected.  The ruined batches of caramel put me in a bad mood, so the rest of the day was kinda bleh.

   

I did get Ella’s hair in a ponytail for the first time.  She looked so grown up!

And for dinner we had broccoli, and Ella ate 4 servings.  I’ve never had a kid eat vegetables like she does.  It’s awesome.

Thursday night Ella decided she didn’t need much sleep and was up from 1:30-4.  Crazy girl.  Luckily that doesn’t happen too often.  It sure made for tired mom and dad the next day.

Friday was a day of dentist appointments at our house.  Josh had his at 7:30am (so he wouldn’t miss his class Christmas party) and then Luke and Andrew had theirs at 11am.  Only one little cavity out of the 3 of them.  Not bad I guess.

After some quick lunch we headed to the school for the Christmas sing a long.  The kids love it, and it’s always fun to watch. 

Luke and Zach felt pretty cool they got to join in since the half day kindergarteners had already gone home. 

After school we got the goodie plates all ready to deliver and then we set off.  The kids took turns jumping out and wishing our closest friends and neighbors Merry Christmas.  Always a fun tradition!

Friday was a girl’s night out!  It was a relaxing night of doing nails, eating treats, and chatting with friends.  It’s always nice to have a night away.

Saturday Darrin went to the hospital to visit the sick little boy who was on his soccer team.  He gave him the game ball from last season that most of the team members had signed.  He was able to offer and give him a priesthood blessing which was neat experience for him. 

Josh sent with Darrin the latest Snack Time book for Kian to read and then this Snack Time poster.  Snack Time characters do not like healthy foods which we’re sure they’re making him eat in the hospital. 

 

Later that night we got a sitter and went to the Bishops house for a party.  We had lots of food and played fun games.  It was a great night of fellowship and laughs. 

Today was Christmas Sunday.  The sacrament program was amazing like usual.  We are grateful for the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and what it means in our life. 

XOXOXOXO