December Festivities

December has been a great month! We had a list of festive Christmas-y things we wanted to do this year and we got most of them done. The first couple weeks we took treats to people, sent out Christmas cards, attended our Church Christmas party, drove around and looked at Christmas lights, finished up our Christmas shopping, and went to a great Christmas carol-singing party that our friends put on. I didn't take any pictures of those occasions, but they were very fun and helped get us in the Christmas spirit.

Then, on December 17th, Jeremy's parents came to visit us from California! We had a wonderful visit with them and it was so nice to have them here for Christmas. They were champions and babysat for us several times - once for me to get my haircut, for us to go to a White Elephant party, and for us to go to the temple. It was awesome! We also had the missionaries over for dinner one night, ate Giordano's deep-dish pizza another night, decorated [graham cracker] houses, went on several walks, went grocery shopping, had our church Christmas program, and made a LOT of delicious food!

Grammy working on a doll for Anna before Christmas:

 The masterpieces, left to right - Eli, Connor, Jeremy, Sarah, and Papa. Anna was napping and Grammy chose to be a helper instead of do her own. :) I meant to get a picture of everyone with their houses but it didn't happen.

 We also made tamales one day which was lots of fun! It was a lot of work, but it made about 75 so it was worth it! We took a bunch to our friends whose little girl had just gotten out of the hospital, and we ate a bunch, and we still have a big bag in the freezer.

 Connor mixing up the masa.

 Poor Eli had a fever for a couple days.

Everybody helped with the tamales! (Except Anna who was again napping).

 Oh yeah!

 On Tuesday, the 23rd, it warmed up enough for us to go on a walk down to the river! It felt SO nice to be out and about!!

 After we came home and made some yummy spring rolls for lunch.

 Lovely green teeth.

 That afternoon Jeremy and I went to the temple. We were planning on going to see a light show that evening, but Eli had a fever and wasn't feeling good, so we sent Grammy and Papa off to see it while we stayed home. It goes through New Years so we're hoping to go see it after Christmas!

One of the greatest things about this month has been all the beautiful Christmas cards we have received! We sent out Christmas cards for the first time this year to about 100 people - friends and family - in 22 states. It was so great thinking about all of them as we addressed and stamped all the cards. Then over the next couple weeks, we were flooded with cards back and it was so fun! My refrigerator is covered with lots of beautiful people we love and miss all around the country.