It's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas! Everywhere you go.

With all the hustle and bustle of the season my blog has seen it's better days. This is what we've been up to.

Finally got the tree up. Not sure why I wasn't as motivated as I usually am to put it up. We usually do it Thanksgiving weekend. With an early Thanksgiving and family and work party's we waited til the first weekend in December. Kids had fun as usual; Mike got the job of separating the globs of ornaments in one area. He tired easily. I gave the kids the ornaments one by one.  I love the memories behind each ornament. My favorites are baby's first Christmas, each child has a picture of their first Christmas. Wow, how time flies. It feels like yesterday it was Maddy's first Christmas and soon we'll have another picture to add to the tree.

One of our yearly traditions is to add a new ornament as a family and then one for each kid. This year it is a Disney World ornament and we're still on the look out for the kids, maybe today we'll go find one. I also get a new ornament every year from the ornament exchange party. Here's this years grab! It's cute and wiggly!

Baking is done. Although it is mostly consumed, guess we'll have to make cookies again so Santa can have some Christmas Eve! Ya, twist my arm on that one!

These were yummy. I was planning on making homemade oreos and just putting crushed candy canes in the frosting...OBB added peppermint flavor to the frosting and then rolled the cookie in the crushed candy canes. MMMM, is all I can say! Here's their from scratch recipe. Here's OBB from scratch recipe.



 

I love making these cookies, its a cake mix and you add lots of butter & eggs!

Here's the recipe I have if Santa needs some of these at your house.

Oreo Cookies

2 boxes German Chocolate Cake mix or Duncan Heinz Devil Food cake mix

1 1/2 c butter flavored Crisco (although I reduce it to 1 c.)

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Blend together with hands or mixer. Roll into walnut/marble sized balls. Bake 8 min @ 350'

Filling:

3 oz cream cheese

1 cube margarine

2 c powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Fill between 2 cookies.

Put the frosting in a ziploc, cut off the corner and fill your cookies.

For mutual the YM and YW were going to Temple Square to see the lights. It's so cold outside and with the inversion I figured I wouldn't want to do it again, so I dragged my family along with us.

No one seemed to mind. By the end the kids complained that they were cold.

It was 26'.

Baby it's cold outside!

But the spirit that you feel is amazing.

The beauty is breath taking and its just something you need to do every year.

 Lexi and Jack did not want a family picture taken. Lexi is hiding behind her gloves and Jack got picked up at the last minute, he was hiding behind mom and Maddy. Guess we were having fun right!

We enjoyed donuts and hot chocolate when we got back to the casr. That seemed to make the trip complete!

Next up is the Ugly Sweaters party. Thanks Mom & Dad & Brody for watching the kids.

Lovely Matching Cardinals.

Lexi: "Mom why are you wearing that bird?"

Mom: "Do you like it?"

Lexi: "No"

And when we got home look who was all bundled up keeping Brody company.

Here's this years Christmas card (or one of 3 versions of it). I didn't realize til I got it home that it only said Happy Holidays. So Merry Christmas to everyone too!

And nothings better than trying to play St. Nick while getting clean.

 Ho, Ho, Ho

Still on the check list is wrapping presents and finishing the Book of Mormon.

We're having brunch tomorrow with Grammie before she heads to California for her winter break and then lots of school activities for the last week of school. Poor kids have to go to school ALL week.

Only 8 more days on the Christmas count down. Are you ready?