christmas 2011

**the breinholt's**

christmas morning

2011

what a day christmas is. it is such a thrill to watch my kids in pure delight.

this christmas i happened to wake up before my kids (around 7:30ish) and i went into their rooms to wake them up so i could be the first to see their surprised little faces when they walked into the family room to see what santa had brought them this year.

jonah who celebrated his first christmas, found a rocking horse, eden a tricycle, ava a shiny new bike, and jack an electric guitar that he has been asking santa for for a long time.

jason and i just sat back and watched the kids tear through their presents and stockings.

if only i could freeze christmas day for a whole week.

there is so much joy and happiness.

but most importantly, we are all together, healthy and well.

temple lights on christmas eve

every christmas eve since i was 6 or 7, we would go see the lights at the mesa, az temple as a family. we would all pile in the car and sing christmas songs the whole way there. being at the temple would always put me in the right spirit of christmas.

this year, we headed over to the temple, just like in years past, with my parents and my brothers and sisters. i love seeing how they have changed the lights from year to year and what new things they have added to the already astonishing light display. the temple grounds are so beautiful and festive at christmas time. i'm so glad that i am getting to share this tradition with my little family and i hope that my kids will grow up remembering the true meaning of christmas.

making/decorating cookies for santa

1. first we made them.

2. then, we decorated them.

3. then, we picked out our most favorite ones to give to the big man in red.

*my kids look forward to decorating sugar cookies for santa every year and this year was no exception.

school is out

jack had a little program at school on wednesday which was also his last day before christmas break. the kids sang a few christmas songs including mele kalikimaka dressed in hawaiian getup, feliz navidad accompanied with homemade maraca shakers, santa clause is comin to town neil diamond style, and the dradle song. afterwards, they served donuts, hot chocolate (which i think is a common combo at christmas time) and smores. i also collected a bunch of crafts that jack had been working on all december before heading out the door for a two week long break.

i have been looking forward to christmas break for a little while now (kids aren't the only ones who look forward to those breaks). i am not a morning person so the thought of not having to get up in a panic (because i woke up late) to get jack ready, make his lunch, make him breakfast, get him dressed, wake up ava, plead with her to brush her hair, wake her up again because she fell back asleep, change jonah's diaper, get jack off the computer because his ride is here, quickly comb his hair, make jonah happy since he is crying and eden is dragging him around the house, stop to make eden breakfast because she thinks she is starving to death, try to force ava to eat breakfast, blah, blah, blah... and do all this in about 15 minutes. not having to do all of this sound great. plus, if i'm lucky, i might even get to sleep in. and by sleep in, i mean lying in my bed awake and being interrupted every 2 minutes while listening to kids fight and make messes in the nearby rooms. but, hey, i'll take it over rushed morning schedules :)

wishing

something tells me jonah wishes he could go outside and play.

i bet if he could talk, it would sound something like this: "mom, please let me go outside and play. i promise i won't eat dirt and rocks and crawl through the mud puddles. pleeease."

christmas caroling with the breinholts

every year we go to jason's uncle's house for a night of dinner, caroling, mingling, and donuts with hot chocolate. as soon as we arrive, the kids go crazy running around with all their cousins from this to that. i can never find them or get them to eat dinner. when the time comes, we all load up on a trailer (a very large semi sized trailer) full of hay and even a santa clause in his sleigh. we ride through neighborhoods snuggled together singing carols and waving to all the people who come out of their houses wondering what the heck is going on. it is quite a sight to see. when we get back, its donuts and hot chocolate and warm fires. the kids go even more crazy and play and play. we literally have to yank them by their ears (not really) and force them into the car when it's time to leave. it is truly a wonderful tradition that we look forward to every christmas season.