The Snow Forgot To Show...

But Christmas arrived all the same. It is amazing the difference from this year to last year. Last year we had tons and tons of snow. And this year, hardly a flake. I think that's a big part of why it didn't really seem like Christmas could really be here. Did any one else feel that way?

We celebrated Christmas Eve with my family on Thursday night since that is when the majority of us could be there. We had a fantastic time and enjoyed lots of great food, friends, and family. Here are some of my favorite traditions.

1. Ribbon Jello Salad. It's the only time of year we make it. It is so yummy! If you have never tried it, I definitely recommend it. :)

2. Twice Baked Potatoes. They are nearly exactly what they sound like. You bake the potato, cut it in half and scoop out the insides. Then you mash up the potato and add whatever flavoring you like. Finally, put the mashed potatoes back in their shells with a slice of cheese on top and toss them back in the oven until the cheese is melted. Divine!


3. Acting out the Nativity. This year my family tried very hard to convince me to play the roll of Mary, if only for the first few seconds, considering I fit the description, "being large with child" to a "T." But I didn't want to take the spotlight away from my niece, and I didn't want to risk breaking the donkey's back - my brother-in-law. The Nativity scene is always entertaining. This year when the angels arrived, one of them walked right up to the baby Jesus and tried to pick him up and hold him for a moment. For this she received a shove from either Mary or Joseph that sent her toppling backwards. She cried in anger for a moment, but then all was forgiven. We had one shepherd and one sheep. The sheep, who has just recently mastered walking, was much more interested in "grazing" and disappeared from the scene within seconds. The shepherd paid a quick visit to the baby Jesus and went to find his lost sheep. When the wise men appeared, the first one walked right passed the baby Jesus. He was grinning and so excited to play the part I think he missed the destination. The whole thing was priceless. I love watching the little kids act it out. And they love doing it. It's awesome.


We ended the night with my mom reading "The Story of the Christmas Cane." At least I think that's what it's called. It's a beautiful story about a candy store owner that introduces the candy cane to the town and teaches them all about the symbolism. Turn it upside down and it forms a "J" for Jesus. Turn it right-side up and and it looks like the shepherds crook. The color red for the blood that was shed. The color white for redemption. It really is pretty amazing.

It was a wonderful evening and I am really glad I did not have a baby yet so that we could be there.

It was also really nice because since we celebrated early with my family, that meant we could spend Christmas Eve with Ryan's family. We had a nice evening at their home eating pizza, opening presents, and playing games.

The big excitement for the evening was when the boys set up their Christmas present - a clay pigeon shooter. They set it up in the kitchen just to see how fast it would fling around. Don't worry, nothing was loaded in it... for long. It was simply too hard to resist, so we took it outside in the backyard, aimed it at the fence, and launched a sugar cookie at it. The cookie wasn't round, so we tried a blank CD next. Hahaha - it was amazing! That thing moved so fast it was almost hard to see it in the dark. But there was no doubt where it hit when we all heard a deciding "Smack!" against the fence and reflective pieces of CD broke off into the yard. It was hilarious.


It was really nice to be able to spend time with both families and we are really looking forward to Ryan's sister Jodi and her family coming out from Colorado sometime this week.

Today has been really nice. We woke up around 8 to open our presents.

We bought Dodger a couple new toys and Ryan wrapped them up in newspaper. Dodger didn't see him do this, but somehow he knew they were for him. He didn't care about our gifts, but he really went to town on his own. He shredded the newspaper and was ecstatic to find his new toys inside.


As for me and Ryan, he bought me a nice new winter coat which I totally love. He also gave me a handwritten coupon that read "Not one, but TWO massages!" I laughed and laughed. That was definitely my favorite. :)

I bought "him" some KitchenAid attachments. They included a shredder, food grinder, and fruit/veggie strainer. I figure that's really for the both of us. But what I really got him was the sausage stuffer attachment. He has been wanting to make his own sausage for a long time. The sausage stuffer didn't come with the other attachment kit mentioned above, but I used it as an excuse to get the kit anyway. Fred and Jari drew our names for Christmas, so I told Fred to get Ryan a book on sausage making. I think Fred must have found the perfect one because I couldn't get Ryan's nose out of the book for more than a few seconds after that. He even asked if we could take it to church. Haha.


Jari sent me a beautiful book on motherhood which I am super excited to read as well as a couple handmade burp cloths and outfits for the baby. They are so stinking cute! One has the Pillsbury Dough Boy on it and it says "Poke Me" and the other says "Stud" with a muffin underneath. I love it!
Thank you Fred and Jari!


After presents we got ready for church. Church was wonderful. Each member of the bishopric gave a short talk and the choir sung in between. It was fantastic.

After church we went to my parents for breakfast, which is as much tradition as is Christmas Eve dinner. My favorite part?

Aebleskivers!!! They are Danish apple pancakes. You can actually put whatever you want in them, but we like to stick with the traditional slice of apple in the middle. They are fantastic!


We also have sausage, scrambled eggs, juice, and new this year - hashbrowns. Breakfast food is my favorite anyway, but Christmas morning breakfast is definitely the best. :)

The rest of the day has been peaceful and quiet. Even with all the festivities over (yes, I have already taken down my tree) it's still hard to believe that it was really Christmas. It has been wonderful though. I am grateful for family and loved ones. And most of all, I am grateful for the reason we celebrate to begin with, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Merry Christmas everyone! And now that Christmas is over, it's safe for baby to come out so he can have his "own" day. ;)