Tis the Season

December was a whirlwind of crazy and busy.  But aren't the holidays always that way?  We started the month off planning our Ward's Christmas party.  We did it last year too, but wanted to do something different this year, so we had a hot chocolate bar.  There were muffins and donuts of every kind, and then hot chocolate with several add-in options.   We had raspberry, vanilla, caramel, and hazelnut flavoring syrups, crushed peppermint, candy canes, white marshmallows, red and green marshmallows, cinnamon, chili powder, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, and of course, whipped cream.  We also had sugar-free hot chocolate and cold drinking water, just in case.  There were too many options to try them all.  But they were yummy!  We had homemade sugar cookies with red, green, and white buttercream frosting (all made by a lovely gal who is a master with all things in the kitchen), and sprinkles for the kids to decorate and take home.  And of course, we were lucky to have a visit from Santa Claus himself (what can I say, I have connections!).

Excuse the crummy blurry shot.

While out on some errands one day I saw this guy ringing a bell collecting money.  You see these guys all over the place, but this guy definitely went the extra mile.  It was great seeing his enthusiasm.  I bet he collected quite a bit that day.

Right before Christmas Eric took a trip to London.  When he returned, Emma got an early Christmas present.  Londoners are famous for their hats, so he bought her a beautiful hat.  It is seriously so cute on her.  These pictures don't do it justice.

For Christmas this year we went to Ohio to be with my brother, sister-in-law, and her family.  They were incredibly generous and nice to invite us.  We had a great time with them.  They have a lovely home, and it was decorated very festively.  And probably the best Italian food we have ever had!  A.Maz.Ing!  But that's what you get with recipes that have been passed down forever and skilled hands that have learned to make them.  Bravo!  We spent a few days there celebrating, ate very well (holy cow!), went to Church together, laughed a lot, and really enjoyed the company.

I loved the huge fireplace between the living room and the kitchen.

Hulk gloves for Christmas

Already putting the gloves to good use - beating up my brother!  

Eric put all his Bronco pride aside and sported this Browns ornament.  Ahh, what a good sport.

Emma being Emma while playing one of her new Lego games with Eric and Michael.

Then came home to finish up our Christmas celebrating.  Emma had a few more presents here at home that we didn't have room to take with us.  We brought as many as we could, but the rest were left behind for us to open when we got home.  It was kind of nice to have two Christmases in a way.

Doesn't she just look thrilled with all the stuff she got?  She wasn't quite ready for me to take the picture I think.

My Christmas Angel