Christmas Holiday

We had a GREAT Christmas season this year. We got most of our shopping done the first part of December, which made it a much better year on focusing on the real meaning of Christmas. Ava was at such a fun age for Christmas- always so excited, but very easy to please (good thing since she asked Santa for something different each time she sat on his lap!) Sawyer was crazy busy like always and just took it all in. We had our second year of our dinner at Benihana tradition (started last year since we didn't go home due to having a spankin' new baby). It is so so much fun! Our kids did so great this year and the food was to die for of course. Last year, we ate at Benihana for Christmas dinner, but this year we did Christmas Eve and it was even better. Definitely an annual tradition! We were able to spend a few days in Kanab over the holiday's and had a fun time with family. We were all very spoiled with gifts, which were all loved.

So far the new year has been wonderful. We are so blessed as a family and are so happy. We hope all is well with all our blogging friends. Here's to a fabulous 2011!

50% of the cousins in their Christmas Sunday best

Neighborhood gift project 2010- Christmas cake balls- so so so delicious!

Benihana- Ava decided she loves shrimp and perfected her chopstick skills :)

The amateur chef's.....

Favorite boys

We did a Temple Square drive-by after dinner. It was surprisingly packed! We're going to add it to our Christmas Eve tradition next year.

Our Christmas tree, which we finally decorated 2 days previous!

Gift opening extravaganza! We all took turns and tried to enjoy each gift (something very hard for tiny kids!)

The after-opening presents carnage....

Christmas Day at Grandma Polly's house- always a crowd pleaser! We haven't been to a family holiday function at Gma Polly's for at least 2 years and it was so so fun! We have such a great, close family and we all get along so good. At Christmas we always sit around in a circle and open all our gifts and then a very chaotic battle of wrapping paper snowball fights ensues (this year, grandma threw the opening throw at the request of Elder Metcalf via Christmas morning phone call)

After a delicious dinner and fun present party, we had a family music show- everyone is so talented and musical and it was great! (even I blew the old dust of my viola and played it for the first time in 5 years!) Ava danced and danced through the whole thing and loved every minute of it!

These guys broke out a 5-part harmony on the spot and sang a Christmas melody!( and we still love uncle James, even if he sported a BYU sweatshirt in very hostile territory!)

Kari's nose rescued Abby from sure agony when Sawyer decided to drop a mop he was carrying around.... who let the kid have a mop you ask!? I removed my eyes from him for 5 seconds and he found the one item that could cause the most destruction! (at least he didn't make it into the bathroom to play in the toilet which happens everytime a bathroom door isn't clicked shut- seriously, even if the door's closed he always pushes on it to see if it will open....)