Christmas is Coming!

I am so excited for Christmas with Kasen this year!

SO EXCITED!
We've been to our first two Christmas parties of the season. Saturday was our ward Christmas party and I sang a couple songs with the choir, then we had my moms family Christmas party on Sunday.
It was my first ugly sweater Christmas party, the first time it's snowed this season and the kids got to decorate gingerbread men too!

 Grammy is much nicer than I am when it comes to sharing her camera with the kids. Kasen loved taking pictures with it and I love how he can't figure out how to look through the viewfinder and just puts in on his forehead instead.

 Then we opened presents from Grammy!
Tai Lynn got her own little car to ride on and seemed stoked about it too!

 Kasen got the cutest little cowboy boots! I love them! And a writing board, but the favorite toy was Naomi's little drum set.
That night we also watched the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional.

We set up our Christmas tree the Monday after Thanksgiving and Kasen helped put on so many of the ornaments and even the star! I just need to convince him to stop taking them back off! When we wake up in the morning he will sometimes tell me to turn on the Christmas lights though.

We have a Jingle Bells book and now he sings jingle bells and makes my heart melt!

"Jingle bells, Jingle bells WAY!

Jingle bells, Jingle bells LAUGH!

Jingle bells, Jingle bells ready RIDE!"
We also read our Polar Express book and now he says, "All Aboard!"

 I got my anniversary present early this year! Ever since we got married I have wanted a nativity and this year I finally found one that I love! So Kyle got it for me for our 6 year anniversary on the 16th. I'm so excited to have a nativity for Christmas this year!

 This year's ornament is this little puppy that looks like Peeka, since we got Peeka this year!
Yesterday she got hit by a car, Kyle was a little bummed that it didn't kill her. lol

We also have the tradition of getting a new Christmas book each year and this year I got "We Believe in Christmas". It's about how the symbols of Christmas remind us of Christ. I love it!!

Friend and neighbor gifts are also done thanks to Pinterest! I thought they were so cute when I saw them and they were super easy to make!

Naomi, Kasen, Evva, Parker, Marc and Tai

 We got all 6 of Grandma Sandy's great grand kids together to take a picture to give to her for Christmas and it went better than I thought it would! 6 kids 2 and under is rough, but they sat without crying for a good minute.

 The 4 oldest. One from each cousin :)

 This is when Kasen thought Dakota was HILARIOUS, but Evva did not!

 Naomi was telling us that Tai was crying. Nothing a smartie didn't solve though!

 The rest of these were us just watching the kids do their own thing. Kasen seemed to be playing Do As I'm Doing with Naomi, which Naomi was first playing with Marc.

I was peeing my pants laughing at these pictures of the kids!

Kasen reminds me of the episode of FRIENDS when Chandler and Monica are trying to take their engagement pictures. Seriously, why is he smiling like that?! Haha He looks in pain!

Naomi is working HARD to get that cookie we promised her! She WANTS that cookie.

 And Evva was not at all impressed with any sort of silliness or bribery, but stinkin' cute angry eyes!

Saturday after Thanksgiving we went to Jake and Kristi's for a Pie Night! Great idea to eat all the Thanksgiving leftovers too, although I made a fresh homemade apple pie to take. I also picked up a couple kittens for my neighbor and Kasen was in heaven because the whole way home one of the kittens stayed in his lap and snuggled with him. Kasen sang and talked to that kitty the whole ride and was a little disappointed that it wasn't coming home with us.

 One more thing I've been thinking about though:

Gift Giving

Sheldon Cooper (Big Bang Theory) makes a good point when he talks about the social convention of gift giving.

"The entire institution of gift giving make no sense. Let's say that I go out, and I spend 50 dollars on you, it's a laborious activity, because I have to imagine what you need, where as you know what you need. Now I could simplify things, just give you the 50 dollars directly, and you could give me 50 dollars on my birthday, and so on, until one of us dies, leaving the other one old and 50 dollars richer. And I ask, is it worth it?

Do we give gifts just because it is a social convention? When we ask someone what we can get them, go out and buy it and then wrap it, when they already know what it is, then I would argue yes.

I know I usually don't like when others ask me what I want for a given holiday. I don't know their budget or what stores are most convenient for them to get to in order to buy said gift. I don't ever want someone to think that I expect them to go out and buy me something. But I too have been guilty of asking others what they might like for a gift, even though I usually make it a rule not to.

I guess it's easy to get in that mind set though when we take our kids to Santa's lap and he says, "What would you like for Christmas?"

I don't have a problem asking someone who lives with that person for some ideas or even probing around by asking a few questions about favorite places or things.  After all if we are going to spend our hard earned money we want it to be on something we know will be worth it for all involved right? But putting in no effort by just asking "What do you want?" doesn't show we even pay attention or care. During the Christmas Devotional there was a talk about how the best gifts are the ones that we sacrifice to give.

A gift should be something that you think that person would like, something you want them to have and something you are excited to give to them. They should be somewhat thought about and picked out. My FAVORITE is when Kyle has paid attention to something I mentioned wanting, remembers months later and surprises me with it! Paying attention to things and remembering is what shows you care.

It's a bummer that there is so much pressure with presents around this time, I wish there wasn't, but I am really wanting to do better with my gift giving. 

Just something to think about during this season! So happy gift giving to all!