My favorite Christmas quotes...by Jace

(After doing a secret Santa)
Jace: Mom, I actually think I'm part elf
Mom: Really? Why?
Jace: Well, I like to do nice things for people and my ears stick out and are kind of pointy at the top!

(During a prayer--Jace says really thoughtful, heartfelt prayers)
Jace: Dear Heavenly Father, we are so grateful that Jesus was born on earth. We are so grateful that Mary was such a good mother to him and that Joseph was such (long pause) a good step-father....(not a bad interpretation huh?)

Mesa Temple Lights

I love that our church provides such a beautiful Christmas experience in so many cities around the world. It was so fun to take the boys to the Mesa temple (and just wear hoodies!) so they could see the lights and the nativity and the videos of Christ's birth. What a wonderful season we are in!

Jace's School Christmas Program

It was so fun to watch Jace and his class sing and recite poems. They were more than darling. I love the excitement of first graders and the way they are so proud of a job well done. The program was 30 minutes...can't beat that!
Jace has some great friends this year! We are so blessed. Wow 6 boys looking at the camera and being cute. Lucky day!

We took lots of funny pictures to keep the little siblings occupied while we waited. Every picture got grosser and grosser.

Breakfast with Santa

The day before we left we went to Thanksgiving Point to eat breakfast with Santa. It was one of the rare times that the money spent was well worth it. It was a magical morning for the kids and really got us in the Christmas spirit. It was Grandma's idea and Grandpa's cash. Thanks guys!

The breakfast was pretty good...

James was mesmerized by all the characters and couldn't even blink when the Grinch took the stage...

They had 6 different, easy crafts for the kids to complete...

Mrs. Claus gave us reindeer food....

The polar bear approved of James's pretzel wreath...

James was in heaven because there was extra candy at every turn....

He couldn't believe he was seeing a real Grinch!

Parker and Jace loved the Grinch ring toss...

They asked Santa for all kinds of interesting things...

We just had a GREAT time!

Utah Highlights #2

Visiting Grammy Romney
She is 95 and still such a pleasure to be with. The boys were so cute with her, and James slept the whole time. Perfect, since she lives in an apartment full of breakable items. Flying on an airplane
They were so good for me since we flew with just the 4 of us, and they were so cute!

Temple Square Lights
This used to be one of my very favorite traditons, and it's been forever since I've been able to do it. It was so fun to take my kids, even if Jace did comment with a cute smile on his face, "You know, Mom, this isn't really that fun."

My boys LOVE the Book of Mormon stories. There were totally enthralled at the visitor center watching a video on the Stripling Warriors.

Bowling

People should really bowl more often. It's such a fun activity for everyone. Parker was on fire and kept getting strikes (with bumpers) and I even broke 100! Fat Cats is the best place around with great pizza, cheap bowling, video games and a little gym to climb on . We could have stayed for hours.

He slept through most of the bowling.

Thanksgiving

It's also been years since I celebrated Thanksgiving at home, and it was so fun to be with my extended Cullimore family. There was SO much great food and it was such a pleasure to catch up with grandparents, cousins and aunts and uncles. I feel so grateful to be part of a family that stays close and loves each other. This year there is a lot to be thankful for. At the top of my list: a husband who constantly amazes me with his unconditional love, 3 boys who love each other and are good to the core, an extended family who loves us fiercely, our health which has been remarkably good this year, perspective, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ which gives us infinite hope even in our darkest hours.

UTAH HIGHLIGHTS #1

The Zoo!
Always a favorite for us, even in the cold weather. The boys had a blast seeing the animals that weren't put away for the winter.

Wheeler Farm

This is our perfect "boy" spot...plenty of room to roam, animals to see, ducks to feed, tractors to climb on and no one telling you to be quiet or polite. So glad Katie and her boys were there with us for a few days too.

Snow!

My kids had never seen it (that they could remember) and the fluffy white stuff was as fun as they imagined it would be. Thanks grandma for the gear...hoodies just don't cut it in Utah.

Showers

We even made it to 2 showers for Beau and Sharee. They are so super cute with our boys. Can't wait for their wedding next!