December Fun

Here's a random collection of some fun things we did throughout December. 

Boston made his first Halloween candy countdown to Christmas. This was a tradition Scott had growing up, so we want to carry on the tradition! 

I always look forward to watching the First Presidency Christmas devotional the first Sunday in December. My favorite thing about Christmas is the special spirit it brings throughout the month, and the First Presidency devotional is always the perfect way to welcome the spirit of Christmas! 

I made sugar cookies for my very first time. I'm not very good at baking cookies, but Boston convinced me to make some so he could decorate them. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't mess them up. :) 

They were actually really fun to make and decorate, so we'll probably do them again next year.

I was excited that we got a new Christmas tree this year! Our neighbor was getting rid of this tree because some of the lights weren't working, and we didn't have a tree, so we decided to give it a try. I loved the shape and size of it, and we just put our own lights on it instead of plugging in the tree's pre-lit lights. It worked out great for us. Can't beat a free tree! This year I really wanted to change the look of our christmas tree from the blue, silver, and gold balls we bought the first year we were married. I thought I'd have to buy a bunch of new ornaments if I got rid of the ball ornaments, but I hardly bought anything. I was really excited to be able to change the look of our tree for less than $20. I just used the random ornaments we've collected over the years, added the ribbon, some red berries, and bought a new tree topper. I put all the ornaments on the front and sides of the tree, and the back was completely bare. The rest of the tree will eventually fill out with the ornaments we give each other and the kids each Christmas.

Our neighborhood put on a breakfast with Santa at our clubhouse one Saturday. It was really cute, and the best part was that there was no line for Santa! 

Brody would only go to Santa without crying if I let him hold his bottle. 

It was his comfort, so I decided I'd try again for another picture later since there was no line. 

Boston loves doing arts and crafts right now, so he had fun making a bunch of ornaments. 

Try number two for a picture of Brody with Santa was a success. He was able to sit on his lap without his bottle, and without crying. This time he was holding a candy cane to distract him. 

If you can't tell whether he's smiling or terrified, it's because he's doing both. : ) He was trying to be brave and smile at me cheering for him, but he was also really unsure about the strange man who just took him from his mom. 

Here's all the ornaments Boston made!

Cute brothers. I love this picture. 

We got hit with different sicknesses, along with everybody else in San Antonio, after Thanksgiving and throughout the month of December. Boston and I made a gingerbread train one of the Sundays that he was home sick. 

I knew he really didn't feel good when he didn't even eat any of the candy he was using to decorate. 

 

Boston picked out a couple ornaments to decorate and send to his grandparents for Christmas. He's such a sweet boy. 

I made some tile coasters for my parent's house, and a couple for my dad's office. 

I also made some ornaments for Scott's parents with pictures of their kids and grandkids. 

My water aerobics class put together a white elephant party and lunch at a restaurant by the gym. I was able to stop in for a few minutes before I had to leave for Boston's Kindergarten class party. 

I love my job as an exercise instructor. I always wanted to get paid to exercise! And I love the friendships I've made with the sweet ladies in my class. It is an ideal situation for me, and I'm very grateful for it!

Boston's kindergarten class party was really cute. He has a great teacher who makes school fun for them. They even had an elf on the shelf for their classroom. 

They got to make a few crafts, have lunch, and do a musical book exchange at their party. 

Boston was excited about his ninja turtle book!

An In-N-Out opened right by our house. It's been insanely busy with cops ushering traffic for at least a month. I've had an In-N-Out burger before, but it's been years, so I wanted to try one again to remember what they tasted like. One Saturday there was no line, I couldn't believe it, and I was hungry, so I swung by and bought Scott and I a burger. I gotta say, it was really good! I'm sure that running 16 miles in the cold that morning made that burger taste even better, but it really was a good, fresh, perfectly proportioned burger. I liked how fluffy the bun was, how thin the meat was, and how fresh the lettuce and tomatoes were. I'm not much of a hamburger fan, but if I ever get a craving for a hamburger, I'm glad we have an In-N-Out right by our house now. 

Boston got to decorate Christmas trees out of sugar cones with some of his neighborhood friends one day. 

This is perfect for little kids and so much easier than a gingerbread house. Boston is old enough to do the gingerbread houses, but I'll remember this sugar sone tree for Brody next year. 

It was a fun and busy December! I still have some more December pictures to write about, but this post was getting long!