Our Wonderful Christmas 2011!

We have had an awesome month, let alone couple of weeks!

Let me take you on a sneak peek...

Remember when I said we were going to Pinedale to visit my Great Uncle Dave and Aunt Debbie? Well, it was a short and sweet visit, and it was so nice to see them! It had been since I was a Sophomore in high school! My Aunt Debbie loves kids, and Aydan learned how to play Slap Jack from her!

When we came back from the Dale, we went to Tommie's dance recital! She danced to a cute lion song and wore a cute lion outfit! She's the little lion in the back/middle!

 We also took the boys to see Santa in the the mall! I totally thought Trace was going to be okay with Santa. He was talking about him, and so excited about him before it was time to sit on his lap!

Ha! Ha! This is my favorite Christmas pic this year! I love the look on poor Santa's face!

Another Christmas Advent was making Reindeer food!

 Mixing up some oats with sprinkles!

 All done, and ready for Christmas Eve!

Speaking of reindeer...

Our poor lighted reindeer were mounted one behind the other 3 TIMES this Christmas! Super inappropriate, but also very funny! I'm just glad that we caught the mounted reindeer, and fixed them before Aydan could get a glimpse....Ummmm....the questions we would have to answer! Ha! Ha!

The boys got to make Salt Dough ornaments! It was awesome! They both imprinted their little hands into a circle of dough, and mom cooked them for 4 hours until they were hard enough to paint!

 Then the next morning when they were dry they hung them on the Christmas tree!

 We also colored a Christmas picture!

 One night an elf came to our doorstep and left the boys a Christmas movie present, and a note!

 Click on that note to make it bigger so you can read what that little elf had to say...

We went and saw Arthur Christmas, which was entirely  cute!

 I took some really pretty pictures of our Christmas tree upstairs!

 One afternoon we made SUGAR COOKIES for Santa!

 And then proceeded to eat decorate them!

 Trace ate all three cookies I gave to him to decorate....

Aydan di such a great job and this was the 1st year he truly enjoyed every moment...

Justin really got into it...

And I took it all in, and decorated a few myself!

 We cut out snowflakes!

This was my best...

 And this was Aydan's best....

 The very most favorite thing I love about celebrating Christmas is spending time with my family doing all kinds of Traditional things! Adding traditions from each others childhood, and bringing a few new ones, makes doing them with our own children all the better!

One tradition of Justin and I's childhood is decorating Ginger Bread Houses! We always bought the kits, but Justin's mom would HOME MAKE their houses! So, what did I do this year? I HOMEMADE our Ginger Bread Houses! I thought I was crazy at first, but you know what? It made me even more proud of our houses than I've ever been!

Aydan was so excited!

 Trace didn't get his own house to decorate this year, only in fear that he would EAT the whole thing, become sick, and ruin our afternoon! Ha! Ha! He's yet to appreciate the art of building houses out of candy instead of eating them! He hung out, and ate plenty of candy though...







 This is mine...see my cute ginger girl on the right?

 My little ELF with his house!

 Aydan and his WONDERFUL house! He did everything (but put it up) by HIMSELF! He's getting so old...what do I do? Somebody tell me please!

 One the 22nd Gma and Gpa Thompson came, as well as Gma and Gpa Aultman, and Aunt Melanie!

We had a snack feast that night, played games, and talked!

Speaking of snacks I made Apple Cider Carmel's, Chocolate Mint Fudge, (my 1st fudge ever) and ginger snaps!

 The boys really enjoyed having Gma and Gpa Thompson here...Look at Aydan all sprawled out!

 We made POPCORN BALLS (and Aultman family tradition)!

 Playing games!

 The tree again!

 Christmas Eve morning we let the boys open 1 present...

 Which were a special cup, plate, and note pad to get ready for Santa to come that night!

 I put red hair gel in the boys hair before we left to the Candle Light Service! They are so cute!



Our Family on Christmas Eve 2011!

 The boys sprinkled their special reindeer food around before we went on a LIGHT TOUR around town!

 This house was AWESOME...they had Santa and his reindeer on the roof! How FUN!

When we got home we let the boys each open 1 present which were cutie jammies!

 Then they got ready for Santa by putting out 2 cookies, a glass of milk, and a little note! Then we read 'Twas the Night before Christmas'!

 The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

 The next morning (before the sun came up, and still was in the 6 o' clock hour) the boys sprang from their beds to find that SANTA HAD COME!

 They got on these Coaster Scooters real fast!

 Every year Santa brings the boys Nutcrackers! This year Aydan got a basketball player Nutcracker, and Trace got a detective Nutcracker (cause he's Trace the Case remember?)

 Aydan was excited to find that Santa had answered his letter and brought him and video game and a scooter!

 Trace got some more trains and tracks!

 Mom and Dennis with their new Blu-Ray Player!

 I love this pic! Mom and Dad got the boys an Army Squad bundle, and a Police Squad bundle! They were very excited!

 Justin and I got spoiled with all kinds of new CAMPING GEAR! It's making us want summer so we can camp it up!

Gma and Gpa Thompson got the boys BED TENTS!

 Coolest TOY EVER!

 Our Family Christmas Day 2011!

 Christmas afternoon/night we went to Justin's dad's house for some Japanese dinner and family time!

Justin making sushi with his kit!

In the midst of eating and talking, we opened presents again!

Aydan and Traceon showing off their shirts they got from Jenny!

 Justin got a book called "War" that he's been wanting for awhile!

 Gpa and Gma Polson got both the boys money...all $1's, and I love the looks on their faces!

"Who would trust me with money?"

 Art and Shauna opening their Blu-Ray Player!

 Jenny and Trace with her TV mount!





Dance Party!

 The morning of the 26th we had our 3rd and final Christmas with my Dad and Jerri!

The boys got some pretty sweet gifts!

 Umm...yeah...Dad and Jerri be expecting those to come to your new house! J/K! They're really fun!

Melanie got them some sweet stuff for their new Theater Room!

Traceon got a really cool pop-up book from Gpa and Gma Woodhouse!

 Aydan thought (for some reason) that getting this backpack from Grandma Curran was so funny!

After hangin' out for a little while, Trace fell asleep with Aunt Melanie!

We had a great Christmas spent with all of our wonderful families! This time of year makes me grateful for the one true gift of love, our Savior Jesus Christ! How amazing is it that our Creator gave us a gift of hope, and a promise, that if we have his son in our hearts, we will live forever with him in his Kingdom! Keep Christ in Christmas!

We hope all of you had a joyus time this year! We love you all!

Before I end this post, I have a tiny confession to make.

I made Christmas cards for everyone this year, printed them out at Sam's Club to find our their envelops were on back order....so that mean's no one really got any! I tried...



But that only means that next year's card is going to be AWESOME!

Maybe a little something like this....

 BEST CHRISTMAS CARD EVER!

That is my Grandma Curran (my dad's mom), and she is crazy, yes, but before you make judgement, know that I am a part of her, and I'm dang proud to be!

Here's our "lame" card...

 So today on Pinterest I saw a joke that was super funny to me because I related to it really well! I wished I had saved it, but it was something to do with a daughter in trouble with her mother, with a blip that read,

"Let's not ever talk about 2011 again!"

Yes, this last year was filled with experience, adventure, and lots of fun, but, I'M GLAD IT'S OVER!

I am ready to bring in 2012, and I have lots of fun stuff planned for this New Year's Eve!

Until 2012...