Christmas 2025

 We decided to make a winter bucket list and display it in our kitchen. Each time we did one of our activities on the list, one of the kids would put a check next to it. I’m proud to say we did everything on our list except the activities involving snow… why? It has been the WARMEST December to date! We’re talking in the 60’s warm. No snow. Will kept telling us he was sad because there was no snow, but he did make the observation that other people in the world probably had snow on Christmas, so it’s probably okay that we didn’t so they could. He’s a thoughtful little guy. We had a Christmas miracle this year, our kids were HEALTHY! Not even a runny nose. Sam and I both didn’t say a thing leading up to Christmas in fear of jinxing our good fortune. But on Christmas night we both said, hallelujah our kids were healthy. I think we’ve had sick kids for the last few Christmases. So it was a very much appreciated miracle. We sadly didn’t have the girls this year, but we still had a wonderful time with the boys. They were both very excited and so much fun to watch Christmas morning. Will’s favorite gift was his Stich stuffed animal that has a scentsy pack in it that makes it smell good. He probably met four Santa’s this year and told them all the same gift, a Mickey Mouse car thing. So that’s what he got. He saw it on a commercial and thought it was cool. He probably played with it for 30 minutes and that’s about it. Carter didn’t have a specific thing on his Christmas list, but he thoroughly enjoyed opening his gifts and loved the book he got from Will. He was pure joy on Christmas morning. 

Leading up to Christmas some of our favorite activities were going to Tucanos and Temple square, decorating sugar cookies, spaghetti factory, train ride and Santa, watching Christmas classics, dancing around the kitchen to Christmas music, buying gifts for one another, baking cookies and caroling to our neighbors, Luminaria (a new tradition this year, it was amazing), hot chocolate out of our Santa mugs, Jazz game, and I’m sure I’m missing others. 

It’s so weird that Christmas is over. It came and went so quickly. I feel like this year we really focused on Christ, our kids definitely knew it was Jesus’s birthday. They included him in their prayers each night. I think the moments that stuck out to me most were, watching and going to a live nativity as a family, visiting our elderly family members, caroling and singing about Christ, and spending quality time together. I’m grateful for this time of the year when things slow down and speed up in a way, but I’m reminded about how much Christ has done for me and my family. 

This year Will was Joseph in the family nativity and Carter was a shepherd. They were the cutest. We had so much fun spending time with family this year, eating yummy cinnamon rolls Christmas morning while watching the nativity and sharing our testimonies as a family. The spirit was definitely felt this year. I feel like 2026 is going to be an amazing year. I’m looking forward to Olivia joining our family, and once again being stretched and molded by adding another family member. We truly are blessed.