december boy

December can be a really hard time to have a birthday, especially when it is days before Christmas. But for Taylor, it really is perfect for him. He has such a happy-jolly attitude and yet has a tender reverence for sacred things, his favorite song is Away in a Manger, he loves hot chocolate almost more than a glass of milk, and his love for cookies is huge.

I mean really huge.

This boy was in heaven.

Breakfast in bed.

A trip to the happiest kid place on earth (besides Disneyland), you know... McDonalds. He was beyond thrilled to have some incredibly special cousins join him.

A small party with a few friends. A party that involved hot chocolate and cookies. Plus a bonus, a few minutes outside on a sunny December day.

That ususally does not happen on his birthday.

Then, just our family gathered in the evening to celebrate this boys big day. There aren't too many things that can bring me more joy than to watch brothers give their brother a present. I think they were more excited to give their gifts than for Taylor to receive them....if that's even possible.

It was so nice to take one day and forget about the hustle and bustle of the season and just soak up our day with this boy.

There is so much to love about this boy.

1) Listening the first time. Rarely do we have to repeat when we ask him to do something and is almost always the first one in bed.

2) His desire to learn and do well at school. His teacher wrote about him, "Taylor is a quiet, caring boy. He shows interest in learning and is a hard worker." I'm glad she see's it too.

3) The deep love he has for his brothers. Taylor hasn't even expressed interest in making friends in the neighborhood. He has his brothers and that makes him happy. Just about every school day around 3:30, he opens the front door to see if Corbin is home yet. (oh how I hope this continues for a LONG time.)

4) He probably gets the most excited about Friday night movie night.

5) When he says his prayers, bears his testimony, or when we play the gratitude game, he is so thoughtful in what he has to say.

6) His overall innocence, love and excitement for life shines all over his face. He reminds me of who I need to be.

Thank you Taylor!! We love you so much!

scenes from Christmas time

Christmas has come and it was the most magical time yet. It reminds me of my magical Christmas' growing up.
Enjoy.

(My camera cord was not working for a bit, which is why there were no pictures throughout the month I am making up for it now)

I love school Christmas crafts.



and I love that Taylor can now enjoy them.

(translation: a motor scooter and star wars legos...the r's are backwards, and no Santa didn't get him either, we didn't know)

Our gum Christmas countdown.

As well as a book countdown.

Packer family Thankgiving/Christmas dinner....love it!

Our fun loving Jolly left us ideas of what to do. (He wasnt' always so good at that)

That Christmas Devotional could not have been any better. Every talk was amazing. The next day Justin ordered A Christmas Carol and The Mansion because of this talk. And for Family Home Evening we played jenga because of this talk.

We tried so hard to not let "the perfect Christmas events" take over our lives so that in the end we tumble.

I am so happy that we can forget school for a week, I think all 5 of us need this.

This is the most meaningful gift I have recieved. Thank you dad, I will treasure this for the rest of my life.

Isn't he the most talented woodworker.

I was feeling sad that there was no snow forcasted for Christmas, but a few days before Christmas we got a surprise. Even though it was small, I told the boys it was a Christmas miracle. It was Heavenly Father letting us know that he loves us.

We boarded the "polar express" and headed to Temple Square.

Daddy sent these boys on a hunt to look for an early gift.

It was a soccer ball if you were wondering.

Mom and Dad's house. (Caroline and Jen...you two are adorable!)

I just loved these picture. We have cows in our backyard now.

Christmas Eve, the boys made a mouse trap car. (no worries, the trap was not a used one)

Christmas Eve night we gave our gifts that we made to each other. Afterwards we got to open a new game. We love games here.

This really IS a hug.

I love the look on Taylor's face. He was happy to have them open the gift he made for them.

Do you want a closer look? We were all so proud of our work.

Levi's gift. Our family symbol. I love you.

Taylor's gift. The boys love notebooks and Tay made them much cuter. (he really did most of it all by himself)

Corbin's gift. Wallets. (mom ended up doing a lot of it, but he helped pick out fabric and cut some of the pieces out.)

12:30 a.m.

Stockings before church.

During church "Santa" sneaked in a few more big presents (one of my favorite things about Christmas from growing up was seeing something hiding under blankets and sheets)

Typical scenes from Christmas morning.

Our humble, delicious Christmas lunch. Ham, mom's potatoes, sweet potato bake, green beans, and my sister-in-law's famous raspberry pretzel salad. And later that night, because we were all too stuffed, cinnamon rolls.

It has been a wonderful month, in some ways it's nice to have it over, but looking back at these pictures and memories it makes me long to have it start over again. I love the feeling this time of year brings. But mostly, I hope that as the next few days and months come that I will truly keep the spirit of Christmas, the spirit of Christ, in my heart. It's not just the birth that matters after all, it's the life and I hope I can live more like him.