It Really is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Oh, Christmas, you lovely holiday, you!

Spending days on end with family, the wonderful music, the food, the movies (White Christmas and It's A Wonderful Life, I will never tire of you!) and cinnamon holiday smells, everyone is happy, playing games and talking late into the night, seeing people open gifts that you so carefully thought out, it really is the most wonderful time of the year!

This year, everyone in my family (except for my youngest brother) travelled to Salt Lake City to stay at my grandfather's house.

So it was a white Christmas, which is so perfectly idealistic and beautiful.

Ella wasn't totally sure what to expect of Christmas, but by the end of the day she clearly was a fan.

She was crazy happy and snuggling with everyone (which is something she only occasionally does to show people that she really loves them).

Since we travelled for the holiday we weren't able to bring the bigger gifts for the kids, they'll open those when we get back home but Ella was happy as can be with all the little gifts we brought.

Her favorite gifts of the day: Woody and Buzz dolls that my parents got her (because Toy Story is her absolute fave thing right now, would you like me to quote the entire third film for you, word-for-word? Because I can.) and some little pots and pans that my parents got her to go with the kitchen that she'll be opening when she gets home. 

Oh my gosh, I cannot wait for her to see it! 

She loves to cook and she's been using her pots and pans all week to make us meals.

We were staying in the home of my grandma who passed away a couple months ago and it was so neat to go through all her beautiful Christmas nativities and ornaments and set them out like she used to do.

The morning started at 9 AM with a skype call to my youngest brother who is serving a 2-year LDS mission in Dominican Republic.

This was the first time we've talked to him since he left in September and it was so neat to hear how much he has grown and changed in that time.

After some biscuits, eggs, bacon and orange juice for breakfast we got to the present opening, which Ella had no problem figuring out.

^My brother and his beautiful and amazing wife.

My kids really lucked out in the aunt and uncle department, I mean really, whenever we get together with mine or Adam's siblings, my kids are in pure bliss.

IKEA pulled through with some adorable toys, oh that wonderful place!

^When she first saw her new Woody doll.

Happiness and joy.

Adam got some Oakley sunglasses that he's thoroughly in love with.

And Ella was quick to notice how much he loves them and quickly set her mind to forever attempt to get her hands on them because there's nothing kids want more than their parents' most expensive and precious items.

Little Girl was thrilled with this paint set, I love how such simple things make kids so happy.

Bah! That FACE!!

Like I said, it was a snuggle fest by the end of the day with this girl.

Those tiny fingers under her daddy's neck!

It's fun to take a circle of plastic and go careening down a hill covered in snow

We took Little Girl (the one who is in love with going down water slides by herself) sledding for the first time on Monday.

And as expected, she thought it was fabulous.

That is, until her feet got cold and then she decided that she hated the whole world and she let us know it.

But who can blame her?

Cold feed in the snow is seriously the worst.

We have been spending the week with my family and everything is more enjoyable when there is a bunch of family around. 

Especially when you have two kiddos and your family thinks they are the best thing ever and so they'll hold them and entertain them, giving your arms a much needed rest and allowing you to go an entire 5 minutes without needing to worry about where your kids are and if they are safe and happy.

 My cousin, Olivia, who came with us, is from Salt Lake City, which means that she is a highly experienced and fearless sledder and she proved it.

^THAT is a hard-core sledder.
Especially if she lands from a rear-end-whomping jump like that with a face as happy as this. v

I grew up in a town that completely shut down when there was 1/4 inch of snow, so I'm not quite as experienced, and that showed too with this incredibly attractive face. v

 Even the chunky-cheeked boy went down a {VERY} small bunny hill.

^Oh my gosh, that FACE!

We took the remains of the busted sled and put them to excellent use.

The craziness and the wonderfulness of it all

 This mirror has provided us with hours of entertainment.

Hours.

Everyday I find myself sending at least a hundred little prayers up and half of them sound like this, "Oh my gosh, I love this baby boy and little girl of mine so much, thank you so much for them! Thank you thank you thank you!" 

But in between those prayers are prayers that sound like this, "Oh my gosh, please give me patience with this child! 

Please give me the strength to get through this day!"

At the end of the day I'll tell Adam, "Holy cow, I have no idea how I survived today with those two littles!" 

And two seconds later I'm saying, "I can't believe they are ours, I can't even handle how much I love them! 

His sweet face! 

Her happiness!"

One moment I will be desperately wishing that he would fall asleep and the next I want to run upstairs and wake him up because I miss snuggling him.

Before the babysitter arrives I can hardly wait to be kid-free for a couple hours but when we are out on the date I cannot stop talking about them and their sweetness and can't wait to get home, wondering what they are up to.

Some days I just don't even know what I'm going to do with that Ella girl but at the same time I don't know what I would do without her.

It's weird to be so crazy about two small people and to also be going crazy because of those same small people!

Ella made sure this week that I was fully aware that she is two and it was rough.
And the kiddos have been sick on top of that.
One night I was up in the middle of the night cleaning puke from Ella's bed and floor.
The night after that I was up in the middle of the night trying to lower Fenton's fever and help him fall back asleep even with the discomfort he was feeling.
So we are going on less sleep than usual this week (I honestly fell asleep with Fenton laying on top of my face this morning, I have no idea if he was asleep too but he was laying still enough that I was out for at least a half hour), but I am crazier about them than ever.

It's insanity, I tell you!
But it's a good kind of insanity.