The Highlight of My Day: December 2012

Something good happens every day. Here's what happened in December 2012:

Sat 12/1/12: Today felt like Christmas! Brad and I got out the Christmas decorations and decorated the house. In the evening, Brad and I took the little ones to Temple Square to enjoy the Christmas lights. The weather was perfect, and Lizzy and David loved seeing the lights and water fountains without getting too cold. Lizzy even took off her coat and shoes and tried to wade in the water!

Sun 12/2/12: Brad and I took the little ones to Bruce and Loralee's house for dinner tonight. Loralee made pulled pork for dinner and it was delicious!

Mon 12/3/12: We decorated little foam trees for Family Home Evening tonight. I was amazed by how different all the little trees turned out even though everyone used the same exact materials. I loved the creativity!

Tue 12/4/12: I loved the one-on-one time I spent with my kids today. I think my favorite moment of the day was playing in the bathtub with Lizzy. She's such a sweetheart. I love how she makes my mama heart so happy.

Wed 12/5/12: I ordered and picked up my Christmas cards today. They looked beautiful! I can't wait to start mailing them off.

Thu 12/6/12: I started making my first made-from-scratch gingerbread house today. I had no idea how time-consuming it would be, but it was fun! I got the walls up, the roof, and the chimney. Tomorrow I will decorate it.

Fri 12/7/12: I finished decorating the gingerbread house today! The kids loved it! My favorite part of the house was the little gingerbread family in front. There was a gingerbread man, woman, and four little children-- just the right number for our family. We took it to the ward Christmas party tonight. I love our new ward.

Sat 12/8/12: My favorite part of the day was making lunch with my family. We all pitched in making grilled cheese sandwiches. Emma made the tomato soup, Scott sliced the cheese, Papa buttered the bread and put the sandwiches together, and I grilled the sandwiches. We ate lunch listening to Christmas music.

Sun 12/9/12: Emma gave a wonderful talk today in Sacrament meeting. It was her first talk as a Young Woman. She spoke about Salvation Through Obedience. I was impressed by her confidence, her preparation, and her presentation of the subject. She did an excellent job.

Mon 12/10/12: We ate like shepherds tonight for FHE. We had chicken, cheese, dates, grapes, and pita bread, and ate on a blanket in the living room.

Tue 12/11/12: I gave my Activity Day lesson on traditions tonight, which turned out better than I thought it would. The girls had lots of ideas to share, and they enjoyed the craft I brought.

Wed 12/12/12: My little kids did the cutest things today. Lizzy was going through her toy box this morning when she came across some old dog tags that belonged to Rosie. "It's Rosie's! It's Rosie's! We have to take it to Turkey's house!" Later in the afternoon Scott found Lizzy flirting with the vacuum cleaner-- kissing it and calling it her "Prince." It was very funny. David learned how to say "no" today. I got a kick out of him saying, "nooo," every time I asked him a question. It didn't matter what the question was, he would say no to everything.

Thu 12/13/12: I'm counting down the days till Christmas by presenting my hubby with a "gift" every day. Today my first gift of Christmas was a clean and organized bedroom. Took me all day to get it done. Brad was very pleased and surprised when he got home.

Fri 12/14/12: Today was a lovely day! Brad and I went on a little romantic getaway to a nearby hotel. Two bottles of Martinelli's apple cider for Brad on the second day of Christmas!

Sat 12/15/12: Brad and I watched "The Hobbit" today! We enjoyed it, although we did have a few complaints about the added scenes. It was still good, though. Brad's present today: three boxes of movie candies.

Sun 12/16/12: I enjoyed having the Bruce-Clan over for dinner tonight! We had chili and fritos, and we watched a lot of Studio C and Divine Comedy. Brad's present today: 4 scented candles.

Mon 12/17/12: Today's gift for Brad was 5 Downton Abbey discs! I was very excited about this one. For FHE tonight we read "The Christmas Oranges." I made little orange candles out of clementine oranges, and we ate orange slices and drank some orange shakes. After the kids went to bed, Brad and I watched some Downton Abbey.

Tue 12/18/12: David has mastered climbing down stairs! He's getting to be such a big boy! I attended my Relief Society's Hot Chocolate Party at the church tonight. The drinks were yummy, and I loved visiting with the sisters in my ward. Tonight's gift for Brad: six cans of A&W root beer. We drank some while watching more Downton Abbey.

Wed 12/19/12: Brad and I went to a wedding reception tonight with the two little ones while Scott and Emma were at their youth activities. It was nice seeing old familiar faces from our old neighborhood. Today's gift for Brad: seven awesome love coupons.

Thu 12/20/12: We had 12 kids at our house tonight! It was busy, but fun. My highlight of the day was watching "The Amazing Spiderman" with my nieces and nephews, and Lizzy and Scott. It was very well done. Today's gift for Brad: eight bars of chocolate with caramel.

Fri 12/21/12: Brad and I got carried away tonight and watched three episodes of "Downton Abbey." We stayed up past midnight. Today's gift for Brad: nine steamy love notes. Yum!

Sat 12/22/12: Today was a busy day! I got done all my Christmas shopping today. Brad and I watched the Christmas special of Downton Abbey. Loved it! Today's gift for Brad: 10 yummy pastries.

Sun 12/23/12: I enjoyed singing in the choir and teaching my Christmas lesson for my Sunbeam class at church. Tonight we went to Grandpa North's house for games, soup, and hot chocolate. I love my in-laws! Today's gift for Brad: 11 uni-ball pens.

Mon 12/24/12: We spent the whole day getting ready for our big Christmas Eve dinner tonight. I made a bunch of cookies and sent Scott and Emma outside in the blizzard to drop off some plates to our nearest neighbors. Grandpa North and Marilyn and James came over for dinner. We had a roast turkey, mashed potatoes, salad, broccoli casserole, and rolls for dinner tonight. It was fun visiting with family! The only downside for this day was Lizzy being very sick with a fever.

Tue 12/25/12: We had a fun time opening presents on Christmas morning! Lizzy was still very sick, but her fever broke a couple of times and she was able to play with her new toys and dresses a bit. My favorite gifts this year: Piano Guys CD, bamboo pillow cases, Brave & Cinderella blu-ray discs, and a restaurant gift card. My highlight of the day was seeing all my kids enjoying their Christmas presents.

Wed 12/26/12: I took Lizzy to the doctor this morning, even though she was looking a little better. The doctor said Lizzy had a bad virus, but that she should be feeling better soon. Lizzy's fever dropped down to normal in the afternoon and she began playing like her old self. I'm so happy she is feeling better!

Thu 12/27/12: I shoveled the snow out of our driveway today, so Brad wouldn't have to when he got home from work. I was nearly done when the neighbor boy across the street came out carrying his snow shovel and began helping me. I love our neighbors!

Fri 12/28/12: Lizzy is finally acting more like herself, although she's still not quite normal yet. I'm not used to her taking naps during the day any more, but it's kind of nice, too. It lets me get done things.

Sat 12/29/12: We had a fun afternoon playing Nerts with Marian and having dinner with her. She made some yummy homemade lasagna, with a side of garlic bread and steamed veggies. Marian showed me the crochet pattern so I can learn to make her blankets. I'm excited to make one!

Sun 12/30/12: We had another dinner at Brad's dad's house tonight... this time with Amanda and her family! I loved seeing Charlotte and Aksel again, and Lizzy loved playing with them, too. She kept calling Aksel, "Jack." Amanda was as wonderful as always. At the end of the night she told me she was glad I married her brother. I'm glad I did, too. I love being married to Brad and being a part of his family.

Mon 12/31/12: Amanda and Zach stopped by our house today. It was nice visiting with them. I'm making Charlotte and Aksel hats for Christmas. Brad and I celebrated Christmas Eve by watching more Downton Abbey. Lizzy and I did some fireworks together after it got dark. Lizzy loves fireworks.