Christmas in Evanston

 SO FUN TO BE WITH COUSINS!!!!

HIP HIP HOORAY FOR CHRISTMAS IN EVANSTON!!!!

As a Christmas Eve tradition, Jess and I have put together an extensive scavenger hunt for the kids to find their first gift--their pjs.  This year Andrea and Jess put it together and IT. WAS. AWESOME.  As part of their first clue, all the kids had a task. Some with multiplication sheets, some with codes...little Afton and Rhett needed to finish a game with Grandma before they could get their next clue...

Each kid had a clue addressed specifically to him

And there was a puzzle they all had to put together, then (like always) one of the clues took us to lunch--this time McDonalds.  The Evanston McDonald is awesome. Look at these chairs for the kids.  Yup--they're totally saddles.

Andrea's amazing on the piano.  She was in the craft room playing when Luke joined her and started singing along. It was precious.  Then all the kids got in there, sang a few songs.  Sweet.

What was NOT sweet, was the fact that Max got so so super sick.  He had high fevers for days and days.  He'd only go to me or Jess and would just lay in our arms, head on shoulder and just sad.  Turns out he had RSV bronchitis or something...one of those--just sit it out type things. Poor guy.

Here's Emily and Riley's adorable family.  She's prego and due in February and just like always, looked amazing.  It was soooo fun to have them there and to spend time with them.  They're kind of a hoot.

So I can sometimes be a Picture Nazi....I wanted a pic of all the kids in their pajamas...look how sad Max is....ahhhh.  So so so sad.  We just took the one.  sad.

Christmas morning came and smiles were everywhere!!!  All the kids woke us up, at the earliest time aloud (7:00) and beat us up to the tree.  They were full of smiles and excitement!!! I love Christmas. 

Also, I love skinny pajamas? So much.

Rhett in his Hulk suit showing grandma and grandpa

I love this picture of Rhett, Afton and Grandpa.  LOVE IT.

Kade spent nearly all Christmas morning like this.  He was in the play room finishing Harry Potter 7.  That boys intense.

I know it was prolly irreverent, but I LOVE when families get together for scriptures study. It makes me so so so so grateful to be surrounded by so many who love the gospel and live what they believe.  It  is such a wonderful blessing!

Early Christmas in Utah

Rhett's favorite Christmas decoration...

Rhett would sit there like that for probably 10 minutes at a time (eternity for that boy) just watching the horses go around and listening to the music of this carousal.  It was just so tender and sweet.  I remember going into the living room when I was a little girl to do the same thing.  ahhh...love it.

HOORAY FOR THE TRADITION OF GINGERBREAD HOUSES!!!!!

I was super impressed with Rhett's first Gingerbread house.  All I did to help was the foundation and frosting the house, but he laid all the candy, picked what and where and did all that smooth clean work.  I was flabbergasted by it!  YAY FOR BEING AWESOME RHETT! (also for having a winner picture face!)

  Kade did all himself.  It's the Empire State Building

Luke did the Hogwarts Express.

Jess did the Yellow Brick Road. And I LOVED his little group of characters that he made out of cinnamon bears.  He's so clever.

We did a little round of Pre-Christmas, where the boys gave their gifts to each other and Grandma and Grandpa Adams gave their gifts to the boys.  

Among my favorites:

Rhett's to the big boys: a toothbrush and water colors for the both of them :)

Grandpa's to the boys:  He made all the boys Harry Potter wands. They're awesome.  Each with an individual story and everything.  Plus Grandma made them cloth cases to keep them in.

We played a few games---featured here is the "Nut-Stacker" (get it, cause nutcracker?) 

Jess was the only one to rock it and get all the nuts stacked up. WOO WOO!

Rhett made me smile. He did so good making his Christmas Tree out of cups.

And mom and dad rocked it in the cookie challenge. Well, to say 'Rocked it' may be a bit of an over reach. We did awful.  It's tricky!

And as a goodbye to our gingerbread houses..."smash it with a hammer!" (ha ha--- 'Empirers New Groove')

B.J and Kara are an adorably great uncle and aunt.  The boys love them.

It's beginning to look....

These just make me smile. Luke's list of things he's thankful for.
Macaroni and Cheese
Books
Candy
Bacon
Awesome Brothers
Warm Beds

Okay- there is THE COOLEST event in our little town.
The family that does the Halloween Train, also does a Christmas Train.  It's soooo popular that they now have a registration online, and it's a lottery to see who actually gets to go.  They picked us out last minute and we got to go. It's so so so great because:
You start by taking a seat in their giant garage and watching parts of the Polar Express while you wait
Then you're seated on this mini train that takes you past all sorts of Santa Clause-ee and candy cane-ee type lit up decorations.  Then we got to the "North Pole" Inside the kids (about 10 per load--so no giant lines) get to sit with Santa, get a candy cane and tell him what they want for Christmas.
After they've all had a chance, Santa talks to all the kids about the real reason for Christmas. He shows how even looking at a Candy Cane can help them think of the Shepherds crook, and how it can be  "J" for Jesus.  Then leads us all in singing Silent Night as we get back on the train.
NOW what the train takes us past, is dozens of giant gorgeous pictures of Jesus and his life on earth.
All the while playing Christ centered music on the train.
SO SO SO GREAT.

I loved it so much. :)

So so so fun!  Andrea, Julie and me got to go to the Nutcracker this year.   It was freezing, and Andrea may have stepped into a puddle and soaked her feet through and through, but we had a GREAT time going to lunch and spending time together. I love these ladies!   I've seen it once maybe? but this time was the only time I had certified awesome dancers next to me to tell me all about the play, and the dancing.   It was a wonderful afternoon.

Luke's been going early to school every Tuesday and Thursday for choir practice.  He's so cute.  They're big performance was for a Christmas Around the World show.  He did lovely.

There's a fun house by us that totally DECKS out their place in lights and has a radio station that you can listen to  in your car that they set their lights to.  After delivering Christmas goodies with the boys, we stopped by and watched.  It was perfect timing too because the first couple of songs were Fineas and Ferb Christmas songs.  LOVE THEM! HA!

Rhett getting set to sled down the hill on one of our snow days.

Mini Golf with B.J. and Kara.  It was at Trafalga--all black lights...which is an interesting way to play mini golf...without lights....and non-glow in the dark balls and clubs......just interesting.

Kade's 3rd grade Christmas singing performance was great too.  He LOVES LOVES to make his voice go like Alvin and the Chipmunks, so my favorite song was when the whole grade sang a song like that. He looked like it was the best day EVER.

Luke has a tender heart.  For Christmas he took this coupon that he'd got from reading for an entire month, wrapped it up without prompting, and gave it to me.  I love him.

November's awesome's

Andrea surprised Kade before his birthday and took him to a BYU basketball game. HOW FUN IS THAT? I thought it was awesome and Kade had such a great great time!

Kade's journal about the experience:

My favorite part was I was anticipating it so much, and when Andrea came I was so surprised. Right before that  I said my feet were cold and mom said, maybe you should put your socks….AND shoes on.  And I asked, are we going somewhere, and mom said, MAYBE.  So then Andrea showed up and she said, “guess what we got?” what? “Basketball tickets!—guess when they are?” When, “Right now!”

That night I got to bed at like 10:00

We got there right after Half time, and we parked at the football stadium and walked to the Marriott center.  The game was so cool!  Cause I got sour jacks—watermelon, and BYU won (they played Georgia State) 

Andrea’s a really fun aunt. I felt really awesome—I don’t know why, I just did.

Kade's invited his friend Adam to be his +1 for this years family birthday. They decorated the cake.  Apparently the design on the bottom is a symbol they write for a club they have.

We went to Trafalga, played in the arcade and all the boys played Laser Tag.

3 lessons I’ve learned from life are:

1.     Never Tickle a Sleeping Baby

2.     Books are awesome.

3.     I’ve learned that whenever I’m nice to my brother—he’s SOMETIMES nice back

Things that make me happy:

No homework days, days off of school, Christmas break, mom, dad, my whole family, trafalga, basketball games, walking home from school…when it’s not too hot, snow.

Jess is RAD!
Seriously, he's so rad.  I bought tickets awhile back to a Off Broadway Play that made fun of Twilight. SOOOOO, he totally watched all 4 with me so we'd get the jokes right?  So when the 5th and final movie came out, guess who totally took me to it? JESS DID!  I love that man!  (we walked in and laughed at the fact that we were the only ones there.  When it started there were a few others who joined us. :)
Also, I'm not ashamed to say, that I totally LOVED this last one. It was so great. And it had been at least 4 years since I'd read the book so I was so surprised by so much of it.  It was great.  Good times.

Dad decided to make dinner with the boys one Sunday. This was their menu. :)  His goal was to have them be so excited about the uniqueness of the food, that they wouldn't care that there were vegetables! And it was soooo close to working (I tell you, these boys sure do hate their veges)  But it was fun!

Rhett's first experience at the Dentist. Seriously, dentist office's are rad now!  T.V.'s in the ceiling? So great!  He was nervous, but did awesome.