Lights, Sing, Dance

There are so many things making me happy this month.  We started two new traditions this year.  Reading a Christmas book a night and doing a service Advent Calendar.  Even on busy days I love how excited our kids get to do two these two things and sometimes it seems like our only minute of calm for the day.  The past few years I've finally started loving  having a Birthday so close to Christmas.  It's still two days away and I've already been taken out to dinner three times for it.  Our elf named Love has been with us all month and he's been getting into all kinds of trouble with the Lego guys.  Carson and Annie have had school off all week and today they busily wrapped presents for everyone in our family.  Since they wrap things they find around the house I'm missing pens, makeup, and on Christmas I'll find out what else I'm missing.  I love everything this time of year means, spending time with family and the traditions that have become a part of our month. 

 Our kids started begging in November to see the lights at Temple Square.  We went on a Saturday night so it was packed, but it wasn't even that cold this year.  Across the street at Deseret Book they had a machine making gingerbread men.  Annie made a gingerbread man with her kindergarten class that ran away and she has been looking for him everywhere.  She thought he was with the gingerbread men at Deseret Book, but he wasn't there.  She keeps describing the gingerbread man from school to me and telling me we need to look all over the "town" for him.

 Kai had his first Christmas preschool performance.  Since he's our third at the same preschool it was our 4th time to go.  Kai made the funniest facial expressions.  He sang half the time, but anytime there was banging of instruments or tapping of drumsticks he got really into it.  Each year they get a snowman after their performance.

Annie had her Christmas dance recital last week.  So many came to see her and it really is so fun to watch her.  She is very into getting ready.  She told me she wanted me to paint her nails for the performance a blue color to go with her outfit.  She was very particular about her hair being curly and after her dress rehearsal she told me the lipstick I used was too light and she wanted something darker.  She cracks me up.  The girl on the left is our cute neighbor Paige.  She has most of the same girls in her class from last year too.

After when I took pictures of her she did a different pose for each one.