The Holidays

I love the holiday season.  It's a wonderful time to be with family and friends. I think that is one of the main reasons why I like it so much--being together with those I love. Lately we have been focusing on Christ and the meaning of Christmas during Family Home Evening and that has been wonderful.

Something else I love about the holidays is that it lasts so long.  Even though it is not Christmas this exact day, it is still Christmas-time.  I can enjoy the holiday and the season for many, many days.  It's not a one-day event.

Since Thanksgiving, here are a few things we've been doing.

Someone took this random picture...I am guessing it was Haley.


The Monday after Thanksgiving we decorated for Christmas.  Lee and I are somewhat of a Scrooge with this...we don't decorate till our kids are asleep.  We decided when our kids turn 7 they can stay up and help. This is Clark's second year helping.  A couple Christmases ago I bought A LOT of plastic Christmas cups and plates for my visiting family.  It's fun to have some festive dishes, even if they are plastic!


Funny enough, Clark did the exact same thing last year with the cups!


I've recently discovered that Elden can touch his tongue to his nose.  But of course, I can't get a picture of it! 


Someone (let's say it's Haley) taking pictures of Elden...






And another mysterious picture of some of the stockings.  Maybe Lee took it?




Last Tuesday we pulled the kids out of school (amazingly their first whole day that they've missed all year!) and went to Washington D.C. Lee and I swapped turns going to the temple, and then did a lot of shopping.  Well, Lee sat in the van with the kids while I went to the commissary, and then he watched the kids while Lois, Blake, the girls and I went to Aldi.  My sister-in-law commented that it was funny that we did our grocery shopping in the DC area.  And it is a funny thought!  I bought a month's worth of milk at the commissary, and it sure was nice to get a decent price on milk!

Lois fed us a yummy curry chicken dinner with wild rice (or brown rice...or?). After dinner we had a delicious treat-chocolate peppermint cupcakes!  YUM! Thanks Lois!






Elden seemed so interested with this toy.






That night we went with Lois' family to the Gaithersburg Winter Lights Festival.  It was fun driving through the state park and seeing all of the lights.  This is our 3rd year in a row driving through a light display.  The past two years were actually free (our 1st one we were the 100th vehicle or something like that and got in free!) and this one we got at a reduced price, $8.

On our way home we went back to the temple and drove around looking at the temple lights.  Though I enjoyed the park, I wish we would have just spent all our time here. It was gorgeous! I think we will just do the temple lights next year and actually go inside, hear a performance and look at the nativities.





The Washington DC Temple Visitors' Center.  Brings back memories because when I was a missionary I served in the Los Angeles Temple Visitors' Center! You can't tell very well, but inside the big glass windows is the Christus statue, one of my favorite displays at a visitors' center.


I love this temple.  I am already hoping my girls get married in this temple!


A little closer up of the Christus and the outside lights.






We also enjoyed the First Presidency Christmas Devotional on the 4th. The prophet, Thomas S. Monson and his counselors Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf spoke about Christ, Christmas, and the Christmas Season.  It's always a great devotional to start off the season!  You can watch it here.