Christmas in Mountain Home

We just got home from a wonderful Christmas in Mountain Home. We loaded up our van with so much stuff and drove the 3 hours packed to the brim. We didn't mind because we were so excited to see all our family. Everyone came home this year for Christmas and it was awesome.

We got in Thursday night and unloaded and got all the presents under the tree.  

Friday we decorated sugar cookies. We ate some and then the kids left some for Santa. 

I sure love all these cutie cousins. It's so fun to have them all together. 

Aunt Sarah worked with the kids on and off on Friday learning and practicing a Nativity puppet show. 
That evening the kids put on a little nativity show for us. Tanner was the narrator, Tucker was in charge of lights and both Bailey and Benson had speaking parts. It was really cute. 

After our nativity we did our traditional gingerbread house smash. This is always a highlight of Christmas eve. 

We an early dinner and then Papa hooked up his trailer and drove us around the neighborhood so we could go caroling. This was such a special part of the night. We visited some of Papa's elderly clients that live in his neighborhood. Each of them cried tears of joy and appreciation. It was so sweet and the true spirit of Christmas was so strong. I'll always be grateful for this sweet memory of my parents and their grandchildren spreading Christmas joy. 

 

On Christmas eve, Nanny and Papa gave each of the kids their gifts. It was pretty fun to watch and made it even harder to get those excited children into bed. 

Then we said good-bye to our elves and tucked the kids into their beds.

We hung out, talked and went to bed way too late on Christmas eve. 

Our kids were up at the crack of dawn. They sorted through their stockings without and by 8 am everyone was up ready to open presents. 

Some kids were happier to be awake than others. Benson found it difficult to stay cheerful after the initial stocking excitement was over and he fell asleep on my lap. 

But he woke up in time to open presents. 
Tanner got the transformer he wanted and some awesome lego sets. 

 

Tucker got lego sets, fancy colored pencils and an American boy doll. 

Benson got his own kindle. He loved the green case. He also got a race car that can drive on the walls and robot puppy. 

 

 

Bailey got a jewelry box, some american girl doll furniture, an adorable polly pocket and a few other little things. She was thrilled. 

 

But my favorite part of Christmas morning is getting to watch the kids exchange gifts. I love watching their reactions. 

 

After the kids finished opening their presents, Nanny and Papa took the kids down to the basement to show them the grandkid present this year. It was an air hockey table and the kids loved it. 

After opening presents Nanny made waffles with strawberries. 

She grew up having whole wheat waffles with strawberries and so this was a tradition she was eager to start with our family. They were delicious. The kids loved it!

The rest of the day we just spent relaxing and enjoying each other. 
We also made a delicious Christmas dinner and with everyone helping, it was really easy and so yummy. 

My sweet sisters and I got lots of quality time together. We watched a show called "Extreme Sisters" together and decided we are the real extreme sisters. I love them so much. 

Also my Dad made these amazing sacrament trays for us and gave them to us when we were home. 
He's been working on them for so long and they turned out so great. I'm so proud of him. 

On Sunday we went to church with Nanny and Papa. It was a beautiful service and I liked that we were able to get some use out of our Christmas outfits again.

After church on Sunday we went home and changed clothes and then went to take family pictures at the ASU campus. 

I can't believe how much better the grandkids have gotten at taking pictures. 
It was so much less painful than usual. Benson did manage to sneak his new puppy dog into the pictures but if that was the worst thing that happened, I'm feeling pretty good about it. 

Then Nanny and Papa hopped in the picture. 

It turned out so cute. 

We even got a cute group shot. I love this family of mine so much. 

This picture is so funny. Sarah really wanted us to try this pyramid. Surprisingly, we didn't fall on our faces. 

I'm so grateful for these siblings/best friends of mine. They are the best. 

And I'll be forever grateful for these amazing parents of mine. They are a wonderful example of unconditional love and support. They are the best!

This man is my favorite though 
And I love that I was able to snag a quick family shot. Bailey is looking like a shampoo model and the rest of us are looking ok. 

We had a wonderful stay in Mountain home and got in so much quality time. 

We had to head back a little early but it was such a wonderful holiday. 

The Allreds came back on the night of the 29th and had to fly back to Utah today, on the 30th. 
Before taking them to the airport, Sarah and I snuck in one glow-party high fitness class. 

It's always more fun to work out with a friend/sister. 
We ran home from class, Sarah showered and then we loaded up and I drove them all back to the airport in Tulsa. It was sad to see them go but we had a great visit. 

It's weird that Christmas is over but it was wonderful and I'm so grateful for all the fun memories we made.