Christmas Season

With the year winding down and the Christmas season coming to an end I wanted to make sure I got the rest of our family activities on here from the last of December...

This last week we were blessed to get a good amount of snow.  Thanks to the timing of the snowing Kaiya and I were able to share our ability to shovel driveways for the neighbors we know struggle to do so on their own.  In the span of 24 hours we shoveled 4 different driveways a total of 6 times... we did ours and one of the neighbors' drives 2 times...

In between clearing the walkways we were able to build our own snowman.  Kaiya just kept repeating over and over how much fun it was to be working/playing in the snow.

Wednesday, December 23rd was the annual Bennington Family Christmas Party.  As long as there has been a party we have held it on the 23rd.  The only difference between when I was a kid and now that it is MY KIDS seeing Santa is the venue.  We are large enough that a church house is where it has been held for several years now.

Kenai asked Santa for some NERF GUNS and a NERF CROSSBOW

Kaiya asked Santa for a PONY

(only because cousin Nash had JUST opened his gift with My Little Ponies in it)

 Kotah asked for Madden 16 for his XBOX

...here they are after all the gift fun...

They were grateful for what they received and more grateful for the company they were able to play with all night long until it was time to leave and head home.

Jeremiah was working, but at least we knew he would be home the next few nights.

Thursday, December 24th- Christmas EVE

Jeremiah had a co-worker tell him about the activities he and his family do for Christmas Eve every year.  We went up to Snow Basin and watched as Santa came down the hill (pictured above)

IT WAS COLD!!!... like below 20 degrees cold, just sitting up there waiting for the rest of the festivities so instead of just sitting around Jeremiah walked back to the Jeep and got the sleds out.

I sat with the blanket(s), coats, cocoa and saved our seats while Jeremiah took the kids up the little slope right in front of us for some good 'ole "warm you up" sledding.

Kenai and Kotah hadn't planned on playing in the snow so neither one of them had thought to bring along their gloves. However, for some reason kids just don't feel the cold the same way we must.  They would take turns holding cups of hot cocoa to warm up their hands and then they would take off up the hill again for some fun.

Kotah and Kaiya went longer than I expected.  Kaiya got to the point where she would STAND UP on the sled and "snowboard" down the hill before sitting down to slow down and stop safely.

About 6:30 we spotted a little bit of RED light up at the top of the mountain.  It was all these skiers/snowboarders gradually making their way down the mountain with red lights attached to their polls or wrists.

When they were all down the mountain that is when the fireworks started... It was the coolest thing to smell those fireworks with the cold, crisp air.  I wanted to close my eyes and pretend it was July, but even with my eyes closed it was too too cold to even try to escape the cold in my mind.

 

The fireworks did NOT disappoint.  It was a wonderful family night celebrating Christmas Eve.  After we got back home the kids all bathed, we made cocoa crispy treats (Rice Crispy Treats with cocoa pebbles), and read from the bible in the book of Luke. Always good to finish your day with a reminder of why we are here and what we are suppose to be using this life for.

Friday, December 25th

The kids all slept downstairs together in the boys' room.  Kaiya puts the crib mattress on the floor and we make it up with blankets so she is comfy and warm.  The kids slept in.  Jeremiah apparently couldn't sleep past like 4:30 so by the time it was 6:30 he was ready to wake us all up.  He woke me up first and then I went down to get the kids up a little after 7.  I REALLY wished Jer had just let me sleep and sleep until the kids were ready to be up because I was tired most of the day after that.

It is crazy to me to think of how many gifts some kids/people get on Christmas.  We decided again to draw names this year.  Everyone got 3 total gifts and then their gifts from Santa.

Kaiya got a pretty dress up dress, gloves, shoes, crown, purse, and a feather boa.  She also got the movie Frozen.

Jeremiah got 2 pairs of shoes and an XBOX 1.

I got a GoPro as well as a new pair of Nanos for my CrossFit activities.

Kenai got his Nerf Gun with plenty of bullets as well as a Crossbow.

The boys got chargers for the Wii and their XBOX.

Kotah got his Madden 16...BUT the better gift was a FREE gift I stumbled upon from a neighbor.  His favorite gift was the scooter here in the front.  It has green on the handles and on the bottom.  It works great and he had ridden it with a smile nearly splitting his face each day since.

Merry Christmas to you all and a Happy New Year, if I don't get to it.  I do have ONE MORE post I really should get on here, but if I don't it will be at the start of 2016 :)