I can hardly believe anyone could see this picture and not smile!
The Magicness of Christmas is in full force around here :) Our neighbors across the way sent out a mass invite that Santa would be coming to their home and we took the boys over to check it out. They certainly got the REAL Santa booked for their event- he was awesome!
I wasn't able to get a better pic of Ryder- his visit with the Jolly Guy was significantly more brief!
They both loved how Santa showed up on this cool Camel!
We've been doing our usual countdowns, of course- this one from years past and our fun new tree one also. This year we also introduced Elf on the Shelf...
The boys LOVE our elf, whom they named Jolly with come help from the older brothers. :) They love telling him little secrets and treasure hunting for him every morning...
And while it is adorable and really fun, I have to confess that if I had it to do over again, I might just have let the popular Elf on the Shelf skip our house... I say that because I'd much prefer for there to be even more of this...
The boys LOVE their little nativities that Grandma Colleen finds them each year! I think that the more they think about this side of the season, the better. We're also really enjoying getting in to doing random acts of kindness and even more of that is nicer than more of the trend toward want, want, want and get, get, get...
And in my typical waffle-back-and-forth decision making style, I also have to say that if there is ever a time to enjoy Santa and the magic he adds to the season as well, it is the ages Cooper and Ryder are! Right or wrong, you won't find me squelching their Santa-love either... the sparkle in their eyes, specifically Cooper's, at the true belief in Santa is Awesome! I LOVE how fun they are right now- they make Christmastime joyful for sure!
We recently traveled to Utah to participate in a baby blessing for some friends who were finally about to adopt after lots of heartbreak and struggle. Stephen was able to use all the Hilton Honors points he's accrued over this last year of work trips to get us a free hotel room in downtown Salt Lake! It was a quick trip, but we got the Temple Square lights and a stop off at Smith and Edwards in, so it was long enough! ;) I love these shots of the boys...
Having stayed in a hotel suite, I've definitely been ruined for staying in normal hotel rooms from now on- it made it so comfortable for our whole family! I love these fun traditions and all the others we're thick into too... we just used THIS idea for Family Home Evening tonight and the boys really enjoyed it- check it out if you need a fun Christmas FHE idea too :)
