Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas. It was our first in New Mexico. It was complete with great company (aka family), beautifully wrapped presents (wrapped by me of course), thoughtful gifts, and very fattening food.

The kids received the things that they really needed (wanted). They got three gifts from their parents: something they needed, something they wanted, and something to help them grow spiritually. It was a great idea given to me by my good friend Jamie (Thanks), and one that I will definitely use again next year.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is always fun. This year we had a traditional Blair Christmas Eve...a first for the Larson's. It included hor d'oeuvres, sparkling cider, opening some presents on Christmas Eve, and lots of family. It also include luminaries at our house and Aunt Tammy's. It was very fun and festive!

So Proud of My Dad!

We just received the January 2010 Ensign and found out that my Dad had an article published. He didn't even know that they were going to publish it. It is on page 16, "Walking through the Valley of the Shadow of Death", it talks about his struggle with cancer. We love you Dad.....Great Job!

It's Official....Elijah is Now Twelve!

Today is Elijah's 12Th Birthday. I can't believe how quickly time has passed. It seems like just yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital.

Elijah had a wonderful day. He received a Nintendo DS (Blue, his last one got ruined), a Xbox 360 game (that he desperately needed), and a game for his new DS. He spent all afternoon trying his new things out.

We went to Chicken Terryaki, a restaurant here that he loves, and then he was off for his first official Mutual Activity. He kind of wanted to stay home because he found out that they were going Christmas caroling, but ended up going and having a wonderful time. James, the kids, and I brought a big cake to mutual, and all the kids sang to him. We love Elijah and are thrilled to see him grow up! It will be fun to see him pass the sacrament in the next couple of weeks. We are so blessed to have him in our family.

On a side note....James and I got our Christmas present tonight. We both decided to get a rug for our front room, and it came today. Thanks James!

Tis The Season!

I THINK I CAN LAUGH ABOUT IT NOW?

My day did not start out the best....I had just finished getting the kids dressed and ready for school and we were almost out the door, when I heard Ethan crying. I went in the living room to see what was the matter and discovered a disaster. Ethan and Elijah had leaned up against the fireplace glass with their winter coats on. The nylon (aka plastic) had melted all over the front of the fireplace and their jackets were ruined (btw, I just bought them....of course). Ethan, for sure got the worst of it, it even burned a hole in his shirt. In their defense, it was 8 degrees outside this morning! Here are a few shots.I spent all day trying to clean it up. I searched the Internet and was surprised to find that other people have had this happen to them. It is not 100%,clean but I am willing to settle for 90%. Not only was it on the fireplace, but after smoke was billowing from Ethan's back, he practiced his "Stop, Drop, and Roll" technique and got it on the carpet. I am just happy that none of the children were burned and our house is still standing!

On a happier note I finally finished decorating the house. Tammy and I had a competition to see whose house was most festive.....I am pretty sure she won (she has about 10 times the amount of decorations that I have). But here are a few pictures.

Our Christmas Advent Calendar

Every year we put up our Christmas Advent Calendar, and the kids love to see what is going to happen every day.Here is a run down of what we have been doing!

Day 1: To start of the season we made a stop at Starbucks for the kid's favorite Hot Chocolate with Peppermint. I have admit this event will be repeated on our Christmas Countdown....Even I love the Hot Chocolate.

Day 2: We read, as a family, a wonderful Christmas story called Silent Night, Holy Night. It is about English and German soldiers who stop to celebrate Christmas amidst a war.Day 3: We were suppose to go to downtown Farmington (a three minute drive) to see the "Parade of Lights". The kids vetoed me and flatly refused. I don't really blame them, it was 12 degrees outside.

Day 4: We went to our wards Christmas Party. It was great! My sister Tammy was in charge and did an excellent job. It's weird not to know everyone in our new ward like we did in San Diego, but they are wonderful people and we look forward to getting to know them better.

Day 5: Last night we went to the college here where every year they put out luminaries. You can either drive or walk through the college. There were over 27,000 luminaries and it was BEAUTIFUL. We walked through the college and listened to the music and drank hot chocolate. Thanks Gavin and Michelle for taking us! Here are a few pictures.

After the college, we went to the cemetery (I know it's weird), but they do the same thing as the college. They had the whole cemetery lite up with luminaries. We took a Christmas Tree, and a Poinsettia plant to put on Samantha's grave. I know it sounds strange, but it was also beautiful.

Day 6: Tonight, (after accidentally missing the 1st Presidency's Broadcast) we watched the video "Joy to The World". What a wonderful way to bring the true meaning of Christmas into our home. How grateful we are that we have a Savior who came to this earth and prepared a way for us to return to our Heavenly Father. It is a wonderful video and I recommend it to everyone!