The Holiday Season- 2016

The holidays started off with a bang, or should I say, a burn?

My parents joined us for Christmas this year which was AWESOME!  I loved having them here!  The day they arrived I put my mom to work helping me make some caramel chex mix and homemade suckers.

We have been making suckers for years without a single incident.

I guess we were due...

We both ended up with hot sucker juice spilling onto our hands.  I am ashamed to admit that I swore.  My mom, however, did not.  Way to go, Mom!

Nothing says Christmas like 2nd degree burns. :/

As per tradition, we went to the zoo on Christmas Eve day.  We usually bring hot chocolate with us and I was very excited this year because I inherited the cutest thermos from my Grandma Holt and I was excited to be able to use it to pump out some delicious hot cocoa while we were at the zoo.  My mom tested it with water before hand so we could make sure it still worked.  It worked beautifully.  However, when I started pumping hot chocolate out of it at the zoo, it leaked like a sieve.  So much for that.  It was fun while it lasted and I can say that I was able to (sort of) use it one time.

Despite the hot cocoa set back, we still had a really fun time at the zoo.  I am so glad that my parents were able to join us and Ellie, of course, was in heaven.  The zoo is her place.  She would live there if she could.

That night we had dinner, presents, and the Nativity at Mark's parents house.  I can't believe how big all of these kids have gotten.  It's not quite the mad house that it once used to be.  Kind of makes me sad.  But it was so wonderful to be together and celebrate the Christmas season together.

When we got home later that night, the kids each opened one present, which was new church clothes for Christmas Day (which was on a Sunday this year.)  I actually accomplished the impossible and chose a dress that Emma liked!  I usually make it a point never to buy anything that she hasn't already approved because that is pretty much a guaranteed "take it back to the store" situation.  But, we witnessed a Christmas miracle and she has actually worn it more than once now!  :)

Bailey enjoyed one of her gifts too, although it was earlier than we had planned on.  While I was bringing her gifts in the house, one of them fell out of the sack.  I went into my bedroom for like five minutes and by the time I came out, she had already mostly destroyed it.  Silly dog.

Christmas morning came and with it, the usual excitement.  I had to take our traditional "kids at the top of the stairs" picture and then everyone headed downstairs to see what Santa had left for them.

Abbie had asked mainly for books this year and that is what she got.  She was in book heaven.

Ellie was loaded with more art supplies.

Josh was spoiled with piano music, cello music, and more piano music.

Emma got an instant camera and the cat onesie she had been eyeing at Target.

Oh ya.  We also got one more special and exciting surprise.

Meet our newest addition...Anastasia.
She is a Russian Blue Mix, hence the name Anastasia...Ana for short.
She is a little sweetheart and thankfully has lived up to the promise that Russian Blues are hypoallergenic cats.  None of my cat allergy sufferers have had once ounce of a problem with their allergies and she gets snuggled a lot.

It was a very wonderful Christmas this year.

Full of fun, laughter, happy tears, and love.

Next year will be very different.  Josh will most likely be serving his 2-year mission for our church and it will be very strange around here without him.  But it will also be exciting because we will be looking forward to our Skype session/phone call with him.