Childhood Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas holiday this year!  Their were wonderful Christmas programs.  John read our family moving Christmas stories every night.  Family was able to come visit and we were able to shortly visit some of our family.  Mos of all, we felt the Christmas spirit, the spirit of serving, loving, we felt  the Holy Ghost.  

On Christmas Eve we all went to grandpa and grandma Giles home to have a dinner and fun Christmas party.  We were able to read the story of our Saviors birth and have the children. All act it out.

Multiple people played the chimes as others sang the select Christmas carols.

Matt's baby Gavin is 8 months old now and my girls love I see him and assist him in his play time.

Children are always so excited for Christmas morning, wondering what Santa Claus will leave for them around the tree.  We have some early risers in our family but they are not allowed up until 7 am.  I'm wondering how much longer this little rule will last.  Probably not long at all.

Alyssa was so excited to get a bicycle from Santa!

Abby was excited to get a "real" American girl doll, Rebecca.  She has been wanting one of these for a long time.

Here are our little girls in their new stocking caps!

Macey got magnet toys and barbies, all she ever wants is barbies.  Where could she have gotten that love from?

Hailey received a new coat, shoes and razor!  She didn't want us to post a picture of her shaving her legs.

Here is Alyssa out going for a ride, in the freezing weather, on her new bike.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Frontrunner

Last spring, Utah transportation started their frontrunner train running from south Provo up to north Ogden.  There are multiple stops along the way and a few of them connect in with the Trax stations.  

We have been wanting to ride the frontrunner, but to ride to downtown Salt Lake it is a whopping $12.40 per person (round trip). Just for my family alone, it would cost $60, not really an option I would choose to take.  This month I found that 4 people could get a group pass for $15 and December had a special for a 6 person group pass.  Wow, we could now make the trip!

My visiting teaching companion and I decided to take our kids up after school one Friday to see the beautiful Christmas lights and the Church History Museum.  School gets out early on Fridays so it worked great!

My girls had so much fun, riding in the upper deck.  I think they changed seats 15-20 times!

Abby loved being able to play with Danielle and Rachel Kochenower.

Macey was just Macey happy to go anywhere!

Let's say the train is warm but we almost froze outside at temple square!  The lights were beautiful, but to cold to take a picture.

My parents came to visit for a few days before Christmas.  They too, wanted to ride the frontrunner and see the beautiful temple square lights.   We ate at the lion house, walked around temple square and almost froze again!

Dad and mom stayed with us until Christmas Eve, when the journeyed on down to Leslie's house in Richfield Utah. I'm so glad that they were able to spend some of this holiday season with us.

These are my sweet Christmas angels, although sometimes they don't act at all like angels.

Here are some other fun things we did this holiday season:

Went to Abby's ballet recital.

Quilted and quilted and quilted some more, on my parents Christmas quilt.

We attended band concerts for our flutist, Hailey.

Attended choir concerts for our little singer, Alyssa.  She really does have te voice of an angel.  They had tryouts at church for the solo at our ward party and Alyssa was selected.