Parties

 Ahh, December. The month of parties. And this year was no exception!

Our first party of the year was our ward party. The theme was "A Night in Bethlehem" and it was wonderful!

The gym was all gussied up to look like the old town, complete with a well, inn, and stable.

Ashley, Jenn, and I did the goodies booth.

We signed the census, got our coins, and "purchased" dinner. The food was all finger foods - fruit, veggies, pita bread, chicken kabobs, and desserts. We dressed up and ate on a blanket on the floor.

The program was simple and focused on the nativity and the Savior. It was a wonderful way to start the Christmas season and really set the tone for me. The kids were a bit disappointed Santa wasn't there but they really enjoyed themselves anyway.

A week or so later we had the McConnell party. Good food, good people, and fun presents. :)

The weekend before Christmas was the Manwill party. The aunts got gifts for all the great-grandchildren (there are a lot now!) and Eliza got this blanket. 

She instantly fell in love with it.

We also set off Chinese lanterns. We were a bit nervous about them at first but it was really fun.

And it was neat to see them all floating off into the sky.

My mom bought the kids these matching outfits. Cute, right?! I waited too long to get a photo and Eliza was not having it! Oh, well!

This year the Van Hoose side decided to do a cousin gift exchange. Spencer and I had decided we weren't going anywhere on Christmas so we did a little get together on Christmas Adam instead.

We had a simple dinner, decorated cookies, let the kids play, and then exchanged gifts.

The kids had a great time.

It was low key and fun. I think we'll try to make it a tradition but take turns hosting.

Eliza loved the frosting!