Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Christmas Eve was absolutely perfect this year. We had the entire Curtis Clan together and we packed the day in with gingerbread houses, our nativity production, cousins and sibling gift exchange and yummy dinner.
The gingerbread house making aren't necessarily a new tradition, but the fact that we made them all together on Christmas Eve was new and I think we will keep it that way. It was a bit of a competition which made it that much better. I loved that my brothers were so into it and thought using a kit was totally ridiculous. I should have gotten pictures of their "architecture masterpieces!" My kids loved decorating with...and eating... the frosting and candy. They were quite specific, especially Capri, on what candy should go where and I was eating it up.

And this was pretty much how our Nativity went...

Kind of a disaster! London was Mary, Spencer was a donkey, Roman a shepherd, Capri the angel, Karoline the star, Eli the Wise Man, and Kaleb was Joseph. It wasn't organized at all, but I think the kids got the idea!
Just my family on my favorite day of the season...

 After our fabulous dinner, lots of Just Dance, and an awesome gift exchange, it was time to wind down. Tucker and I took the kids home to get ready for Santa to come. We put out the cookies and milk and then the kids were surprisingly ready for bed. Good thing considering we had plenty to prepare! My annual Christmas Eve picture in the big red chair...

 And one more in front of the tree for good measure...

Good Night!
Christmas Day was another full day! The kids woke up as eager as ever. We opened presents from Santa including a Wii and a cage...for a hampster...wow. Who knew Santa would actually bring exactly what the kids asked for, even if it meant bringing a live animal. To say the kids were excited would be a huge understatement. They immediately named him Buddy and were asking a million questions about where he was from and how Santa brought him. It was pretty great as far as gift reactions go!
Much to the kids dismay, we left Buddy for the day as we left for Grammy's house. Fortunately, cousins, Grammy and Grampy, and even more presents kept plenty of smiles on their faces. It was so much fun to have Tyler and Mindy in town for Christmas. Tanner and Drew were there as well and together we had such a fun day. We didn't take nearly enough pictures, but they would have been of us eating because I swear we ate all day! Nothing quite like cinnamon rolls and German Pancakes for breakfast, and then a full Thanksgiving dinner that night. Simply divine. All of the grandkids got mini Ipads from Grammy and Grampy...can we say spoiled?!..so they were very entertained. I did snap one picture before we left...

I had Karoline sitting in between Isla and Naomi when she fell from standing on the couch, right onto her head. We finally got her to calm down enough to sit with Ava...

It will have to do! These kids were so cute together-they had missed each other so much and it made for a fabulous Christmas!

Christmastime is a favorite time...

I love Christmas and everything that goes with it. I love decorating my house, trimming the tree, Elf on the Shelf, listening to the music (fm.100 is played constantly the month of December!), wrapping presents, and getting in all of the traditions we have developed over the years. Some of these are simple like making cookies for Santa and others require a bit of effort such as going to see the lights when it is below freezing outside. Regardless, they are all important to me because they add to the spirit of the season.
This year, with Tucker being gone for two of those weeks, I took it upon myself to keep the kids, and myself!, busy with fun little Christmas activities. The twins were able to write awesome letters to Santa, complete with pictures, addressed envelopes, and stamps...

Roman's written masterpiece:

"I wot (want) a poofee (poofy) ginee peg (guinea pig) wef (with) a caj (cage) and a wee (wii) wef mreo (mario) in et (it)." Love it!

Capri's colorful creation:

Capri asked for a "real life hamster" and a cage as well as a purple pony.

Nothing like making and decorating cookies-I swear we have to do this for every holiday!

Another must for the holidays is passing out neighborhood gifts. The kids really get into this and I love the fact that they insist on being the ones to run door to door! I just sit in the car and enjoy watching them!

Another tradition we have started is going to see The Nutcracker with the girls. This year my mom, mother-in-law, sister-in-law Drew, and I all accompanied Capri to the ballet. We again went to Olive Garden first for dinner and then just walked across the street to the theater. We had incredible seats and were anxious for it to start...

Capri loved it even more this year and kept commenting on the beautiful costumes and the familiar music. She wants to be a ballerina when she grows up so of course she loved watching the dancing most!

A very happy girl and I after the show...

Speaking of ballet, Karoline and Capri got have a special dance class where they danced to The Nutcracker and got to wear Santa hats. Capri participated in Koko's class and looked too cute...

The Elf on the Shelf has become a favorite tradition and the kids get anxious each and every night to see where that little guy is the next morning. They are SO excited when they find him and then talk about what he must have done the night before. The first time he came, he brought letters and coloring books and we again watched the movie and read the book. The kids named him Chippy...

The Lights at Temple Square

It's something we have to do every year. That's all there is to it! Sometimes it seems crazy to haul everyone downtown only to be bundled up in the freezing weather as we walk around. Yet, we are always glad we go. The kids enjoy it more and more each year and I love keeping the tradition alive with our growing Curtis Clan. This year we went early to get some delicious dinner in at Blue Lemon. With full tummies, we then headed out to enjoy the lights, the temple, and each other's company. I love my family and I love that we can laugh at ourselves. For example, we walked across the street onto Temple Square and the guys are like, "Ok, let's take a picture...it's the only reason we came!" I love it. And I love that we got a pretty descent picture even with the sarcasm...

My cute little family...

 The lovebirds, Elizabeth and Richard

 The Ford Family

 The Curtis Family

 And the rest of the Curtis Family!

We did it! We got plenty of Christmas festivities in before the big day and we had a great time doing it!!

Swimming and Balboa Island

The resort we stayed at had heated pools which really came in handy. While Tucker was working, I took the kids to the pool a few times and they never grew tired of swimming, finding new friends, and playing on all of the game tables that surrounded the pool...
My three little fish:

 Lollipops pool side...does it get any better?

Roman made a new friend every day we were there. Love that about this kid. Here he is playing with the life-size chess pieces, which were a huge hit!

Balboa Island is simply quaint. The homes are beyond darling, the ferry is fantastic fun for the kiddos, and the shopping is fabulous! Our last day was pretty cool and the clouds looked heavy, but we figured we would make a quick trip of it. So glad we did!

The kids were thrilled to take the ferry and were such troopers as we made the trek over to Main St. We walked along the shops and stopped for ice cream and treats. As drips and crumbs began to fall around us, the birds soon flocked to us. The twins thought it was absolutely hilarious and started to encourage them by purposely dropping piece after piece...

No Balboa Island trip would be complete without a visit to the old fashioned candy store...

And as the saying goes, they were as happy as kids in a candy store!
Even after all of that walking, the kids were awesome in making the trek back to the ferry. We walked along the bay on our way back and we had plenty to ooh and aah at as we passed some unbelievable homes. My kids are pretty cute to watch as well...

This was a stressful trip for Tucker as he was dealing with work, but he was so great to make time for us and we ended up having a fabulous time. It was a such a nice vacation for our family of five, providing lots of quality time for all of us. I really appreciated the bonding for Tucker and I and for us and our kids! Thank you California and until next time...

I love this man!

 The Nielson Family of Five

Newport and Crystal Cove

Newport Beach:
I can't tell you how wonderful it was to be on the beach in December. And not just any beach, but Newport Beach, where my family vacationed each summer. It was such a nice day to let the kids look for seashells (I think we had about 50 by the time we were done), play in the sand, and get their toes wet in the foam. Tucker and I just watched smiling ear to ear...

This girl was brave and ventured into the surf. She couldn't stop laughing as the waves crept up to catch her!

Capri was obsessed with finding seashells and we all dove in to help!

Roman was pretty wet within a few minutes! He has always loved the ocean and jumping the waves...

This girl made friends with the birds...or more like scared them as she ran into the flock over and over again...

My favorite people...

...and my favorite feet...

Crystal Cove:
We had even better weather as we discovered Crystal Cove. This was such a cute beach with seaside cottages and a beachfront restaurant called Beachcombers. It was absolutely wonderful to soak up the sun and the warmth while building sandcastles and playing at the shoreline...

This time we were smart enough to put Roman into a swimsuit...

 Karoline showing us her sandy hands...

 Capri sinking her feet in...

Love you Pacific...