Christmas Memories and Traditions Part III - Riverwoods

I feel like I keep referring to all of our Christmas traditions as my favorites...but going to the Riverwoods with Cory and Calvin is really one of the best.  It kind of started as a fluke, but we are going on about five years now so I think it is set in stone.

Luke and Ruby have been working on their lists and letters to Santa since Thanksgiving and were excited to deliver them to the special mailbox.  The day before we went, they double checked their lists to make sure nothing was missing and decorated the envelopes - they worked hard on their drawings and were positive that Santa would be so happy to see their creations.  

Luke's envelope

Ruby was super excited about her letter

Of course the main event is getting to visit Santa.  We lucked out and the line was really short.  Santa seemed a little tired and not super jolly, but the kids didn't seem to notice or mind.  Luke told him that he wanted a Mine Craft Lego set and Ruby asked for Piggy Slippers.  

Just for fun, the babies' first visits to the Riverwoods Santa

The kids definitely love to see Santa, but if I'm being honest, I think their favorite part of the night is having Calvin all to themselves to hang out.  The kids had so much fun together and the weather wasn't too cold so it was perfect to let them run wild.  

Calvin took a major fall,

Thanks to his sweet ninja skills, he didn't get too hurt

Statues

My favorite shot of the night,

Photo cred, Calvin

We got lucky and ran into our neighbors and besties while we were there.  They told us that they planned to ride the carousel and waited so that we could all go together.  It really was a great night.

Christmas Memories and Traditions Part II

This year we have done a lot of our typical traditions, but then have added in several new activities.  Luke and Ruby are at such fun ages and get excited for every little thing that we do.

For Family Home Evening one night we talked about gifts that we could give and ways we could serve and help others.  After the lesson the kids built cute little nativities that they have used to decorate their rooms.  Both kids have been super interested in nativities this year so it was a perfect activity.  We ended the night with hot chocolate with marshmallows which is always a good idea.

Luke's love of the nativity (and Sheepy) started early

The Festival of Lights in Spanish Fork with all the local Broadbents is by far one of our very favorite activities of the season.  We deviated with our meal last year, but this year we were back at The Pizza Factory for dinner and lots of chatting.  After dinner we headed up the canyon and tried to get bundled up for the cold.  It was extra cold that night so the front seaters were definitely happy for their warm spot.  Despite freezing toes and fingers, we still had a great time in the back of the truck.  We laughed, and sang, and even convinced Cory to take a second lap around the park.  It was definitely a night to remember.  My camera was having a rough night, so we only got a few shots.

This Christmas season we have seen Santa several times.  The kids have been consistent in what they have asked for: Luke wants a MineCraft Lego set and Ruby wants piggy slippers.  They get pretty excited to see him but are not quite sure that they all can be the real Santa.  After meeting a lot of Santas, Luke is convinced that he finally met the true Santa and that the others are actually his helpers but can do the same thing as Santa.  Seems like a pretty good theory.  No matter how true they are, we will just keep looking and meeting each and every Santa we can find.

First picture of the kids together with Santa

We spent an afternoon at the mall with Kristina and her babies.  They were nervous to see Santa so Luke and Ruby tried to help them smile and not be scared.  After surviving Santa, we spent a long time at the indoor play yard where Kristin and I could catch up, and the kids could run wild. 

This is definitely the real Santa.  Turns out Luke has been asking every Santa how he fits all of the toys in one bag and none have been able to give him a good answer.  Of course the real Santa would be able to answer that easily and this one did:  it's like a Mary Poppins bag...it looks small but when you look inside, it opens up to an enormous warehouse with all of the toys and presents.  Nailed it!

Santa and Mrs. Clause came to Ruby's pre-school which was great.  He had amazing jingle bells and Mrs. Clause gave Ruby a little stuffed puppy.  She is convinced that they are the real deal.

The Bet Christmas Pageant Ever has always been one of my favorite books.  I read it to the kids this winter and then decided that we had to go see the play.  It ended up being a full night out and Grandpa and Grandma joined us for dinner and the play.  It was a fun production and the kids loved it.  I think it definitely helped that they were already so familiar with the characters and story line.  The have obviously been paying attention because ever since Luke keeps asking about King Herrod whenever there is talk of performing a nativity.  Such a funny boy. 

Watching a Charlie Brown Christmas...

With their Charlie Brown Christmas characters

We bought gingerbread kids at the beginning of December but it took us a few weeks to find the right time for the sugar overload.  We finally picked a date, then ran into a few delays and didn't end up starting until close to bedtime.  Maybe not our smartest move...We said we would get started then finish the next day, but it was way too much fun to stop.  Both Luke and Ruby had very specific ideas about how they wanted their house to look and they weren't afraid to boss me and Tim to make sure they turned out just right.  It was yet another night to remember and a great time with my babies.

If I want to get a good shot, 

I always have to agree to take a silly picture

Each time we drive to Ruby's dance class we pass a house with about 20-30 Christmas inflatables.  Ruby loves it and always asks to stop to see them better.  We finally made sure to leave early one day so we would have time to see the decorations.  When we got to the house Ruby wanted to take a picture and as we walked up Miss Marilyn, the owner came out.  She was happy to show us around and told Ruby she could take as many pictures as she wanted.  It is a pretty awesome yard.

We have had way too much fun with the ElfieSelfies