Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

Christmas this year was just what we needed. It was relaxing but fun and full of family and love. It was also a time of plague :(. Along with our never ending head colds and bronchitis, the kids caught Hand Foot & Mouth from their babysitters house the week before Christmas....shoot me. So that week was an interesting one with kids constantly falling asleep in the most random places from pure exhaustion as their bodies tried to heal and the horrible job of trying not to spread it to anyone else but still being able to join in on all the fun we had planned...

Poor Evie... yes, she fell asleep on the stairs! Hand Foot and Mouth was one of the worst viruses we have encountered so far. Both kids had blisters all over their mouths and bodies and were constantly exhausted and  miserable :(.

Poor Austin missed the last two days of school before Christmas break because of illness :(. It broke my heart that he missed his first school Christmas party and to see him so miserable, but I was secretly loving all the cuddles ;).

But despite our medical woes, we still managed to do all of our favorite things! The kids helped me bake holiday goodies to pass out to all of our friends and neighbors! They had so much fun in the kitchen but they had even more fun distributing our sweet treats! It is always such a joyful experience getting to teach my children about the gift of giving :).

Chocolate covered pretzels are our jam! And this year we made them even more festive with red and green M&Ms!

We tried something new this year and made white chocolate candy cane popcorn which was a big hit! The crossing guard at Austin's school told us we should go into business selling it because it was so good! :)

Austin capturing a goofy pic of his sister :)

Crushing up the candy canes was harder work than we had expected..... Next time we might use the blender....

Nothing makes me happier than working side by side with my kiddos in the kitchen :).

Adding a little red and green to our popcorn.

The kids were mesmerized by the air popper! We must have made eight batches of popcorn just so they could sit and watch how it works! And they started screaming and clapping Every. Single. Time. :)

We also got to experience our neighborhood Winter Festival for the first time this year! We are usually busy with family or Mom is working during December so we haven't had the chance to enjoy it before. But now we know it is something we will never miss again! Holy beautiful day full of fun!! We took a picture with Santa, where Evie asked for "Elsa Stuff" and Austin surprised Santa with his request for a lava lamp and a compass :). He is so much older than his years and it always surprises people when he opens his mouth! haha! We also played hula hoop games, jumped in the bouncy houses, got faces painted, ate yummy Christmas cookies, and warmed up in the cafe for a while before we went back out for some more fun! You never know what kind of weather Nevada will bring you. In the morning we were wearing ski jackets and by afternoon we were down to sweatshirts.... it's always a gamble when you step out your door around here! I felt so incredibly grateful for this amazing community to raise our babies in and for all of our friends that make parties like these even more fun :).

The traditional Santa picture 2018!

Getting faces painted from one of Santa's Elves!

Evie wanted to be a princess (surprise surprise)!

And Austin wanted a candy cane!

There were characters all over the place, but nothing beats Elsa and Olaf in this little girl's eyes :).

Another Elf was making balloon animals! Evie wanted a cat and Austin asked for a sword (again, surprise surprise)!

My boys and our photo bomber neighbor hahaha! Dad teaches Sunbeams with him and Austin is good friends with his daughter, Jane :).

Getting some hot drinks inside Jolly Beans Cafe! Mom's home away from home ;).

Spirits were so high this day, which was so fun!

Eating Christmas cookies we picked out from the farmers market and enjoying the sunshine! After the Winter Festival, the kids went to little kiddie Christmas party at the church while Mom and Dad got to go on a date! It was a fundraiser the Young Men and Young Women were hosting to raise money for summer camp and we were more than willing to contribute! Anything for a date night! ;)

Speaking of parties! Mom got to go to a Mom's Night Out Christmas Party this year! It was a blast and my face hurt from laughing so much by the end of the night! Again, we are so so blessed to live here! It's more than a community, it's a Tribe :).

My Tribe :). These beautiful ladies make Motherhood soooo much easier on so many levels :).

Evie and her little Nursery friends spent the month learning how to go to sharing time and get ready for their big graduation in January! I couldn't believe as I sat there watching her go up to the front of the room during sharing time that soon I will have TWO kids in Primary! Where does the time go?!!

All the future Sunbeams helping out the teacher in Sharing Time :)

Evie's little Home Preschool is still going strong and we are all loving it! This month was my turn to teach and we made Grinch Cookies! The girls LOVED getting their hands all dirty and we had so much fun! These 6 little girls are the sweetest things in the world and Evie looks forward to Wednesdays every week so she can hang out with them!

Taking turns stirring in the eggs.

They all have such different personalities, which makes this group so fun!

Cutie pies making a mess and loving every minute of it!

Pictured left to right: Evie, Coco, Stella, Blakely, Sadie, Evelyn. All 3 years old and all SO SO CUTE!

Along with cooking and prepping for Christmas, we also finished our baseboards to finally complete our flooring project! We also bought two electric fireplaces, one for our bedroom and one for downstairs to go along with our floor remodel. It was Mom and Dad's Christmas presents and we are totally in love with them and have put them to good use this winter! I've wanted a bedroom fireplace for as long as I can remember, so this was the cherry on top of a perfect Christmas! I also decided during this month to not go back to teaching Children's Yoga in January. If I have learned anything from the past three months, it has been how important it is to keep life simple. To not always  be rushing. To enjoy the little things with my little ones before they aren't so little anymore. But most of all, to keep track of my mental health and to always be striving for more peace and less chaos. It was  tough decision, because I loved teaching so so much! But I am at peace with this decision and I know my kids are happy about it too. I'm a much better Mother when I'm not so stressed out all the time which  makes for a much happier home! Oh and my little girl was awarded as Dancer of the Month! She was so proud and I was on the verge of tears! Being her Mama is such a joy!

Hello gorgeous bedroom fireplace!! I've spent soooo much time in this room staring at this beautiful sight!

Cuddles by the fire on a cold winter day. This moment right here is when I made the decision to not teach yoga anymore. I needed more of this and less of that. I'm sure my students will understand, but even if they don't, I now have my priorities straight so I really don't care.

Finishing touches are the worst! You want so badly to be done with the project and this last part seems to take FOREVER! But we are loving our new floor!! It makes all the blood, sweat, and tears completely worth it!!

Evie being awarded as Dancer of the Month with Ms. Vivian! She loves dance and her teacher so much and was so proud of her achievement! We all were :).

My focus is now on self-care. On taking care of my own inner light with less focus on what other's are doing. My last miscarriage really rocked my world and my mental health was not good at all. So this has been necessary and much appreciated by my body and soul.

We also had our Annual Cooley Family Christmas Party the Saturday before Christmas in St. George and it was a blast! Seriously, it was probably the best party yet! We ate lunch at Chuck-a-Rama (our family present from Grandma and Grandpa Wiegel) and then headed over to Grandma's community club house for some fun games! I had decided to do a Christmas Olympics and it was such a hit! Everyone had a blast as we raced each other to come up with silly Christmas lyrics, do Elephant bowling, push oreo cookies across the table with our noses, draw snowmen on our foreheads, and eat donuts hanging from a string without using our hands :)!! We also did a white elephant gift exchange and just hung out and enjoyed each others company. Aunt Heidi had planned a Christmas cookie decorating station that the kids LOVED and Cousin Emma had fun handing out awards for the most creative cookies :). Our family has had a hard time over the past couple years getting together without fighting or having some kind of drama, so it was nice to just enjoy each other for a change! Much needed :). The kids had such a blast and are already looking forward to next year's party :)!

Having a blast at Chuck-a-Rama with the family!

Yummy food and good company!

We took up two giant rows of tables because our family is so huge! It was crazy!

Aunt Heidi attempting Elephant Bowling haha!

Aunt Heidi trying to eat the donut without using her hands!

Mom trying it and struggling big time! haha! Its so much harder than you think!

Aunt Tammy trying to draw a snowman on her forehead while Aunt Gena raced with the basketball to the next station, hot on her tail!

Mom and Aunt Heidi getting ready to race!

Cookie decorating!

Dad and Cousin Jessica trying to knock down all the cups! This was seriously so hilarious!

Aunt Gena trying to eat that dang doughnut!

Mom trying to bowl like an elephant :).

Evie cheated and had Great Grandma Wiegel's help ;). I guess she's 3, so we will let it slide.... ;)

Trying to push the oreo across the table with her nose! Again, it's harder than you think!

Uncle Scott and Cousin Cameron writing the perfect lyrics for Sleigh Bells Ring.... This was so hilarious to read after the games were over!

Baby girl trying to elephant bowl :)

Austin and Uncle Dave racing for the win!

Cousin Misty (Cameron's new wife) laughing too hard to eat her donut haha!

Austin getting that donut! I'm soooo glad that nobody contracted Hand Foot and Mouth from this! I was secretly stressing about it! I had no idea if our kids were still contagious but didn't want to miss out on all the fun!

Austin did great with the oreo challenge!

The cutest little elephant I ever did see! haha!

Uncle Creg, Grandma Jill, Aunt Gena, and Uncle Scott! The gangs' all here!

Mom and Cousin Naomi. We are all getting so old and have kids now! It's crazy that we were once little kids running around together!

Everyone taking their cookie decorating seriously!

Austin especially ;)

Mom and Dad, happily enjoying the spirit of Christmas :).

Christmas Eve was quiet and beautiful :). We started the morning out with a family walk up to Starbucks and Roberto's Tacos for breakfast. The sun was shining and spirits were high! Just a few more hours until Santa comes!

Then we spent the day baking and decorating cookies for Santa! Evie wasn't feeling very well (probably exhausted from all the partying and virus junk) so she ended up falling asleep on the cough while Austin and I did all the baking. But we made sure to wake her up to help with the decorating!

Poor sick baby girl :(

Meanwhile, Mom and Austin got to work!

Austin is getting so big! I am so proud of the little man he is becoming :).

But mostly I am so happy that he still loves to spend time with his Mama in the kitchen :). It's such a special bond that I hope we always share.

Christmas music was playing, the fireplace was emitting a happy warmth, and spirits were high :). It's moments like these....

This boy holds such a special place in my heart and his kisses mean the world to me!

Just looking at these pictures is making me cry! You can't recreate moments like these!

Lots of sprinkles!!

And plenty of frosting!

Happy Christmas Eve!

After that, we ate soup, opened up new Christmas Jammies, took baths, and then headed out into the night to drive around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights! The kids are always so cute as they oooohhh and awwww at the lights and Mom and Dad felt so happy as we held hands and enjoyed the beautiful life we have created together. Then we set out milk and cookies for Santa and only had to threaten the kids 6 times to go to sleep or Santa will pass us by.... ;). Josh and I were just as excited as the kids for Christmas morning to come and spent the night cuddled up on the couch by the fire, watching "It's a Wonderful Life" with a cup of egg nog and happy hearts :).

Christmas morning came and we were ALL excited to see what Santa had brought! The kids got everything they asked for and more! It was such a fun morning amongst the wrapping paper wonderland! Then we cleaned up and got ready for all the Grandparents to come for Christmas Lunch and of course, MORE PRESENTS! These kids are so spoiled its not even funny....

Santa did NOT disappoint this year!

Evie got her potty training baby she has been begging for!

And Austin got a drone to fly along with that awesome castle tent!

And of course, the lava lamp ;).

And Evie got her "Elsa Stuff"! She was all smiles as she danced around the room with her singing microphone and high heels!

They also got lots of art supplies and don't forget the Christmas oranges!

Such a fun morning :)

Princess Elsa getting ready for the day :).

Dressed in our best and ready for the next party! :)

Somehow, Mom got everyone ready, cleaned up the house, set a beautiful table, and made Christmas lunch for the whole family in a couple of hours! Dad wasn't feeling well and went to bed during that critical time (insert repressed rage from Mom) but I pulled it off!! And it was such a beautiful meal! We had all of our Grandparents and Great Grandparents (minus Josh's parents) and the kids were in heaven! We ate a yummy ham dinner and pumpkin pie for dessert! After stuffing ourselves to the brim, the menfolk sat on the couches talking and watching the kids while the women stayed at the table and enjoyed chatting. This was an interesting Christmas because my parents had just gotten divorced a couple months prior and we weren't sure if it was going to make things awkward with the rest of the family. But happily it didn't matter at all! We all enjoyed each other and there was zero drama. Thank you Jesus!!! Next up was presents! The kids opened up all of their wonderful gifts while everyone watched and smiled :). This was the first Christmas we didn't have my sisters here and it was so sad. We Facetimed with Briana and her sweet new baby, Gracelynn, who looked cute enough to eat! But it would have been even better to have them home with us! They are planning on moving back here this summer and the time couldn't go by fast enough! Sadie spent Christmas with her boyfriend in New York City, so we talked to her on a different day. Every Christmas is slightly different, but one thing remains the same.... the love we all share :). We are surrounded with such amazing Grandparents and are so grateful!

Our beautiful Christmas Meal!

Lots of cuddles and presents!

That Face! Priceless!!

The Grandparents had so much fun watching the kids open their presents!

And there were plenty of loves to go around!

We sure do love Grandma Wiegel! And Grandpa Frank came this year which was nice! Mom sat on his walker at dinner because we were short a chair! haha! But on a more serious note, he is very sickly and doesn't travel much so it was nice to see him.

Evie got a Minnie Mouse as big as she is and she was all smiles from ear to ear!

Sweet Grandma Helm.... oh we love you so!

I was so proud of my parents for not letting the drama of their divorce get in the way of Christmas. It meant a lot to me to see them sitting together enjoying their Grandkids :).

Grandma Porter had hip surgery and hasn't been healing well, so it was so nice to see her! She hasn't been able to make it to our parties lately because she has been in so much pain :(.

We love Grandma and Grandpa Porter!

So much joy!

We were all smiles :)

Oh that Minnie Mouse loving girl.... she cracks us all up with how excited she gets over that mouse!

I probably don't have to explain why when I say how exhausted we were after Christmas was over! It took us a good week to recover! We spent that week doing crafts, snacking on Christmas candy, and leaving the house as little as possible. It was heavenly :).

I couldn't have wished for a more beautiful Christmas and am so grateful for all the many blessings we have been given! I don't know what I would do without all of these amazing people in my life! It was so nice to finish off the year with a happy heart. Especially after how emotionally destroyed I was after losing the baby.... Thank you Heavenly Father, I owe you so much :).