Another Obligatory Christmas Post

I wouldn't be a mommy blogger if I didn't blast everyone with a whole bunch of Christmas pictures right? And despite the fact that we took the tree down and de-Christmased everything on December 26th, (Hey, when you have a toddler tornado hanging around, a Christmas tree becomes a deadly weapon!) I haven't managed to put together a coherent blog thought since then.

Then all of a sudden, it's 2012. Wow. How did that happen?

Anyway, Christmas was wonderful. It really was. It was loud, noisy, messy, happy, giggling, magical chaos.

We rode the train to Temple Square on Christmas Eve night. Forget the lights, the train was everyone's favorite part!

The lights were stunning.

We especially loved the new nativity set placed in the reflecting pool.

 It was very effective wearing the kids out. You can't really tell in this picture, but Max was falling asleep sitting on the top of the stroller. (You also can't really appreciate the magnitude of the tantrum Ashlynn was throwing because her feet hurt, and horror of horrors, I made her wear jeans!)

Santa arrived right on time, and the tree was piled with presents.

No, Ian didn't get an iPhone for Christmas. He was just way more interested in it and the package wrappings than in the presents themselves.

Max was beside himself with excitement when he opened up a "Woody" doll from "Toy Story."

Since Christmas was on Sunday, we scrambled into new Christmas clothes and headed to our meeting. That was undoubtedly, the most crazy part of the entire day. We should learn that just because it's Christmas doesn't mean we're going to get to church without at least a few major and minor meltdowns. (We should also learn not to take pictures in front of a window...)

My mom sewed and entire wardrobe full of doll clothes for the girls' dolls, Emma and Katie, including matching nightgown sets.

Uncle Kevin is always willing to be the entertainment committee.

Once we returned home, we enjoyed dinner with Grandma and Grandpa, played with Uncle Kevin, and opened more presents. We collapsed into bed early, satisfied and grateful. Not to mention exhausted.

So what else have we been doing with our break? Sleeping in. Taking naps. NOT teaching violin lessons. (We also haven't been very diligent about practicing our instruments... Shhh!) We've played games, gone swimming, eaten lots of junk food, read a whole bunch of books, (Yay for a new Kindle!) and stayed up way too late.

Needless to say, my 6:30 am violin lesson came very early this morning. However, my children, despite their protests, seem glad to be back in a routine.

Oh, and about those pesky New Year's Resolutions? I've been reading lots of blogs with lots of brilliant resolutions and themes for the new year. I even have one friend who is training for a half marathon. Even more shocking, I have one giving up Diet Coke. Me? I'm all about making resolutions I know I can keep. Here goes:

1- Keep everyone alive. All year.

2- No overnight hospitalizations. (I know better than to say no hospital trips. But not being inpatient is a worthy goal, I think.)
3- Change less diapers.

4- Teach Ian to play piano so we can proceed with his career as a child prodigy. That kid needs to start earning his keep anyway.