December Review

December whirled right past us.  We started the month off by getting our Christmas tree!  

We have loved having Nat and Mark around to go and do things like this with us. 

Every year I try to talk Ernie into getting a nice, beautiful (and very much mess free and stress free) pre-lit fake tree at the after Thanksgiving sale.  

And every year he has only one response, "fake tree = fake Christmas".  

Every year when I wake up to the incredible smell of fresh pine tree, I remember why I let him talk me into it.  

I usually get a picture decorating the tree, but this year I failed at that.  We have a little tree upstairs, and I didn't get a picture decorating that one either! But I have these (not so great) pictures of it decorated: 

   

The first weekend of December, Ernie's sister Amanda's twins were blessed in Lehi, Utah.  In true Elliott fashion, we drove up Saturday afternoon after basketball games, and then left on Sunday after lunch to go home.  Not even 24 hours :). 

Every year we want to take the boys to see the lights at Temple Square and we had yet to make it there. We decided this was our chance and chose to head to Salt Lake and stay there.  It had been years since I had seen them and I forgot just how magnificent they are.  Truly breathtaking. 

 We met some of Ernie's siblings and his parents there (which I thought I had gotten pictures of, but I didn't! I am the worst at pictures.) It was a lot of fun. 

By the time we made it up to the top of the roof at the Joseph Smith Memorial building to see the view, we realized it was 9:00 and we still hadn't eaten dinner!  So, Ernie and I took our boys to the restaurant up there and then walked back to our hotel.  It was such a great night.  We needed a little one night break as a family. Even if it means making a one day trip out of it, I decided that every year we need to go.

Last year you may remember we adopted a new member into our family.  He joined us again this December.  

The boys love Elmer.  (Although, one morning, the boys caught him playing with their Legos.  Apparently they were important pieces.  Caleb managed to get them out of his hands without actually touching Elmer- which is a no-no. We tried not to laugh.)