A Birthday Party and the Circus

Oh, the enchanted age of 3! It has to be one of my most favorite ages. It just so happens to be Mikey's Birthday on Christmas. He opted to celebrate a little bit latter and go to the circus!

I love his personality! Sometimes when I'm away, I just crave him.



Justin was picked out of the crowd to be one of the "strong" men and oh man, were the boys ever excited! Nathan kept whispering in my ear, "Mom, can you believe they picked our dad!?"

His muscles lived up to their reputation and the boys think he is the strongest dad that ever lived! HAHAHA!





The circus was a pure hit! So many neat things to see. Flipping humans, crazy stunts, and amazing animals!

Cirque Du Soleil

Doug and Sara showed us how you do a Friday night and took us to Cirque Du Soleil. It was Michael Jackson's, Immortal tour. AMAZING!

I can still feel the music beating out of my chest and die laughing when I think of some of the most "interesting" dance moves that I have ever seen.

Seriously, so fun!

We were scared for a second that we were going to be late, and boy howdy....I've never seen a pregnant woman run like that!

One of my favorite nights.

Ever.

Play...

The WHOLE day! When we talk about our dream adventures and destinations with the boys, 99% of the time, they end up being in Arizona with their best buds.

Papa made each one a wooden sword and Mammy help them design a shield to protest them during their "brawls".

The second they woke up, they were dressed and in the back yard.

Sara had tons of fun things planned for them too. We made our way down to the Children's museum and up to Air Works to jump on all the tramps. They loved every minute!

Calm, Deep Waters.

The kids pulled on their life jackets and we boarded onto Doug's ship to hunt for some pirates.

Each adult had one or two kids snuggled under their arm with a blanket. Doug started the boat and we basked in the glowy, warm light of the sun. From the time we took off, each passenger had their "permagrin" stuck on their face. The music started to play and Papa automatically puled out his imaginary drum set. I think I would not be lying if I said it was the best day of his life.

As the boat went faster, the chilly wind blew our hair and we snuggled deeper into the kids and the blankets. I looked at each person. Some had their eyes closed seeing the reddish glow of the sun and feeling the heat of the light not wanting the moment to end. Some were watching intently on the ripples and sprays of the water as the boat carved in and out, keeping a smooth pattern. Some were admiring the banks of the lake lined with prickly cactus and a deep blue sky that melted into the mountains. Some were squealing and giggling, like Kendall whose first time it was to be on a boat.

We stopped on a small dock to have a picnic and for some a little bathroom break. Bellies were full and faces gleamed.

Pure contentment.

It's CHRISTMAS!

Every Christmas, flexibility is a must. I had gotten sick a few days before with an atomic Migraine that decided to linger and on Christmas Eve, poor Nathan was in the bathroom, well lets just say... all night!

That morning the rest of the house started to stir and check out what Santa had brought while the Hillan quarters remained quarantined for a little longer.

Soon everyone was getting ready for church and I knew that our family would be holding down the fort until everyone came back.

The boys finally got to see what Santa brought and despite Nathan not feeling well, it was still pretty exciting.

We waited for everyone to get home from Church to begin opening up gifts that lasted well into the afternoon.

The boys took their toys in the back yard and Nathan miraculously recovered. The adults hung out and we enjoyed the rest of the day.

That night we had Christmas dinner with one of Sara's sisters and her family, who I just love.

It was a beautiful day but my heart couldn't help but sting wishing little Luke could have been there. I ached for Doug and Sara and was grateful for little glimmers of peace that would come and go when I thought about the Plan of Happiness.

The Festivities of Christmas Eve

It was the most magical night of the entire year. Little stomachs doing flip flops and two twin sisters nailed the perfect Christmas Eve down to the tiniest detail.

Traditions were in full swing and I was in heaven! Christmas Eve packages were opened and as fast as the paper was torn off the jammies...boom, they were on!

We played a hilarious game of white elephant and came home with some pretty interesting stuff. Then it was time to get serious.

Each person sat in front of their candle and watched it peacefully flicker in the dark while Papa read the Night Before Christmas and the "real" Christmas story from Luke, in the Bible. We munched on doughnut holes and ate regular doughnuts with sprinkles and sipped on hot chocolate with marshmallows.

The kids were calm and there was a special feeling in the room.

One more thing before all the little ones were off to bed... We had to sprinkle "Magic Reindeer Food" on the lawn from Aunt Jeri. The kids grabbed whatever shoes they could find. Kendall opted for Justin's flip flops, and soon the lawn was covered in glitter and oats.

The letter was written to Santa and his cookies were left out on the plate. The sheets were placed on each "spot" and a few sleepy yawns began to leak out of little bodies.





I love this picture because if you look closely, you can see little body silhouettes sprinkling food for the reindeer outside.

Fruition

There is the simple pleasure of hanging out that always seems to accompany family visits. A surreal feeling seems to fill your empty pitcher full to the brim and enables you to go back to "real life" saturated and satisfied.

I'm not sure why there is always an extra portion of comfort wrapping its arms around you when you are together but I'll take that piece of security and tuck it away and call upon it during a rainy day and be grateful to have those moments.

I'm so happy these mamas love to laugh and I love how the wind seems to blow a spell of fun and adventure when we are together.

Mammy loving on some of the grands.

I love this picture of Sara. Actually, I love everything about Sara. I feel like she is literally glowing. I can't wait to meet her little princess this spring.

Warm and Sunny

There was a constant flow of energy overflowing in each child. Pure excitement and joy harbored inside their little bodies as they anticipated the arrival of Santa.

We decided it was appropriate to take them across the street and let them have a wild rompus in the field. They walked the paths that led to the park and played, and played, and played.

We soaked up all the warmth the dessert had to offer and drank up the bright sunshine every minute we could! There were even a few days the boys wore shorts and the girls wore capris.

I love this picture of Jaycee because it reminds me of a girly Peter Pan with her little shadow, football, and stick.

Kendall endured a good game of football as Mikey played the role of lead tackle.

I happened to notice that Papa was making Jake feel better when I caught him wearing his shoes on the wrong feet.

One of the Reasons I Love.....

Arizona in the winter!

Get me back there...QUICK!

Laughing All the Way!

My mind cannot even comprehend the fun these boys have together.

Hot Chocolate and Toast

I love waking up to a morning of Christmas mugs filling the counter and the smell of toast making its way to hungry kids.

A favorite breakfast every time we go to Doug and Sara's.

Dance Party!

Uncle Doug started the music and the whole living room came to life. Instantly a grand party was in the works and Mikey busted out his moves! Boy howdy, we all took a lesson.

In the Tub

Relaxing after a hard days play!

Christmas Calories!

Sugar cookies, fudge, cinnamon rolls, hot wassail, chocolate chippers, dipped pretzels, and gooey caramel corn was what was brewing in the kitchen this year.

I had lots of helpers who licked the beaters, frosted, dipped, and delivered.