Christmas 2010

I didn't take nearly enough quality pictures during this Christmas season. Albeit undocumented, we did have a pretty amazing holiday. Let's start off with this little gem:
I hope you didn't get queasy at the end...I thought that the shot would look better with more Christmas tree in it and wrongly assumed that the camera would adjust when I flipped it like it does with still shots...my brain shocks me sometimes. Notice the guitar Finn's using? On a Saturday I went out to run errands while Aaron stayed with the kids and when I got back, he had made that for Finn. It's actually really sweet. He cut the shape out of cardboard, figured out a way to staple the elastics in securely, spray painted it and spray painted the letters to glue on it. Wow. If Finn had asked me to make him a guitar, I would have handed him the one from Guitar Hero and called it good. Finn LOVES this one that Aaron made for him and plays it all the time. Thanks Super Dad.

We were all impressed when Aaron got the tree up in record time this year without any frustration. We sipped egg nog and listened to Christmas music while decorating it. Kate was in awe of all the different ornaments. She managed not to shatter any, but it wasn't from lack of effort. She pointed and said, "stah!" (star) a lot and exclaimed "oooooooh!" amid the grandeur of it all. She might actually think Christmas trees are called ooooohs, I'm not sure. Finn was a good sport and helped Daddy with the lights and got to put the star at the top again. We DID take pictures of this, but I think Finn deleted them since I can't find them on my camera and there is a new suspicious picture of a tape measurer on there. At least we have a couple videos...I just don't have the patience to wait for those to upload :)

The whole Harker crew (even my sister's fam from Calgary!) was in Utah for Christmas this year and it was pretty fantastic. My parents stayed with us and it was so fun having them here on Christmas Eve/Christmas morning. We all got together for two big family meals and just spent a lot of time hanging out with eachother and playing games. Also, my Dad did a TON of work on our house while they were here and fixed a million little things that we wouldn't have gotten to for months. Best Christmas present ever.

On Christmas morning, Finn had to walk past the tree to get to our room and he woke me up saying, "Mom! My stocking's filled up! It is!" and I said, "Oh that's great Finn, (and then because it was so blasted early) why don't you snuggle me for a while and then we'll go up and see what Santa brought you." and he replied, "OK Mom, I will snuggle for ONE minute." I thought that was funny because that's what I tell him sometimes. After he layed by me for a few seconds he said, "I'm getting up now" and went upstairs alone to check out the tree. Finn NEVER gets up without me alongside him so that was pretty huge.

My mom helping Kate with her stocking while Finn opens candy from his. He kept waiting for me to tell him to put the candy away and when I didn't he said joyfully, "We get to have LOTS of treats on Christmas!"

Kate's favorite present by far. She could hardly wait for me to put it together before she started pushing her new Winnie the Pooh around in it.

LEGOS: Extreme Edition

Finn really got into the true meaning of Christmas this year and had a great time playing with his nativity and singing Christmas hymns. He had a cute book from the library called "Twas the Night: The Nativity Story" and while reading this part to him I felt the truth of the words, "...all the animals were awed, to know that this child was the TRUE Son of God!". I am so thankful for this season, and it's power to remind me of the Savior's birth and the life that he lived for me, and all of us.