CHRISTMAS DAY 2024!

 We got to do all of our usual Christmas traditions! I realize this is the last year for several years that I will have all my kids together for Christmas, so I tried to soak it all in! Went to the Rodgers house for our fondue dinner and Christmas present opening! This year for our Jensen Christmas pajama pants I thought it would be fun to print Eli's head all over them because he won't be with us for the next 2 years....so Eli's head it was! Hilarious! Then we went home, watched a Christmas movie together and then all the kids went and slept together in anticipation for Santa's big arrival. He brought the kids all gifts of their lists and then the boys had a special gift just for them! It was a surprise "Senior Trip" for all 3 boys this summer. They had a scavenger hunt to get all the pieces to the puzzle and then after they solved it there was a big gift with flip flops, swimsuits, snorkel gear, etc. Then both sets of grandparents came over for lunch and spent time with us! Then we had Christmas naps, quickly ate some dinner and then headed to the movies together as a family! It was a Merry Christmas indeed! 

CHRISTMAS SERVICE PROJECT!

 Ever since the years of getting up at 5:30am on Christmas morning and meeting Stacia's family in downtown Phoenix to pass out clothes and make breakfast for the homeless people....we have been doing service projects on Christmas Eve, Christmas day or Christmas Eve Eve. The first year Stacia's family didn't do it and and we didn't do anything - my kids all asked about it....so I started signing us up for our own projects. I try and mix it up every couple of years. This year I signed us up to be Salvation Army Bell Ringers...I thought they would love it...at first they complained, but had no problem dressing up - ha ha! Tyler was a little grumps when we first got their but after about 30 minutes....everyone was happy, dancing, shouting, ringing bells, etc. We actually raised so much money!! Everyone wanted to donate to us because we were such a big group, rocking out to Christmas music, dressed up and having fun! Randy's donuts drove by and saw us and gave us a dozen free donuts! We saw people we knew and they took pictures with us, strangers took pictures with us and then a little boy showed up dressed in a Christmas onsies and we invited him to ring the bells with us for a few minutes and he was having the time of his life! Eli would obnoxiously shout "Merry Christmas" and hold out the mas part - cracking us up!  It was a great time!! 

JENSEN GINGERBREAD CONTEST!

 We always get together with Nate's family and do a Christmas gingerbread house decorating contest. 1 year we decorated gingerbread men and this year we decided to do the men again - it was a hit! Everyone took it seriously, pulled out their phones for ideas, took their time to decorate them and no one fought! There was a $5 Dutch Bros giftcard on the line! Tyson won the first gingerbread men contest and won this year again too! They were all good and it was hard to pick!