Ringing in the New Year!!

We have a long standing tradition of staying up until midnight on New Years Eve, playing games and eating treats as a family, and we always have fun! Last year was made even better by sharing that with our good friends and we were excited to do that again this year.....until their car died and they were stuck in West Valley with relatives (I shouldn't say stuck, I am sure they had a lovely time, I know we always enjoy being with family).
Anyway, we had just gotten games out and treats arranged when we got a text (no one calls anymore, I guess it is easier to possibly be rejected by text as opposed to actually talking to someone, or else we have all just gotten lazy). We were invited to come over and play with some fantastic friends that we have been meaning to get together with (I have fantastic intentions, I suppose I just need help putting these intentions into actions sometimes).
So, we went over and had an absolute blast! It was a great way to begin a new year, reminding me of all the people I have had on a list thinking I need to get together with and then never do. I realized that I need to take more time to laugh and enjoy time with good friend's more and that has become on of my New Year's Resolutions this Year....I think my next post should be dedicated to those.... (Have you noticed all my little sidetracks tonight, apparantly I have ADD right now.)
Well, we played games, laughed and enjoyed treats with the Minson's and the Wilding's. The kids had a great time too, three of them were still awake and buzzing at 2:30 in the morning. Brayden has since asked me "When can we play with the "wild things" again?" It took me a minute to realize that he was talking about the Wildings!
I have to add that the first thing out of Faith's mouth when the clock struck 12 was...."I'm going to be 13 next year!!" She has tormented her parents all year saying, "I am going to be 12 next year you know." Seriously, why does she have to skip a year and focus on the age she will turn AFTER her next birthday. I wish she would slow down and enjoy being a kid, but I guess that is life, you can't wait to get older for the longest time and then eventually you wish that you could be younger. Personally I am at a point where I am just enjoying my life now. 2011 will be wonderful I am sure!

The kind hearts of the children

I thought this was also worth a mention. I love it when my kids use their own money to buy presents for each other. It is very sweet and I love that they occasionally think of each other more than of themselves. It brings a smile to me and warms my heart to see them so excited about giving than about recieving. It makes Christmas so much better! Of course the gifts I truly love are the ones they make themselves and try so hard to make them perfect. This year Gavin's class at school didnt make presents for the parents and he was so sad, so he made his own card and asked to go shopping for us. Again, it's just nice to see them want to GIVE more than worry about what they are going to GET.

The treasure hunt

Yet another Christmas tradition for us is the final present for each child they first have to find by going on a treasure hunt. This year we did a huge combined treasure hunt and at the end there was a box inside a box inside a box (so each child still unwrapped something), and the present was two Kinect games for the XBOX. It's really so much fun to watch the kids figure out the clues and search for their last present (usually the best present). We did scale back this year a bit. Last year Faith's was a Barbie House, Gavin's was a Basketball Hoop, Brayden's was a pony that moves and Landon's was a jeep he could ride in. That year we went crazy, it's usually somewhere in the middle! Another year they found our trampoline(that was a combined one too)! Anyway, I thank my parents for this tradition, it has always been a lot of fun!

Griffin's first Christmas

I thought that I would dedicate an entire post to Griffin's first Christmas, and why shouldn't I! I know that he will not remember it, but I thought it was wonderful to have him there and well, he's just adorable. He got a Boppy pillow which I have never used with any of my children before, and I love it! He got some cute outfits, more for my benefit than his, but they will keep him warm. It was fantastic and fun to see Griffin and his cousin Zachary in the matching Christmas outfits I got them! It's amazing what a difference two months makes!

Christmas

I love to see the excited and happy looks on my children's faces every Christmas morning! This picture captured that moment perfectly!

Christmas Eve

Every year on Christmas Eve we dress up and act out the Christmas story. This year I snapped a couple pictures just for fun! This is another fun family Christmas tradition that I love, and we always have to act it out twice to change the characters. I remember doing this as a little girl and I am glad my children enjoy it too.

Ward Family Christmas Party

It has become a Ward Family tradition to have a White Elephant exchange party every year before Christmas and it's great fun. It's just one more reason that I am thankful to be back in Utah! The kids had a blast and it is always fun to get together and laugh as family. The fantastic food that was there was definitely an added bonus!