What's On My Happy List?

 
Holiday wrap-up!

On the 23rd of December

we hold our annual

"Bethlehem Night"

where we celebrate Jesus!

We light a candle wreath that represents

names of Jesus...

and we watch a nativity video.... 

and eat lots of Bethlehem-y type food lol

along with a Happy Birthday Jesus cake!

{found a yummy gf one at Harmons}

Lilly Belle got her first nativity

that night!

😌

************************

Christmas Eve festivities...

We had our traditional 

Christmas Seafood Feast

at Grandma Cooper's the

afternoon of Christmas Eve.

Emmsie decorated the table so cute with 

help from her sisters.

She, B, Kate and I made these trees from

paper cones and coffee filter edges... 

We had Portuguese, a Frenchman, and an 

Italian among us..

The annual 7-11 gift game...

you have to roll a 7 or 11 to open a gift...

One big happy mess...

gma handed out the cash...

Some fun with the cousins...

and the mailman???? lol 

The cousins are quite enamored 

with Lilly Belle!

We had a mini family photo shoot...

😂

****************

Christmas Eve at our house...

As a family we played THE BELLS

and a fun Christmas Song game...

Can you guess these Christmas songs?

We played this at my holiday work party

 and neighborhood gathering.

T'was the night...

 Santa's treat....

Children were nestled in their beds...

for a long winter's nap...

{some in silk caps even lol}

Mrs. Claus at work!

****************

Blessed Christmas morn!

It snowed just a tich on 

Christmas morning....

YAY!!

I LOVE a white Christmas so 

this was better than nothing.

😂

Kyleigh and little fam celebrated at

their place and  

then joined us in time

to open gifts with us...

We did Christmas a little different this year.

Instead of lots of individual gifts

we decided to do a family trip instead....

We are going to Amsterdam in the Spring

 to see the tulips!

All 10 of us!!

It's gonna be an adventure for sure!

From Santa they got their airfare with a 

Dutch ornament and stroopwafels...

I had the best time putting together 

a "Netherlands" basket. 

{Added some Belgium Godiva chocolates 

since we will be visiting that country 

for a couple of days as well.}

Netherlands is known for their tulips, 

museums, cheese, frites, pancakes, 

windmills, wooden shoes,

water canals, and Andre Rieu....

to name just a few....

I found wooden shoes Lilly Belle size here...

and filled them with some of her favorite treats...

{a tradition they do at Christmastime 

in the Netherlands}

😌😍

The sibling exchange....

I added in a few surprises...

Kate, Emma and B had to find a 

hidden star on the tree...

Hannah {and Brady, who was in Florida

with his family} an icicle...

a mirror for Kyleigh and Tyler...

Surprise from the hubbie....

The kiddos spoiled us with travel accessories

and European themed gifts...

Italian pizza stone...

and a Bidet...haha

Christmas for the boys...

Christmas for my mama...

Bless her!

She is still hanging on...

 *****************************

Christmas morning brunch at G-ma C's

We brought the cinnamon rolls & 

gf egg nog french toast casserole...

Christmas brunch is hands down one of

our favorite meals of the year!

My family came Christmas afternoon

to visit mama. 

It was a LOVELY day!

**************************

Post Christmas fun...

I love all the cards we get from family & friends

every year...

We had a photo-shoot for our belated 

Christmas card...down at the "Y"

football museum and stadium.

I didn't get ours mailed but 

at least posted...😅

The BYU bowl game that weekend was SO

FETCHING AWESOME!!! 

🙌 🙌 🙌 

💙 🏈

What a season it was!

Go Cougs!

********************

We helped move Kyleigh, Tyler & Lilly Belle

to their new townhome in Mapleton

the weekend after Christmas.

It is the cutest place!

********************

I put together gifts for our 

Priesthood & Temple Preview meeting

for the primary kids graduating to the YW/YM's.

*****************

The girls and I had one last

holiday hurrah 

with a Nutcracker Tea Party 

before bidding Christmas adieu...

Afterwards, we watched the Barbie Nutcracker!

One of their favorites growing up.

ballerina busts...

Look at the "mouse kings" Kate made....

how cute are they?

Clara ornament for Lilly Belle!

😌

*************************************
New Year's Eve....

Rang in the new year with Taco "Bell"

Some game playing...

including sparkling cider pong 

instead of beer pong!

😂

face-timed with this cutie....

HELLO 2025!

It will be an exciting year for these two...

Brady was repp'in his team who

was playing in a big playoff game

the next day...

******************************

New Year's Day

We went down to Mapleton to help

Kyleigh and Tyler get a bit more

settled, watch some football, and 

have our traditional 

New Year's Day food. 

{I brought my own gf pizza..lol}

We watched an exciting Peach Bowl...

We were rooting for ASU...

but they lost a heartbreaker.

*****************

Our annual pedicure and crepe outing

after Christmas tree take down...

EVERYONE came for the latter....

😉

************************************

In Christmas entertainment news...

Besides our must watch movies...

"Christmas with the Kranks"

"While you were Sleeping"

"Serendipity"

"It's a Wonderful Life"

and "The Holiday"

These were my favorite Hallmark &

Great American Family watches this

holiday season.

 

Kate and I love the mysteries....

Speaking of Kate...bless her for 

STILL letting me read Christmas 

books to her every Christmas

even though she's 

almost 15! HaHa.