celebrating Christmas

Tonight was the Christmas Dinner for our ward. It was the last ward party I will ever plan. But not the last party. Aaron and I took our four crazy boys shopping last night and filled up our cart with a million hams for the dinner. An older couple was watching us check out and I heard the woman say to her husband, "Look at that young family with all those boys. They are giving hams to their neighbors. They must be very wealthy." I wanted to tell her she was wrong on all accounts, but decided to let her think we were filthy rich. It's fun to pretend sometimes. Unfortunately, our neighbors are not getting hams. or anything homemade. In fact, I think I've resolved to skip a year of Christmas cards. Aaron thinks I am trying to trick him into writing a letter, but I'm not. I told him that there's only ONE way I feel okay about sending out Christmas cards and picture of our family: We have to be in our pajamas. No one can comb their hair, I can't wear makeup, and it must be taken in a part of our house where everything is a mess. Dirty dishes, or crackers smashed in the carpet, the kids noses are runny and poopy diapers are in the background. None of this matching sweaters/perfect life nonsense. That's not the life I am living and the only way I can send out a card is if it's an actual account of 2010.

Whoa. I had no intentions of writing any of that, but it came out anyway... I started this post to say that we snuck out of the ward party and went to a live Nativity put on by a local stake. It was outside and SO crowded. I've wanted to go all week, but we haven't been able to go (we live a crazy life, refer to the paragraph above) and tonight was the last night of the Nativity. We bundled up and waited an hour for it to start. Simon was so not happy, but he sat through it. We lost Zack at the end in the mounds of people and Ben and Luke liked it so-so. As chaotic as it was to go, it made me feel so happy and grateful. Grateful to know about the Savior and His birth. Grateful for the scriptures that teach us about Him. Grateful to have answers to the questions my children ask me. Grateful to focus on something so meaningful when we could be thinking about Santa and reindeer and elves instead. Grateful to go home with my family to a warm house. So happy to be celebrating Christmas with the ones I love!
The kid in back of us (smiling for the shot) is named Brigham. He brought all of his non-mormon friends and was trying to tell them about the church, but they weren't having it. One of the girls said, "So if you meet a supermodel who wants your bod, and she has a billion dollars and her dad is Elvis, you won't marry her if she's not Mormon?" Brigham calmly replied, "I would shake her hand and say, "It was nice knowing you." He was a cutie.