Busy, busy, busy...

This year seems to have flown by. I can hardly believe the holiday season is here, and nearly gone. I love this time of year because it is wonderful to spend time with family and to reflect on where we've been and where we want our lives to go. I am quickly trying to accomplish all of the tasks on my 'to do' list so that I can sit back and relax during a portion of this holiday season.
We spent Thanksgiving with my parents in Idaho and really had a good time. The food was delicious, leftovers were even better, and it was very enjoyable to sit back and relax for a while. I have always found it to be more enjoyable to clean up at other people's homes instead of my own, that was nice too. We spent lots of time with the chickens, playing the new Xbox 360, chopping and gathering firewood and just sitting around playing games. It was a good Thanksgiving. (Not to mention the fact that my parents woke up with the children each morning so Joe and I were able to sleep in every morning we were there....I love the holidays at Grandma and Grandpa's house!)
Joe and I celebrated our 7th Anniversary on Monday and it was very nice. Joe got us a babysitter and we went out to eat, picked up some stuff at Home Depot and Target and then went and picked out our Christmas Tree at one of the corner lots in Bountiful. It was a lot of fun, not terribly romantic, but certainly a practical and fulfilling evening. I was just glad that Joe was home and not out of town. It was so nice to spend some one on one time with him.
Joe rescheduled all of his appointments for this week so he was home all week and we were able to get a lot done. I finished our 72 hr. kits and Joe got them put away in the garage so we are prepared for an emergency, at least as prepared as we can be. We finished all of our family gifts, about 60 of them, and are preparing to mail those out this week. We put up all of our Christmas decorations and got the tree decorated. I wrapped all of the presents and got them tucked under the tree and away from prying eyes! The kids and I also made our gingerbread houses and the kids had a blast decorating them. They did a great job. I think Ali spent more time eating and sneaking candy than helping, but the boys were very helpful and they turned out really well. We made two so that we can keep one and we're bringing the other to Joe's grandmother. She'll enjoy it, we hope.
Needless to say, it's been a very eventful week. I'm busy polishing up the last of my Primary Program stuff and I think it is going to turn out all right. I'm certainly hoping that it does. The kids are practicing next week and then we'll have the big performance the week after. I always think it's a lot of fun to show how much the kids have grown and learned during the year. It never ceases to amaze me at how much they are able to accomplish in just a year.
I need to get on the ball and get some more pics taken, but I've been slacking a bit while trying to get everything else done. With Christmas right around the corner though, I should be able to play catch up.
Wishing you all the best this holiday season and good luck getting everything done!