Really, Christmas?

Christmas time 2011 can best be described as.... A BLUR! With Dave finishing up busy season, and with my calling at church keeping me ON. MY. TOES! And with trying to get everyone ready for our 2 week trip to China, we were BUSY BUSY BUSY!!!  I hate to say it, but to tell the honest truth, I was SO READY for "The Christmas season" to be OVER for us, and just to get on that plane to China and not have cell phone or email access for 2 weeks. That is NOT, I repeat, NOT a good way to go into the season that not only celebrates the birth of our Savior, but also celebrates FAMILY, so next year I have vowed, WILL NOT be like that!
 Our first executive decision was to put up or Christmas decor, but not a tree. Since we would be gone for Christmas (had so much to do anyway!) and wouldn't be back until January, it was just for the best.  We did put up our stocking Christmas countdown (So cute, but no picture. I bought it on Etsy, and Jaxon LOVES IT!)  Every day we did one activity to get us in the Christmas spirit, and we really had a blast with it.   The other thing we did this year was "Elf on a Shelf"  this was our first year, and I didn't know how well it would go over with Jaxon, but it was the HIGHLIGHT OF HIS CHRISTMAS!  It was SO SO SO SO SO SO FUN!  The idea is that our elf, named "Jolly" by Jaxon, watches over us to make sure Jaxon is good.  He reports to Santa at night while we sleep, and then comes back and gets into mischief and we find him in the morning. Jaxon absolutely loved this, and Dave and I had so much fun taking turns deciding what and where Jolly would be the next morning!  There were a couple evenings that we forgot, and one of us would have to keep Jaxon in our room for a "discussion of the days' activities" while the other one quickly moved him)  The first few days I was really ambitious and took super cute pictures...and then... well... did I mention how busy we were during Christmas???  :o)


Day one, Jolly played a fun game of Trouble with Iron Man, T-rex, and magic genie!

Day two Jolly got hung up in the shower...

Day three Jolly was found leading a Dinosaur Parade!

Day four Jolly was just plain tired and made a bed out of the kleenex box!