Week Before Christmas

The week leading up to Christmas was a busy one!

Sunday:

I sang in church and also taught the Christmas lesson at church, both of which were a little stressful, but turned out well. (Evan gave me a blessing ahead of time. That helped!)

Here's an excerpt from the end of my lesson about my thoughts on Christmas:

Just like the shepherds, we have heard the message of Jesus Christ. We can have
the same faith they did to act on the message that we’ve heard. Jesus Christ
truly was born on this earth. He lived as a gift from Heavenly Father, both as
an example of how we should live our lives and as the Savior of the world. It is
through His atonement that we are able to overcome our mistakes and be
strengthened and perfected.

Jesus Christ changes lives. The gift that He has to give to us is of extreme worth, yet it is without price. He brings hope and peace to the world. He brings the hope to us that we will be with our families again. He brings the hope that we can overcome the mistakes that we have made. His love is complete for every single one of us.

The angels rejoiced. Shepherds and wise men recognized Him as the Savior of the world and presented unto Him gifts. What gifts can we give to Christ? What can we do in our everyday lives to celebrate his birth, life and sacrifice?

Monday:

German Christmas cookies with Grandma. We have been helping our Oma make Christmas cookies for years now! We wouldn't miss this tradition! We didn't bake as many as last year, but we still were making cookies for 7-8 hours (maybe more). (Pictures on my sisters' cameras.)

Tuesday:

My brother-in-law surprised us with tickets to go see the Nutcracker. My siblings and I went with Oma. It was such a good time! Oma was just thinking the week before how she'd like to see it again. We had the best seats in the orchestra and were so close up. I'm amazed by the talents of the dancers. We followed it up with an Italian dinner. Nice.

Wednesday:

I had an appointment in Bellevue, so Evan and I decided to make our weekly trip to the temple. We used a gift certificate for the most amazing restaurant. I had the best thing I've ever eaten (parmesian encrusted scallops with the most divine creamy red sauce). I'm not kidding that it really was the best meal I've EVER eaten. It was so nice to go out together!

Thursday:

I stayed home while Evan went ice climbing. I sewed from sunup to well past sundown! I made 16 different projects for people for Christmas. I made 2 I-Spy pillowcases. I made 2 pillows. I made 12 shoe bags for traveling. (Believe it or not, I'm still not quite done and have to finish the rest today!) I listened to The Help on CD and when that was done watched "Guys and Dolls" and "7 Brides for 7 Brothers." Have you seen that movie? I hadn't. It was crazy. I didn't like the way he treated his wife whom he roped into marrying him without telling her the details. Not good.

Friday:

Evan and I got up and went hiking with Evan, Lindsay, Nina, and Elena up Tiger Mountain. It was a good time to go hiking with friends. Evan helped me to finish up the I-Spy jars I have been making. They turned out successfully! I painstakingly took the time to write out everything I put into them and it all worked out great after I typed up the labels. Christmas Eve dinner at Oma's house. I made a cheesecake and we all had a good time eating, singing German Christmas carols, and opening presents. (Pictures on my sisters' cameras.)

Saturday:

We had a 4-house Christmas extravaganza! We opened presents from each other and then had to finish up some Christmas wrapping in the morning. Next stop- My family's house. The kids loved their pillows and pillowcases and their I-Spy jar. Mid-day stop: Evan's parents house. We ate brunch, opened presents, ate more food, and I helped Evan's mom make little mushrooms to decorate a yule log. Last stop: My brother-in-law's parents for Christmas dinner and games. All in all, it was a BUSY, but enjoyable day. My sisters took more pictures than I did. These are really the best pictures of the day. I love my niece's face as she opened her present from me! She is always so animated!