The Nielsons

Ice Skating

Southwest sponsors an ice skating rink in downtown Denver that is free admission with $2 skate rentals. That price is hard to beat! Luke and Emma were excited to go ice skating again. We thought we might try to baby swap Myles and leave him with friends, but ended up taking him and I think he was the easiest of the three kids! Luke was pretty discouraged he couldn't go as fast as he wanted. Emma needed a food/recharge break, but then went back on the ice with Bryan and ended on a good note. We decided the next time we do this, if it's close to lunch that we need to eat first and then go ice skating. Despite some frustration levels, it was a still a good time and GORGEOUS weather. 60 degrees at the end of December?!? Amazing.

It was ironic to me that Luke was frustrated he wasn't going fast enough because this is the only picture I snagged of him on the ice! He didn't want to stop and was doing laps around Emma and me.

Fans and support crew on the sidelines.

Since we couldn't take Myles on the ice Bryan stayed with him and I went out with Luke and Emma.

The climax of the frustration.

Bryan is mid "woot-woot!"

We ate at Smashburger after ice skating. As we were ordering, Luke got stuck on the handicap elevator. It was hilarious and embarrassing all at the same time. Making great memories. The kids devoured their food and both said they wanted to try ice skating again. Bryan and I agreed to it, but we'll stick with the annual tradition for now. :)

Cleaning and Tying

The day after Christmas, we were assigned to clean our church with a few other families. Bryan was under the weather so he stayed home with Myles. Luke and Emma were hard workers and it was a good thing, because we made up 3/4 of the cleaning crew! It was a good morning and the kids liked doing service.

That afternoon, I took Luke shopping for new shoes with part of the money that his grandma and grandpa Nielson sent for Christmas . Luke genuinely appreciates one-on-one time and we had a great time shopping for new shoes together. Prior to Luke picking out his shoes, we set a goal with him to help him learn how to tie his shoes over Christmas break. Bryan grabbed the bull by the horns and in one afternoon Luke was tying his own shoes.

Apparently, it was an exhausting day for Luke. Not sure he ever made it into bed. :)

Christmas Day

I feel like Christmas keeps getting more and more fun each year. The magic of Christmas is alive in each of our kids. I love these years with our young kids. They can be hard and demanding, but I realize time is going quickly and I don't want to regret not experiencing life through their eyes.

Luke woke up at 4:00 AM. I didn't hear him, but apparently Bryan told him to go back to sleep. He was up again at 5:00 AM, then Emma followed shortly after. Myles senses when a party is about to happen and was bright eyed and bushy-tailed by 5:45 AM. I know it was ridiculously early, but I was as excited as the kids to head downstairs.

Opening stocking gifts.

Santa delivered real make-up (instead of pretend make-up like she asked for) and this was Emma's reaction.

The fun, magic, love and mess of Christmas surpassed all of my hopes. We enjoyed opening all of our presents and even started playing with some of them before heading off to 9:00 church. The perks of an early start. I enjoyed attending church on Christmas Sunday. It reminded our family of the true meaning and love for Christmas. There was a special Sacrament meeting with a music program. The choir and other musical numbers were wonderful. Bryan was incredible and juggled all three kids on the bench as I accompanied the primary kids and was asked to play a solo of "Joy to the World." I practiced and prepared and still shook like a leaf, just like I did at my recitals. I was relieved when it was over, but happy that I could truly proclaim "Joy to the World" in my own musical way. I'm so grateful that our Savior was born.

When we returned home from church, as if on cue, snow started falling for only 20 minutes. This was such a fun surprise as there was no chance of snow in the forecast! We had such a fun day together, enjoyed the traditional New England Boiled Dinner that my Grandma Kotter and Mom would make and went to bed completely content with our memories made this Christmas.

Luke and Emma noticed the snow starting to fall right as I attempted to take their picture.

Two-minutes later he was exhausted and almost falling asleep in his food.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

We returned home from Granby on "Christmas Adam" and unloaded the car and crashed into bed. We had an incredible time and all of us were exhausted! On Christmas Eve, Bryan took Luke and Emma to see Sing. Myles wasn't invited back to the movies after he was taken out with 30 minutes still left in the last movie we went to as a family. If it was a movie marathon all about trains, I have no doubt he could last 5-6 hours. Myles and I ran a few last-minute errands while they were at the movies.

In the afternoon, Luke helped me make my Grandma Munns' caramels. Emma also helped with the homemade salsa. She is my little señorita that devours chips and salsa.
We opened up one gift each that contained pajamas, games and a movie for our family party that night. We dined on appetizers: smoked sausage and cheese platter, fruit with dip, chips and homemade salsa, cheeseball, an assortment of crackers and yummy desserts that a friend just happened to drop by, perfect timing! I love doing appetizers this night as it helps me keep things low-key (I'm not a clean chef in the kitchen) and more enjoyable while we play our new games as a family. The kids weren't sure what "appetizers" meant, but it was a crowd pleaser. 'Mustache Smash' (Thanks Uncle Tom for the idea ) and 'Sleeping Queens' (Thanks Uncle John for introducing our kids to it at the cabin) were the biggest hit with the whole family. As the party wound down, we thought about what the first Christmas Eve was like and finished by reading the account in Luke.

"Just keep stirring, just keep stirring..."

Senorita Salsa

The pajamas were a huge hit with each of the kids. Myles: "Choo-Choos," Emma: Frozen, Luke: "Pajamas with the feet on them." Judging by how happy each kid was for their new pajamas, we thought the following morning would be lots of fun.