Henry's favorite new toy

Is also Grace's favorite new toy...

Merry Awkward Santa Photo Christmas!

This week's happy thoughts

Here are some things that have made me happy this week:

I love Christmas cards. I love getting them in the mail. I love posting them up somewhere prominent in my house to look at them all month and think about how many people I love and who love me.

I got the card below in the mail as a belated birthday card and it made me laugh out loud for a good minute or two.

Inside she wrote, "Sorry, I ran out of birthday cards." Ha ha! It still makes me smile.

On Friday was the wedding of one of my dear, dear young women. She was in the first group of my Mia Maids class over five years ago. She's still a good friend. She asked me to be a bridesmaid at her wedding and it was beautiful! I love live sealing ceremonies!

I wish I had gotten a picture of her and me together, but I didn't bring my camera.

Last month I was release from YW and called as the primary music leader. As a primary we sang at the ward Christmas party last Saturday and will sing again on Christmas at church. I was really nervous when I was first called, but I like this calling more with each week. It's so fun to feed off the kids' energy. I especially love singing Christmas songs. I got to sing a solo at the Christmas party, too, because the original soloist fell sick. I feel so grateful for my talent that I can step in and be of service at the last minute in a situation like that.

One thing that hasn't made me happy this week is this:

Henry is sick with the croup, and we've all been struggling with viruses. Grace is near the end, but Henry and I are right in the middle of yuckiness.

Speaking of Henry, I discovered something today that makes his hair even more awesome.

Do you see that random streak of RED in his hair?!?!?! Most of the hair growing in is a medium brown color. Parts are blonder, but none are quite like this tiny streak of pure red. Neither Scott nor I have red in our gene pool that we know of so this is a fluke, and we don't know if it will last.

Lastly, Gingerbread houses. They always make me happy. We made this little one with Grace about a week ago.

She's been trying to eat it ever since.

Last night I finished this big one.

I think the part that makes me the most happy is the icing along the border of the roof. I think I've heard it referred to as frosting lace. I saw it first done on a cake competition on the Food Network and I've wanted to try it ever since. This is pretty simple compared to what they did, but it's a start. And it was fun. And it made me happy.

Happy Christmas!