Getting ready for Christmas

I love all of our traditions at Christmas time! They make the season so fun! Here are a few of our traditions that we did this year.

Santa is a must... We have done it every year! We waited for Ashley and Scotty to get home and Scotty was a good sport to join in the fun! I think once they have kids, we will excuse them from the picture and let them do their own.

waiting in line

What a good looking group!

This is a tradition we started last year. Serving lunch at the Las Vegas Rescue Mission. We all went last year on Christmas Eve. We enjoyed it so much that we called and got on the schedule this year. Mitchell ended up having volleyball practice and Ashley wasn't in town yet. So, we took Tanner. He was a good sport. It is very humbling!

Tanner getting hamburger patties ready for dinner.

John and Tanner working hard

We bribed the boys to put more lights up this year. Lights aren't one of our strong points! We are lucky if we get them on the house. It was nice to have some on the bushes and windows!

Tanner getting the bushes

Mitch did a great job with the pillar

The train is our "thing." John spent hours getting it all ready. For those new to our blog, John's dad set this train set up every year when John was growing up. We inherited it when he passed away and John keeps the tradition going by setting it up every year. He does a different layout each year. This year was a carnival scene. It was so fun. We had an open house and enjoyed having friends over! (more detail pictures of the train coming)

John working hard to get it ready.  The carnival pieces caused a lot of trouble this year!

Tanner helped a bit

John and Mitchell spent a day on it together

Looking good!

Here are a few pictures from the train open house...

We set up a little train in the living room and the kids get to run this one. they LOVED it!

Tanner loves little babies!

Mitchell did a great job keeping the food table full.

lots of fun treats

The Schlauders got a sneak peak the night before.

The Red Rock Stake has done a live nativity the last 2 years. It is beautiful! They have a nice nativity display set up in the building next to it. It has become a great new tradition for us. We took our friends the Burris' this year.

Alan and Lisa and John

Tanner petting a donkey

We loved the nativity. It definitely helps us keep everything in perspective! We are so lucky to have this time of year to remember our Savior and his birth. 

The Christmas cards went out late and I was ok with that!

Here is this years card.

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas!!