Our New Christmas Tradition

I've been wanting to do a Christmas post all week, but have had trouble deciding just WHAT to write about and WHICH pictures to share. I didn't want to bore anybody with the endless pictures of kids unwrapping gifts or holding up their newly-acquired toy (which-let's be honest-look EXACTLY like the pictures you took Christmas morning, just subsitite a different child and a different gift.) I was actually kind of bored looking through these photos, and they were of MY kids!!! So, instead, I'll share something we did before Christmas, which we have decided will definitely become a Christmas tradition for our family.

This was our first Christmas spent in our own home with just our kids, and we set out at the beginning of December wanting to create some traditions that were just our family's. We decided we wanted to go to Temple Square and see the lights, and after some more talk, we decided to make a mini-vacation out of it. So we got a hotel downtown using priceline.com (I would definitely recommend this, as we got a really nice room at the Sheraton for only $35! I should get a free room for this kind of advertising, don't you think?) We checked in around 4:00 in the afternoon and explored the hotel while the kids kept ogling over everything and how fancy and nice it all was. I think they would have been satisfied with the trip if all we did was stay in the hotel! Around 5:00, we headed to the Mayan for dinner. For those of you who have never eaten there, you've got to take your kids! It was SO much fun. The restaurant is decorated to make you feel like you're eating your dinner in a rainforest. And every half hour, they have a show with cliff divers dressed like ancient jungle people. The kids (and I, I'll admit) loved it! Next, back to the hotel to park the van, pull out the stroller and walk the six blocks to Temple Square. The temple and the lights were beautiful, and it was a nice night, so nobody got too cold. Then back to the hotel to play in the hot tub, since --bummer--they only had an outdoor pool there. While at the hot tub, a nice old man that worked at the hotel came in and started talking to the kids. He then pulled some balloons out of his fanny-pack and tied them each a balloon animal. Then up to the room to go to bed. The next morning, we just slept in, ate the breakfast we had packed and headed home. It was so much fun! We plan to do it just the same next year, with one addition. I was bothered by the two men that asked us for money and the fact that we turned them down, not having any idea what their situation might be or how badly they may have needed it. I think next year, we can help our kids learn to think of others by baking bread together before we go down, then loading it in the bottom of the stroller and walking around the outside of temple square distributing it to those in need before we go and enjoy the lights. I think this one addition will really make this new family tradition complete!

Connor and Mylie at the Mayan. They thought it was SO cool, but didn't touch their food. Note to self: Only buy one plate of food for the kids next year and let them share.

The temple looked so beautiful all lit up!

Since Mariah slept through most of our family outing, we didn't get any pics of her. So, I thought I'd just throw this one in for fun. Here she is looking adorable on Christmas Eve.