It's beginning to look a lot like...

...we'll never have enough snow on the ground for me to make a proper snowman with Johnathan
...Christmas
...Johnathan has slightly reddish hair
...The average intelligence of the patrons at the library is going down.
...snacking on peanutbutter and cheese and/or apples is not something I should do often
...Johnathan spits up a TON when I drink Sprite.

So Christmas makes me very nostalgic and homesick.  This will be my first real Christmas where I won't be in VA. (ok so we were in Cali for the VERY first Christmas Albert and I had together, but that doesn't count because that was our honeymoon and I was too distracted being a happy newlywed and exploring Catalina Island and being relieved to only have to stress about the final reception in Utah to really feel like it was actually Christmas)

Anyways, a few things I'm going to miss:
-caroling

-a real, live, wonderful-smelling Christmas tree

 (that is NOT a real tree...that is Albert and I's fake tree...from last year...I haven't put it up yet this year)

-gingerbread men that I didn't have to make (or frost...mostly because my frosting NEVER turns out right)
-waking up WAY too early to run out and see what Santa brought us.

-waking up before it's time to go out and "going to the bathroom" just to see if I can squint out what was near my stocking. (just like you need to squint at this blurry picture of Eric! haha!)

-not having to cook breakfast after viewing what was in the stockings. (yeah, I'm feeling lazy...but I found this crockpot recipe where you prepare the breakfast before-hand and then it's ready in the morning...thinking of doing that...we'll see)

-telling Christmas morning memories with my siblings.

(ha! beef looks like a chicken!)

Of course, it is necessary to break off eventually and have my own Christmas traditions with my own little family.

some traditions I KNOW we're going to have:

-chocolate Santa, a dime, an orange, a bag of m&ms, a toothbrush, a toy car and possibly candy canes in the stocking

-presents under the tree

-chocolates

-the mother of the family wearing a bathrobe (over pjs of course) out to see the stockings (mom always did it, and it wouldn't feel the same without someone in a bathrobe haha)

-some kind of eggs with the breakfast

-lots of unwanted pictures. :)...or videos

-pictures with Santa

-cookies for 'Mrs. Santa' (Santa doesn't get any "because of his diabetes" hee hee hee hee hee)

-Christmas Tree!!!

-candy canes on Christmas tree

-happiness

-joy

-love

-eating lots of yummy good food

-and probably a lot more traditions that I can't think of right now...

Anyways, Life is still good.  Johnathan is OFFICIALLY in his own room (no separation anxiety from me!) and he's sleeping well (doesn't wake up until at LEAST 5:30 (and if he DOES wake up then, he sleeps in until 9 afterwards) but usually he's up between 7 and 8...which works just fine with me).  Albert is SOOOO ready to be done with school...and I'm ready for him to be done with school too...it will make for a much less stressed husband. :)

OH!  On Saturday, Zion's Bank had a little party-thingy where we watched Rio and had popcorn and treats and then took a picture with Santa (I know about these things cuz Albert's mom works at a Zion's bank in orem).  Anyways, so John and I met up with Mom H. and Dad H. and Kimmi and Sammi and Melissa and we laughed and took pictures (we even convinced Dad H. to get in the Santa picture haha!) and Melissa and Sammi decided they were scared of Santa (which was really funny to see) and Johnathan tried to suck on Santa's glove. :P

 something interesting over there.

 Sammi and Santa

 Kimmi wouldn't make a nice face. :P

Johnathan  :)