All things Christmas in the Harmon Home...In One Big Post...

It came and went in a blur...Christmas. I have to say this whole year has been the same way. Every event is like an after thought. Work (Aaron's crazy schedule of 3rd shift and school full time), homework, eat, clean, sleep, repeat-BUT WAIT-Jake's birthday is this weekend!?!...Repeat crazy schedule for a few months and BAM!!!... it's Christmas...And it's over...I want to give some major props to full time working mom's, because as a part-time working mom I couldn't seem to find enough hours in the day to get psyched for the Holiday season...You probably already knew this if you read my post on not wanting to give Santa any credit...I think I faked it pretty good, but I am thrilled that after only having the tree up for 2 weeks it is coming back down tomorrow...In 2011 I will be ready for everything and pumped for every holiday...2010, well lets just say many traditions crashed and burned this year. I like to think it was because of President Uchtdorf's talk during the October General Conference, when he talked about simplifying and choosing "better...best" (there are a lot of really good things that we don't have time for so we have to choose what is the best way to spend our time). But it is really just because every event seemed to pop up out of no where...BUT, that just means new, better ones can happen next year! Thinking positive....And on to the pictures that I hope are self explanatory because my words are used up for now...I know you are shocked that I don't have to add one more thing...Oh, I guess I just did...Okay, maybe I will add a few words...

These next few shots are literally the only pictures I have of us decorating the Christmas tree...and Jake singing and dancing like a crazy person while doing it. Aaron and Jake are sometimes pictures taking party poopers. This was one of those days....


Skip to Christmas eve and baking....




Yes, I was there but the pictures are very unflattering and this is my blog so I choose not to post them. :)


Oh wait! There is my hand and the ginger bread version of me...
Not as fancy as last year's but this wasn't a kit so we had to use our own skill...
Christmas Eve...



Jake in bed hoping the night will go by quickly!
As I...I mean Santa...was filling the stockings and putting out the last of the gifts I turned on the TV and this is what was on one of the channels. It was called the "Yule Log", and this was the scene while they played Christmas music (it was on this particular channel pretty much all day and night according to the menu)....I didn't watch it but I did tape a few minutes to show Jake and Aaron. They didn't think it was as amusing as I did.
Our lovely tree, gifts and all. Only every other pre-lite section actually worked....
Christmas morning....Lego Harry Potter characters.
Santa answered...and so the lie is perpetuated another year....

Jake got me the dishes I have been drooling over at Target for months now. I was surprised...Can you tell?
Aaron's Seattle shirt and some candy in his mouth.
The gift I was expecting.
The gift Jake was wanting but not expecting at all. Good Job Daddy. :)
Aaron opening his home made Snuggie from Nee and Papa....
...followed by the Snuggie dance.
Star Wars Lego set from Daddy...another surprise. It was a Lego Christmas.



Packing the gifts to bring to Spartanburg.
Forgot to take out the camera for pictures of the unwrapping so I pulled it out at the Church for a few shots when we were eating dinner.




Cousins...
Aaron torturing Riannon with the game where you try to slap the persons hands before they pull them a way....
It started snowing on Christmas day!!! Aaron's first ever white Christmas! He said it didn't count because it didn't snow until the evening and you have to wake up to snow. Party pooper. I say for the South, it totally counts....

And the day after Christmas we woke up to this...And we were all so tired we didn't even go out and play in it! We did throw a couple of snow balls...does that count?

Christmas 2010. The end....

Leaves...again!

Big trees, make big piles of leaves. Enough said.

Monday at the Mission office and Family Home Evening

On Monday we went into the mission office and helped Nee and Papa do all sorts of things. From labeling mail to organizing the supply room we did it all...And got to see just how busy Nee and Papa are on their mission. It was really cool to watch them in action and try to help just a little.




That night for Family Home Evening we went to see a Botanical garden that was transformed for the winter with lights. They give you a map and a list of things to find (like lizards, slugs, and monkeys). We found the everything on the list and it was beautiful. The pictures give you just a small glimpse of the display. Lights were blinking to make it look like water was flowing and of course still pictures can't capture that...So, just use your imagination....





Using the light from Papa's cell phone to check the map and search out the hidden creatures.

Our 1st Weekend in Seattle

After a day of traveling all day Friday, and a 3 hour time change we were pretty tired on Saturday. We had a fun day hanging out with Nee and Papa in their cute little apartment, that is just perfect for them. We had fun spending time playing the Wii, making fairy houses, running to a grocery store with tons of candy by the pound, and feeding...oh, I can't remember what we ended up naming him, but Nee and Papa's "pet Squirrel"...Confused? The pictures will make it a little clearer....And you know I took a lot. :)

Craft projects
Feeding...the cute squirrel, whatever his name is...

Nee and Papa working together doing the dishes. On Saturday night a couple from church had gotten tickets for them to go to the Nut Cracker. Our plane tickets were purchased after the Nut Cracker tickets and they hated to back out...We didn't mind them heading out for the evening because 7:00 pm in Seattle was 10:00 pm to us so we headed to bed!

On Sunday we went to church and had fun helping teach Nee's primary class with her. Later that day we went and walked around the Temple grounds and it was beautiful.


Jake said he really felt the Spirit...I could totally tell he did when we passed this statue and he...well, he acted like Jake, and I of course couldn't resist snapping a picture of it. In ten years when he is getting ready to go through the Temple to go on his mission (wow, it just hit me that 10 years is going to go by really fast....) I can show him this picture and remind him even at the tender age of 9 he was able to recognize the Spirit in holy places. :)
We had to prop up the camera and get a shot of all of us. Later in the week Mom and I were able to do a session at the Temple and it is just as gorgeous inside as it is out. I love going to the Temple....
The Stake Center is right next to the Temple and they had over 300 nativities on display, along with different rooms to show the Saviors life. The room these next few pictures were in, depicted His life from birth to Resurrection. It was amazing and a great reminder of Christ's perfect life. Even the children couldn't help but walk quietly through this room and take it all in.



The nativities were beautiful and there was even a living nativity (no animals, just Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus...Since I didn't want to post 100 pictures I decided on this one instead.

Jake's favorite nativity was this one of the Peanuts gang: