December is so busy!

I know that it seems I have fallen off the planet, but, believe me, I am here and so stinkin busy with Christmas stuff! (Really when I say 'stinkin', I mean 'wonderful'.)
The last couple of weeks have provided the Skidmore house with many fun and often stressful activities, all of which have left me painted red and green or covered in glitter. A couple of Sundays ago, the kids and I made some neighbor treats, we called them Sugarplum treats, and spent the next two nights braving the hurricane to deliver them, bad timing on our part, but, we loved giving them out to the amazing and sweet families that have become our friends over here in Las Sendas.

Last Thursday, we had our Relief Society Progressive Dinner which was really fun. The food theme was Mexican and anytime that there are chips and salsa around, it's a good time. A friend of mine was asked to put on a little one woman play about what it would be like to really be the recipient of all of the 12 Days of Christmas gifts. Hilarious! You should have your own show Jen Watkins.
On Saturday, we were able to go watch Phoebe's Christmas recital. Only the really young girls perform in the Christmas recital and I have decided that it is only fun to watch toddlers dance if they are your own, or if they do something really funny. But, the two youngest company groups were fun to watch. Awesome as always, Phoebe.


Finally, Monday night, I hosted a Skidmore Christmas FHE. As always, I stressed way too much about the details, but I love this new tradition we have of rotating a monthly FHE. The most important thing was to keep the kids all busy, so, I had them make these Christmas tree treats out of ice cream cones, cookies, frosting and candy. They had a blast and it was so fun to watch them, especially the 4 two-year olds. They ate much more than actually ended up on their trees. Then, we had a lesson in which we tried to teach the kids about true gifts of Christmas such as service and faith. The night was perfect for me because I had my entire family there including my own dad and sister with her kids.



I think about my mom every single day and she's the only thing missing this Christmas. I wish she was here to share all of these special moments with me. She loved buying Christmas presents for the kids and decorating her house. I'll continue to remind my kids often of how much their Grandma loved them and how special she was. This year I'm more grateful than ever for the gift of the Savior on that first Christmas day ,because it was He who made it possible for me to be with my mom again one day. Merry Christmas, friends.