The Hawkins Happenings

Christmas 2015

Oh I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Christmas. I love everything about it! This Christmas came and went in a flash and I am already missing it. We are enjoying the break and hoping time slows down so we don't have to go back to school yet!

This was the year of new bedding for their new bedrooms in the NEW HOUSE! We can't wait!!!

The kids got all they wanted plus some!

We also spent the morning at Grandma Hawkins like we do most years. This year Aunt Yvonne got hit in the eye with a nerf dart just before we were suppose to go to grandma's. So while Chase ran her to the ER I ran and got their 4 girls and got them ready to go to grandmas. It all worked out just fine and thank goodness Yvonne's eye will heal just fine.

We are so blessed to be able to celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world and we are some of the lucky ones who know and have testimonies of the Savior. We have been so richly blessed and are eternally grateful for Him and the gift He is to us.

Christmas Eve 2015

We spent Christmas Eve this year with grandpa and grandma Jacobson at their house. A few of our cousins got to be there too. Everything is better with cousins. Maddie took charge of the nativity and everyone had a part....or two...I'm still wondering how Rhett got the part of Mary?!

What a fun Nativity. I love that this was a part of our Christmas Eve. It brought the true meaning of Christmas right when we needed it.

I love these four! Christmas takes on a whole new meaning when you are a mom. Such a special time.

I also love being in my parents home. There is a spirit about it that you can't feel anywhere else. I am grateful to have spent the evening with them as we prepared for Christmas.

Grandma Party 2015

Grandma Hawkins Christmas Party!

New Church Clothes - Everyone looking gorgeous!

Musical present game...and then of course a movie and slumber party!

These two babies had a hard time figuring out how to pass the present. They wanted to open all of them.

Christmas Church Clothes

Christmas Church Clothes 2015.

Dallin got a gray suit but it wasn't here till AFTER this picture was taken. :)

Salt Lake Trip

Ryan and I got to go with the youth from our ward on a two day temple trip to Salt Lake on Monday December 21st. We started with a tour of welfare square and the bishops storehouse. SO COOL! It was such a neat experience for the youth to see where their fast offering and tithing money go and to see that the church is sending much needed support to people and places all around the world. The bishops storehouse was INCREDIBLE. It was HUGE! We then went to temple square to see the lights.

This is hard to see, but it is the only picture I took of the entire two days. Dallin is the bottom row on the right.

Tuesday morning we went to the Salt Lake temple at 5 am to do baptisms for the dead. Because a few of the deacons pulled an all nighter this became a VERY. LONG. DAY. for them. Poor dumb kids. I'm just glad my deacon wasn't one of them! The Salt Lake temple was absolutely gorgeous by the font! It was early enough that there wasn't a crowd so we were in and out. I love when that happens. I got to help in the dressing room and I loved being with the young women again. We ran back to the hotel for breakfast and a nap and then decided because of really bad weather to skip the 2nd temple we had planned to go to and instead hit the 3rd which was Bountiful and right there by the hotel and then eat lunch and head home. The Bountiful temple was also gorgeous. It was crowded though which made it a little less peaceful and harder to enjoy. They didn't let the adults help with the baptisms other than our YM president who baptized the youth and a couple priesthood witnesses. Luckily they had a viewing area so we were able to just sit and watch what was happening. Afterwards we headed to lunch and got on the road headed home. It was nice to be able to come up over the pass in day light. It was a great trip and I am so grateful that Ryan is in the bishopric so that we get to take part in these amazing opportunities!

Christmas Concerts

Oakley had a choir Christmas concert on the same night as the Christmas dance recital (no pictures of the recital, darn it!). Talk about a crazy night! and of course it was storming as we had to get from Rigby all the way across Idaho Falls to the concert. Her teacher told her that if she didn't walk on stage with the rest of the group at 7:30 pm he would flunk her for the semester because she missed the Fall Concert while we were in CA. So luckily we have an amazing dance teacher that pushed the dance recital up an hour so she could be to both. It all worked out fine and Oakley rocked the dance recital hair/make-up at the concert. :)

She has hated choir this semester, but she has LOVED having her friend Naya in there with her. They even practiced singing different parts (alto, soprano) so they could stand by and sing with each other. They crack me up! We will be grateful for this class to be over at the end of January though.

The elementary did their annual Christmas sing-along. Each class preforms a song and then Rhett and Laiklie got to sing the last song with the Drama Club that they just joined. Laiklie is the girl in red on the back row right in the middle. Her class also did a dance. So fun!

Rhett is the boy in the green shirt on the bottom row. His best friend Raegan is tucked up close behind him. Rhett and Raeg have been best friends since Kindergarten and they are each others comfort when they have to step out of their comfort zones and get up infront of a crowd. You will always find them together in these type of situations. I LOVE that they still have each other to snug up close to when they need each other.