More Christmas Lights

The weekend before Christmas we took the kids to Temple Square to see the lights.  On our way, we stopped to visit my mom and my grandma and had pizza with them for dinner.  The kids played (and fought).  Here's W's creation at grandma's house - after we rebuilt it when his brother accidentally knocked part down and W went all postal.

Monkey tried to eat and was really hurting (in tears and refusing to move) by the time we were ready to go... that should have been my clue that the rest of the night wouldn't go well.  Tim had been having a hard few days and wasn't being able to handle the kids that day.  By the time we got to the lights he was beyond maxed out, W and Nini were screaming about who got to hold my hand, while Monkey was leaning on me, barely able to walk, and Bucket was being particularly autistic.  But we were there to see the lights and have a good time as a family, damn it.  So I persevered.  It was a fiasco.  Children crying and complaining.  Dad mean and short tempered.  Mom holding it all together.

So much for my attempt at family fun, but I did manage a few pictures:

I was hoping for a sweet, kids, temple, Christmas, and the Spirit kind of evening.

This was far more the reality - Monkey wilty and complaining, W fighting with everyone, Bucket off in his own world and Nini refusing to participate. 

Ah.  Life.