Christmas!

Can you believe it? Not a white Christmas but a cold one even without the snow. The kids had their last chance to jump on the trampoline before the big snow fell and stayed till...spring.


But we kept busy making cookies and treats for our neighbors.

What were we thinking? And we haven't even made the honey almond rocca yet!

We decorated each cookie with love. Luckily my sister joined us and cranked out a dozen factory decorated all the same basic cookie. Details can really slow an assembly line down. It took three days to drop them all off. Some of the houses the kids doorbell ditched. One house they were caught but the lady was the aunt and she thought the kids were the grand-kids staying at the house. She apologized for scaring my kids on Sunday at church. I said it was the most exciting house they went too. (all the plates had our names on them so it wasn't like they were getting away with anything.)


We acted out the nativity. This year we also made a manger for baby Jesus. Each time you did some act of service or something nice you could put some straw in the manger.

Can you tell she is a Shepard? I think we might have to fire the costume director of this years production. At least everyone participated! It was fun until the littlest angel started throwing the baby out of the manger.



Santa came and it smells like waffles in our house all night. We had a wonderful Christmas with so many thoughtful gifts and generous givers.


Grandma gave this little boy tools.

He likes the backpack.

Can you tell time?

I can build anything!




Anything with a motor makes him happy. He would have been happy to just play with this all morning and forget opening the rest of the presents.

She loves learning games!



Later Uncle Darron and Melissa hung out with us and played with the kids. Every kid needs a ramp for his motorcycle and trucks.


What else do you do with balloons from the dentist? Going to the dentist was an after Christmas special. 2 out of 6 of us need dental work. That is a record for no cavities for most of the kids!

Kim graced us with her presence!

We hung out at Kami's and ate yummy food. All the cousins played and played.


It was a great Christmas! Can't wait till next year and hopefully we will see more family in CA.
We spent all of New Year's with grandparents in Utah. We ate pizza and chips and frozen soda. (the kids thought that was the best, just put the rootbeer out in the snow and it turns slushy.) We played bored games and then at 10pm we rang in the new year with noise makers that didn't make any noise! (my dad picked them out and I think they should be a tradition every year.) Everyone was in bed and asleep by 10:30pm. Happy New Year!!!