December

December has been a wonderdul month full of activities just about every weekend, baking, preset buying and wrapping and lots of "you better hope the elves didn't hear/see you say/do that and tell Santa!!"

My friend designed Reese's beautiful baby announcement!

Reese's blessing

Josh was able to give Reese a beautiful baby blessing. I have an awful memory but two things I do remember from his blessing were for Reese to follow the example of her older siblings as she grows and to be worthy to enter the temple one day, to also meet a young man that will take her to the temple to marry her. (when that day comes in a LONGGGG time-ha that's my thought!)

Follow examples of her siblings and be worth to go to the temple and find a man that can take her to the temple as well. 

Josh remembers blessing her to be an example to those around her as well. 

   A lot of family came to church to share that special day. Max and Lynne, nancy and monte. (Jeff and Judi were planning but both got sick) almost all of Josh's aunts and uncles came with their kids. Over 30 family members!!! We are loved!

Every first Sunday of the month we get together with Josh's mom's side of the family and have a themes pot luck dinner. They celebrate the kids (18 and under) who have b-days that month) each kid get sung to individually and gets to blow out candles of course!) 

....Max blowing out candles early, before the song ended, at fast Sunday dinner. 

I swear when Reese first started smiling on purpose I could make dumb faces and silly noises all day long but as soon as I said she was pretty she would give the best smiles!

Decorating the tree, max kept calling the ornaments apples and trying to eat them

My tradition growing up was for my mom and dad to buy a big tin of popcorn and TORTURE us with it for a good week before we put up the tree. we weren't allowed to eat any until we started decorating the tree. Josh surprised us and brought home a tin. Max thought he was king of the popcorn and would pick it up and move it anytime someone else tries to eat some. 

The kids made real gingerbread cookies this year but all the pictures got deleted from here! They each helped roll out the dough and use the cookie cutter...Braden and Riley got to use the spatula to transfer the hot cookies onto the cooling wrack-it was Braden's first time doing that and he was thrilled!

  The kids slowly crossed items off their "things to do before Christmas" list such as write the obligatory letters to Santa. 

Riley said she has been a good girl and asked for a "real artist paint brush, a wand like herminoe's, hair colors, fake nails and a big box of chocolates. Braden said he also had been good and would like a dirt bike helmet, swim goggles, skateboard, wind up t-Rex, spider man pj's, some apples, "like 100 apples", a light up cup and cars that light up...he was all over the place and didnt really know what to ask for. 

  Max colored his and wants exactly what we are going to give him ;)

Sundance singers: Riley performed with her school music group at the "breakast with Santa" program. She goes to practice every Thursday after school. They have quite a few performances throughout the year. 

Riley helped make her friend from church and school, Alexander, a heated rice bag for Christmas. She spent a long time afterward stitching in scraps all by herself. 

Max has begun the EARLY stages of potty training...if I see him starting to unload in his diaper I run him as quick as I can and whip him up on the toilet. That has only happened twice where we got there before the deed was done. But he has gone from not telling me his diaper was dirty, to telling me after the fact to now telling me right as its happening...baby steps! He also has shown a big interest in being on the toilet or wanting to watch us go to the bathroom so that's a good sign that the end of diapering him is somehwere in the not so distant future. 

Kids were driving josh and i nuts one Saturday so, like any good parent, we sent them out in the almost freezing rain to play!

A little of this... "Let me in!"

And some more of...

A whole bunch of sweetness going on!

Riley revived an award at school this month. It read: "wow! Riley is such a well behaved and motivated student. She does her very best in everything she does!  She is very creative and using lots of details in her pictures and writing! So proud of her!"

 Her principal mrs. Kinney handed out each award and made a big deal of their accomplishments. I can't say enough good things about her, she LOVES her students. She laughs and jokes with them, always tells them how awesome they are an "you guys know you're the best singers ever right?!" she gets them all fired up and always tells them just how great they are.  She even put her phone on speaker and called one kid's parent and had all 4 1st grade classes help leave the message. 

   I was a member of the PTA for awhile this year (until max ran off and got lost one meating and I'd had enough of that-decided to try again next year). And it was so awesome to see her plan things for the kids with such excitement. "i think I'll have the kids part down the middle, we'll blast some music and have the award winner walk through the crowd. Gotta make it real dramatic!" love her!!

Each child receiving and award gets something a little different, pizza and tokens to johns incredible pizza place, a free meal at Denny's, a free hamburger from McDonald's and a bumper sticker...they are assigned already and kids don't get to pick. Riley was REALLY hoping for the bumper sticker...and she got it! Now I will be an official mini van driving, bumper sticker sporting, mom of four :)

Somebody loves her daddy!

Every year our ward puts together some activity for christmas, a breakfast or dinner complete with a visit from Santa. 

  This year there was no Santa-the focus was placed simply on Christ. The people involved did a great job and transformed the cultural hall into the city of bethlehem. 

   To enter the city each person was "taxed" (a can of food) and had to write their name on the census. 

   Each family was then given a bag of marbles (money) to buy dinner in the city. They had different booths such as "Rachel's rentals" if you forgot your blanket to sit on, a deli, bakery, fruit and veggie and a sweet shop. We all sat on blankets and ate dinner while talking with our friends. The food was great! Pita breads, fresh fruits and veggies, meat balls and chicken etc. 

   After dinner they did a special live nativity. But we had to leave before thy started. 

   Here are the kids in their best Mediterranean attire!