New Years

For New Year's Eve my two other "thirds" and I hired a couple babysitters, made reservations and headed out to Chanida Thai with our husbands. Delicious food and lots of laughing! 

After dinner we headed back home torelieve  the sitters and got our kids some dessert and set them up with a movie so the adults could go play some board games. I have not laughed so hard in a really long time. We had so much fun!

Shelley even let them all spend the night!!! 

Foreign Exchange Student

This December we had a foriegn exchbage student from Japan names Tami. 

   She was a very quiet, sweet 14yr old. She didn't try much to speak English which made things a little hard but she was very easy to be around. She ate Whatever we gave her and she loved the kids. 

   She had a few days of school and was able to spend the weekend and holidays with us!

This was the night we picked we up and the poster we made her

She cried Christmas Eve as she opened her gifts from us. American money/coins with magnets on the back and a pretty bracelet. we saved the rest for Christmas morning. 

The best way to break through the language barrier was playing with the kids. Need fun wars!

I'm sure she was bored with no one to really talk to for hours on end at the holiday things but she didn't whine and found things to do....coloring with the kids and teaching them to write in Japanese, skateboarding, making bracelets with her new loom bandz. 

   It was a fun opportunity but I wouldn't do it gain UNLESS there are two of them. It was hard as a hostess to make sure she was happy and not bored etc. If she had a friend with her (like our girls from china did) they can talk to each other and bounce ideas off each other, keep company etc. 

   This sure made us miss Yvonne and Tina!!! We still talk to our girls from china and miss them a lot. 

Christmas Eve, Day, and following weekend

The Sunday before Christmas was or chance to dress up and take a picture!

We have never put up lights on our house. Each year I want them. Each hear it doers get done. So this year I said to heck with it. I went to walmart bought house lights, came home and called a friend-said to call me in an hour-if I don't pick up please come help because i probably fell off a ladder! I got our ladder and staple fun. Max and Reese were just running around and I keanees a lesson or two or three with how to hang lights the best way but it was fun and I felt awesome when I was done! Josh was shocked! It doesn't look Like much but that took a lot of work and I am proud of it :)

  When Max was born they brought this "huge" (perspective right?) stocking in. We take a picture of him in that very stocking each year!

Hot cocoa and sugar cookie making are a December necessity. 

We did an activity just about every day in December and this day we strung popcorn for our tree!

Another night we had a fancy candle lit dinner. This was their favorite!

Christmas Eve was spent at Lynne and Max's where we always have so much fun playing with cousins and catching up among the adults. 

The kids played tons and asking when they could open the moutain of gifts every 2 seconds. The food was fantastic as always, nice weather. Perfection. This was also night the kids learned how to go down the long and steep driveway! 

  After dinner, but before gifts we sang carols around the piano as Lynne played. 

It's hard to wait turns!! We recieved some amazing and thoughtful gifts this year and are ao thankful :)

We went home, left Santa cookies whih sadly Max thought he was choosing for himself to eat and was so sad we had to leave them for Santa and even more sad to see just crumbs left the next morning!

Christmas morning was a frenzy! The kids loved each of their gifts. They spend the morning, afternoon and evening just playing with them and watching new movies. 

   We had the sister missionaries over for dinner and smokes a turkey, I cooked a ham, had funeral potatoes, artichokes, and all the trimmings! It was a feast!

That Saturday we went to my dad's house to celebrate Christmas and sadly didn't take a single picture! My dad and Judi go all out for us with beautiful place settings and lots of traditional food. :)

So much celebrating. We tried to help the kids keep in mind the reason we cebeate Christmas. It's so nice to have tons of family around, it makes for a really special time of year. 

December

I am wayyy behind so unfortunantly the next few posts will be lacking in detail as I surely can't remember little details from that long ago...

We took the kids to a friends house whose goat just had babies. They were so sweet to teach the kids about baby goats and how to care for them. The kids loved it! 

I LOVE seeing my kids play with the same kitchen set I had growing up. So glad my mom saved it all these years. 

Always creative!

These crazy girls!!!

He kept finding "snakes" and saving them :)

Sometimes I let the kids unbuckle when we reach our street and they can stick their heads out of the sun roof while I drives circles on our cul de sac. 

Sorry Max. When mom has an itch to do hair and big sister is at school....

The first book Braden ever read all by himself! Boy was he proud. Not as proud as his momma was though!!!

After pajama day at school I took Riley with me to the mall to find a new outfit for myself. She reminded me we have been meaning to have a date night so it turned into date night and instead of rushing in and out of stores we went back to a lot

Of them and I let her browse. This girl loves to shop. Her she is in Claire's picking out a necklace so she can be "super fancy" at school.  

So fun to spend time with just her! We also treated ourself to a lemonade freeze type drink and had such a good time. 

3 cousins being picked up from kinder one day. 

Riley got an award (on pajama day) and was called a "chapter book queen" among other awesome qualities named. So proud of how hard she works and how well she listens. 

Reese found her nose!

I was on the planning committee for the ward's Christmas dinner. Me a few others put HOURS into planning and HOURS into executing. It was challenging but so fun!

We did a breakfast and served breakfast casseroles, muffins, yogurt parfait, waffle bar and hot cocoa station. 

The decor on each table was symbolic and went along with the program. 

I think it turned out really nice and we hope people enjoyed it!

We had Santa come in the primary room and hand out little gifts. 

We went to Stacy's annual ugly sweater party and of course had to take a shot with the best friends!

It wouldn't be Stacy's party without sliding down her stairs in a sleeping bag!

Enjoying a fire for the first time since Riley was little and had a hard time breathing last! The kids were enthralled. I taught them how to put pine cones in and we sat and listened to them crackle and pop for a long time. Moments like these make it so easy to see how blessed I am. 

Max just enjoying the rain!

Riley performed with her second grade class for their winter performance. It was beyond cute. I am so grateful for a wonderful school full of completely dedicated teachers. 

She was lucky to have some support!

Braden did fantastic the next day in his kinder winter performance. Singing and dancing is not hai favorite thing but he did great :)

So lucky to have Oma come!!

I took the two older kids to watch Chloe perform! She did so good and was so fun to watch skate!

We for a TINY bit of snow this month. The kids likes it but it left them itching for more...

Stacy also hosted a ginger bread house decorating party. Our kids loved it but loved eating their house the next few days probably more!

I cannot express the love she brings me...

December was quite eventful with school full time and all the extra activities. We kept up just fine and loved every minute.  

    {I will be writing a seperate post to cover Christmas Eve, day and Christmas at my dad's.}