Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This past year has been a great year for us.  Even though we bought our house right before Christmas last year, we didn't get really settled until after New Year's.  We moved into an amazing ward.  It feels like we have been here forever! (in a good way)  We got a new family member, Alex.  Jason's sister Kelsey got married this summer to Alex.  We are going to be adding another family member in a few days, Kathy.  Jason's brother Dallin is getting married Christmas Eve. I know, what a day to pick, huh?  The nerve of some people to get married around holidays (as me and Jason will be celebrating our 8th anniversary on the 26th of December ;P ) Jason finished school (yay!!!!!!!!!!). FINALLY!!!!!   I am excited to actually have him home more.  Nothing else too major has happened, but I'm not complaining because that means nothing majorly bad has happened =)  

I'm looking forward to what the next year will bring us.  Hopefully more of the same =)

As this is the time of year we tend to reflect on our Savior more, I have to add my bit.  I am so grateful for the sacrifice He made for me.  Without it, I would have no chance of being able to spend forever with my family.  And heaven just wouldn't be heaven without them.  The most incredible thing to me is that Jesus knew what was required and volunteered to do it.  It was just a trial He happened to go through.  He knew it would happen, He knew He could stop it if he wanted, but it was more important than the needs or wants of one man.  He did it for everyone.  I can't imagine the love He has for us to be able to do that.  I would do it for my kids, but some random person in France I wouldn't be able to.  I am grateful for a loving Father in Heaven.  He guides and directs us so that we may become better people.  There are so many times I look back on things that have happened and realize that they weren't just happenstance.  I have seen His guiding hand in my life so many times.  I am proud of the person I have become under His direction.  I am not perfect, far from it, but I am striving to be better.  Without our Savior, Jesus Christ, there would be no way we would be able to start anew and have the chance to ultimately reach perfection (I won't be there in this life, that's for sure!)  I am grateful that Mary and Joseph were the kind of people who were living their lives in such a way that they were able to bring the Son of God into this world and raise him.  I hope I can be a fraction of the mother that Mary was.  In all the hustle and bustle of the upcoming week, please remember the reason for the season and take a moment to give thanks for the ultimate present.

I hope you all have a very merry Christmas, a happy new year, and all that jazz!

Gingerbread houses

The past few years I've tried to make gingerbread houses with the kids. They are by far, not masterpieces and definitely not suitable for any gingerbread families to inhabit.  But we have fun.  since I am cheap, I won't spend $10 on a kit that makes 1 house and 5 pieces of candy.  So we use graham crackers frosting, and lots of candy.  One day I will actually back some gingerbread and use that....maybe...but until then.....we're happy with what we've got.

Of course, this is what really happens when you build the houses...you have to buy twice as much candy because you eat half of it.  Ian was no exception. He was inheaven with 5 different candy choices in front of him.  Can we say sugar rush?!

But eventually he got the drift and started decorating. I built the house and let him decorate.  It kept falling down so I just left it and let him put candy on it =)  He was happy with it and that's all that matters

I helped Brenna a bit with hers, but it was mostly her.  She was getting frustrated that it kept falling down, but eventually we got it so it stayed up....for a few minutes.

She loved putting the candy on and was actually pretty good about not eating it all. 

She was super proud of her cute little house.  She did a good job.  Then, I moved the plate so it wasn't by the edge of teh table ( I was going to let the dog in and I didn't want Sasha to eat it) and........

I guess it wasn't built quite up to earthquake code......

This is defintely going to be another tradition for us.  One day I'll invest in the cookie cutter shaped in the houses so it's easier to do, but that can wait until the kids are a little older and not as obsessed with just eating the candy.....

Christmas Village and Santa

It's become our tradition every year to go to Christmas Village in downtown Ogden and see the lights and the little box/houses they have decorated.  This is the only time of year I will willingly go around 25th in Ogden at night....but that's because there are a ton of other people so I dont' have to worry too much about the :wrong" kind of people.

As we got there, it was right at the time Santa was starting so the line wasn't very long so we hopped in line.  Ususally the line is a mile long so we skip it.  I was excited to let the kids see him here this year.  Especially since when you go to the mall they rip you a new one for taking a picture with your camera and not spending $20 for a picture there.....

It was freezing!  So we bundled the kids in their snow gear to troop around.  They loved seeing the different houses and themes.  There were some that we have seen a few years in a row, like the grinch in jail, the snowmen in the ice cream shop (one is melted), Hansen and Gretel, and the elves fixing Santa's sleigh by putting an engine on it.

This is one of my favorites =)

The kids love this one....the snowman in the middle is melted =)

He never lets me take a picture without pulling a face.

I know, it's blurry....but trying to take a picture of an almost 3 year old....at night....not a good combination =)

Completely mesmerized =)

The reason for the season =)

Once we were frozen through (at least my hand were because of taking pictures because I can't use gloves with a touch screen) We went home and loaded up on hot chocolate with marshmallows =)

The kids had a lot of fun walking around looking at all the lights and everything.  I love that we have our own little family traditions =)

Rockin' around the Christmas Tree

Every year, the day after Thanksgiving, we put up the tree.  This stems clear back from when I was a little girl.  It was usually after we recovered from Black Friday shopping.  But I wasn't in dire need of anything this year so I spared my sanity and didn't go.  Ok, honestly, Jason had to work a graveyard and didn't get home until 7 am so I would have had to drag the kids with me.....not a good idea with all the crazies out.  and I really didn't see anything advertised that was on my shopping list. Anywho....so we decorated the tree today.

We're lame and have a fake tree, with the lights already on it.  With kids and dogs....that's always been the safest and cleanest route to go.  One day we'll get a real tree.  Plus, this year I was smart and used shatter-proof ornaments.  Last year, Ian would take the ornaments off the tree and say "Ball!" and then proceed to throw them or smash them together.  Not a lot of my ornaments survived.  So after Christmas I got some on sale =)

We had a few kinks getting started.  I plugged in the tree and there was a row of lights burned out.  EEK!!  Especially since this I a prelit tree, you can't just take the lights off.  The lights are supposed to be the type that if one bulb burns out the rest stay lit (which I saw demonstrated on a few other spots).  I changed the fuses....nothing....made sure all the bulbs were plugged in....nothing....I really didn't want to take every bulb out and test them....that's a pain.  So I decided to just buy a strand of lights and wrap them around it.  So I shuffled off to the store and got some lights.  As I was wrapping them around the unlit branches....all of a sudden, they weren't unlit anymore!  I guess I jiggled something and the lit back up!  YAY!!!  So then I put the lights around my window =)

Then I let the kids get down to business:

I let tehm decorate this little mini tree while I was getting everything ready =)

Of course you need window clings!  Especially when you have a huge window!

Now the fun part:

I think this was longest they went all day without fighting!  It was wonderful =)  Until we ran out of ornaments......

They were pleased with themselves.  I let them do pretty much all of it.  I did move some ornaments because I hung all the ornaments on one branch =) Silly boy!

Happy Turkey Day!

We didn't do much for Thanksgiving.  Just stuffed ourselves silly with turkey and mashed potatoes.  We stayed home this year.  My dad came down and ate with us.  The kids were excited because Papa is their favorite toy =)  Nothing too eventful but here are some pictures of the kids (and Papa) having fun:

I love my chitlins =)

Even Sasha had to give some loves to Papa =)  She knows she can wrestle and play rough with him.  As soon as the kids come around she stops.  

Had to include this =)  We love deep fried Turkey so that is Jason's contribution to the fest.  I do everything else and he throws a turnkey in pot of boiling oil.....hmm...I think he gets the easy job.

Do I have cute kids or what?!

My friend, Dallas, took some super cute pictures of my kids a few weeks ago.  I LOVE them!!!  She did such an awesome job!  Of course, when you have such cute little models to work with it's hard not to get cute pictures. =)  Here are some of my favorites: 

(I couldn't get this to flip the right way for some reason)

(This one wouldn't flip either)

~Happy Halloween~

I hope everyone had a good Halloween.  We did =)  I was so glad that the weather decided to stay nice.  It was great being able to take the kids trick-or-treating without bundling them up in 50 layers.  We went around our neighborhood this year and did some actual foot work, no trunk-or-treat this year.  I was bummed at the lack of Halloween activities this year.  Usually there is something for the kids to do everyday for a week before.  Maybe I'm just out of the loop but it seemed like there weren't many going on.  Oh well.  We had fun with our corn maze, pumpkin carving, and a few parades.

We did a little bit of pumpkin carving this year.  Jason wanted to do a mean looking one:

I didn't want the usual face so I did a skeleton face:













 usually get little pumpkins for the kids to decorate and paint but I didn't this year.  I know, I should have.

We had our ward Halloween party Saturday.  It was fun to go see our friends and neighbors.  I did a post earlier about it.  I was excited to win the costume contest.  Then right after the party, Ian had a costume birthday party.  He had a blast!  I need to get some pictures from my friend since my camera broke.  He was dressed as Superman (a pair of his jammies that have a cape =)  )

I had both the kids dress as skeleton's this year.  I don't think I'll get a way with dressing them the same much longer so I'm enjoying it.

Brenna was excited to dress up for school!

While Brenna got to have fun at hew Halloween party at school, me and Ian went trick-or-treating with Jason at his work.

While we were walking in the parking lot, Ian told me "Mommy!  Take a picture!" and he struck a pose =)  What a goober! 

Here are the kids, ready to go =)  We had friends come with us and i forgot to get a picture of all of them together =(

Here's Jason in the white out contacts that he insisted he just HAD to have for Halloween =P

Trick or Treat!!!