Ice Sledding??

Since we decided to go sledding the day after everyone else had...the hill we chose was packed down good and frozen into this:

After two runs we and watching a few people slide out into the road below-NOT JOKING..we decided to head to a safer spot. Luckily there was a perfect place just a few minute away where no one else was sledding-just wonderful. When it got dark, we packed all the kids up and headed to the Gingerbread house:Check out these adorable cousins!!

The Gingerbread House got it's name because it looks like a Gingerbread House-this guy works for the power company and every year he lights his house like this:

Our Family enjoying the Lighted Archway in Front of the House.

Christmas Pictures.

Chirstmas was fantastic. Joe's brother and his family came over and shared it with us. We dipped pretzels and frosted cookies for Santa, and left out some snacks for his reindeer too-don't you just love Whitney's handwriting on the note???? Hopefully there weren't any flying DUI's on Christmas eve.

Christmas morning we said a Family Prayer then dug into the presents!!!

Stockings, Santa, and Service..

This last week we have had a few knocks/doorbells ring with no visitors-but surprises left on our doorstep. We have been very blessed this year with more than one family playing secret Santa to us and because I can't thank them in person-because everything has been given anonymously, I just wanted to say a BIG THANK YOU to all that have made our Christmas this year special!! It has really helped us to feel less stressed this Christmas season, as Joe still hasn't found a F/T job yet. We have been truly blessed by a member in our ward that offered Joe temporary employment the last few weeks, which has really helped us out financially. The Lord is really taking care of us-and I know your prayers have helped.

Saturday after getting the rest of our tile laid we got to have fun at our Ward Party. Dinner was great-the musical numbers were so much fun. And ofcourse the girls loved lining up to sit on Santa's lap. This is like the first picture ever that I have with them all looking the same direction and Amber smiling too!! Gotta love the tummy bulge Brooke is showing off-she is a well fed little girl. Can those three look any different-can you even tell they are sisters??

Since this was the last week of school-I've been busy making the girls' friends their christmas presents-here is my handiwork finally completed-minus one bow that was already given.

The story of our stockings: My Aunt Pat made each of my sisters and brother stockings for Christmas after I was born, then Arica's after she was born. We have had the same ones ever since, with the exception of Arica-whose got ruined one year and had to have it remade. When we each got married my mother carried on the tradition and made our spouses stockings and one for each of our children. She asked me this year if she could re-do Whitneys to make hers look more like Ambers and Brookes. That is why it looks different in this picture than the previous one. We just got Brooke and Whitney's new stocking in the mail this week. And here is the fun part-each one has a part of the Nativity story on them. Whitney (journey to Bethlehem, Amber-Shepherds visited by the Angel, Brooke-Baby Jesus in lying in the manger). And if we have another child (hopefully a boy), it will have the wise men on it. So much fun. I love it! Thanks mom-you are so wonderful !!

Spirit of Christmas is upon us.

Okay while i was at mutual on Wednesday night-someone anonymously treated us with a christmas tree on our porch. No we hadn't gotten our tree yet-as we are the kind that wait 2 weeks before christmas to do so-I find it annoying when the tree starts to dry out. Anyway-the kids were super excited because we weren't going to get one until the weekend and here it was three days early. Whitney could not wait to decorate it. I had a lot of fun teaching the kids how to make paper snowflakes and hangning ornaments. Here is our tree so far(I still plan to add more to it):
And ofcourse as many of you are enjoying it as well-we got hit with about two inches of snow yesterday and today it just kept on coming down and the forecast shows more on it's way. Here are the girls playing in our backyard wonderland of snow:
Hey mom-look you can see my teeth!! I just had to add this picture of Brooke I found-she is looking so grown up-and pretty!

The beginning half of my day...

First, because my neighbor's child was sick-I took Whitney to school this morning-ofcourse i found this out five minutes before school started when whitney came running home from their house to explain this to me. So I threw on more decent clothes on the children and strapped them in the van in record timing. After dropping her off with a note explaining her tardiness, I started my quest. Joe needs a scout shirt for his pack meeting on thursday night-because he is presenting the arrow of light award to one of his scouts and everyone should be in uniform. Okay-so I scoured three thrift stores-then continued on to D.I. -the most likely place to have one and found they were closed due to computer issues. I then went to the dollar store and spent $4 total on decorations. Came home-made lunch, put Brooke down for a nap, and started fixing up my house. By two o'clock my house was clean and decorated more in christmas cheer and I had a roast cooking away. I have to say that i was pretty impressed with myself-did i mention that i also did some laundry too?

Just one of todays' projects: The stockings are hung:

Happy Birthday Brooke and Grandpa!!

Yesterday Brooke turned 1 year old and my Dad ...well lets leave that up to him to tell you what age he is now. Anyway we woke up and as Joe's tradition is-he can't wait to have the kids open their presents so yes-even before Breakfast Brooke opened hers:

We had cake after dinner-a tradition that I stick with. It was so funny to watch because instead of diving into the cake with gusto like my other two girls did at that age-she prettily ate with her pincher grasp and barely got any frosting or cake crumbs on her. I mean we are used to laying down a tarp and hosing the children down after thier first birthdays because usually they would have cake up their noses, in thier hair-their eyelashes-one even had gotten some in her ear. But not with Brooke-she ate so delicately and clean that all I had to do was wash her hands and wipe that frosting mustache off her face. Already a little lady.

I have to share this...

I just found out that this girl Lauren Fox-has cut an album. I met her two sisters at Girls camp in my teenage years and was so excited to hear this. I listened to a few songs and I have to say that I was so very impressed with it. I LOVE IT. Her voice is so amazing and that she writes most of her songs -so much talent wrapped up in such a beautiful person. Anyway I just thought if you all wanted to listen to some of her music you can visit her myspace page and listen and or download/buy some of her hits. You won't be dissapointed-Her music is so beautiful. I love her baby ruby's song and baby lucy's songs. I almost cried listening to them because it made me think of my relationship with my own daughters.