To Top it Off

Okay, I have the COOLEST sister-in-law ever. She just whipped these little babies right out and sent them our way in time for Christmas. Kudos to you, Jody. We wore them all day on Christmas, and will get MUCH use out of them! Thank you!

CHRISTMAS CAPTURED

I love that we have the perfect cast for the Nativity story! Makes a great FHE. Daddy was the donkey and I was the Inn keeper.


Avery was lovin' on her "Baby Jesus". She totally got into it.


In their Christmas Eve jammies. Stetson had to 'test' Santa's cookies for him.


Stetson and his trucks... all day, every day.


Santa's elf dropped off this train on our door step, it was a hit!

That SNEAKY SANTA!!!

I'm not usually much of a "blovelist" but knowing this story adds much more meaning to the pictures that follow:

So, being the brilliant Mom that I am, I totally spaced our ward Christmas Party. Completely guilt-ridden I was determined to find one somewhere so that my little darlings could feed their newly developing infatuation with Mr. Claus. After several phone calls I found out about one across town. We all loaded up and headed out. When we arrived we were approached by about five different people within the first ten minutes with welcomes such as, "Are you new here?" or "I don't think we've met." ...it is the beautiful LDS way. We contemplated whether we should make up some story of how we were lost sheep looking for the true fold, but ended up not being creative at all, just told them all we were party crashers. So just as dinner is starting I'm talking with the Bishop's wife and I ask if "you know who" will be showing up. She says, "No, we're not really Santa Claus people."

WHAT?!!!

Seriously. What? It's not like we're party hopping for the free meal. So we got a free meal anyway, that was good. Later that evening the Bishop's wife comes over to our table again and says, "You know, I'm performing tomorrow night for another ward's Christmas party. I can make some calls and see if he's going to be there."

A glimmer of hope!

We exchange numbers and she calls me the next day to confirm that yes, in fact, Jolly St. Nick will be checking in on the little boys and girls at this party. YEA! So the next night we do it all again. Man, was it worth it. That party was OFF THE HOOK! So there we were enjoying a delicious, catered not pot luck, mind you, Christmas dinner...

when suddenly we heard the jingle-jangle of Sleigh Bells...

ANd NoW, tHe MoMEnt We'Ve ALl BeEn WAiTing fOr...

It was ADORABLE to watch Avery run, literally run, up to Santa and throw her arms around him. "It's true! He's really real!" was the look on her face. She had her arm around him the whole time. All the naughty things that three year old has done in the last year somehow melted from my memory as I witnessed her softly request "Bubblegum" as her one and only Christmas wish. I love being a mom for moments like these.

Thank you Crystal Hunter for your permission to use this photo. Please see more of her talent at www.imagesbykrys.com

Fieldtrip to the Bellagio

Avery's preschool took a fieldtrip to the Bellagio; it's so beautiful this time of year! We had so much fun, I love to see her growing friendships. She has really taken a liking to our neighbor, Brielle. She even thanks Heavenly Father for Brielle in her prayers. So sweet.

The fountains are our favorite reason for visiting the Bellagio. They're MAGICAL! And we're always impressed with the decorations in the gardens.

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

As of Dec 15th we have made it through 8 crazy years. I've never had more fun, been so mad, been so in love, been so challenged, or laughed so hard in my life. And what did we get for our anniversary present??? SNOW!!! And maybe you can't tell from the pictures but those are definitely flakes my kids are catching on their tongues. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

Before and After

It may not seem like much to some of you, but this is AWESOME for us!!!

What's a Girl to Do?

Here's some fun we've had with Avery's hair. One is from back in October before Halloween, and the other was last week for church. Not bad for an amateur... I LOVE HAVING A GIRL!!!

Thanksgiving Weekend in Utah

We drove up to Utah Thanksgiving Day and, although we missed dinner, we made it in time to attend the sealing of my brother and his wife to their adopted son in the Provo Temple on Friday morning. It was an awesome experience. We enjoyed 6 days of fun with family and friends. We stayed with my brother in Salem, who also has a daughter named Avery. She is 5 months younger than my Avery and the two were inseperable! I'm so grateful for these memory making trips. And, my Sister in Law whom we were staying with made us Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday night. How cool is that?

Uncles are so great! First we went 4 wheelin' with Uncle Chuck... yes, in his backyard...

...then we took Uncle Mark's out. If only I could have captured the grins on Avery's face... Stet on the otherhand was lulled to sleep. Zzzzzzzzzz.

Avery and Avery cowgirled up before heading off to dance class.