Christmas Eve Dinner...

We enjoyed a yummy Christmas Eve dinner of county fried steaks, mashed potatoes, and fruit salad. It was fun to be together. (Although we can't help but miss family a bit. :)

Here are the kids all cleaned up and in their new PJs.

The kids had fun acting out the nativity. Autumn made a great Angel (it was easy to talk her out of the part of Mary using her white dress as leverage) and Amberlee was a good Mary. Seth was an AWESOME Joseph. :) He didn't want to take his costume off.

Can't Catch me... I'm the Gingerbread Man

I had a sweet friend invite the girls and I out the her home to decorate gingerbread cookies. (It was clear out in the middle of the woods- we got quite lost, multiple times trying to get there, but it was worth it in the end.) It was really fun. The girls had a good time.

Autumn found the barbie stash and was in heaven! :)

Snow Buddies

Merry Christmas Everybody!

Picture a Stable in Judea...

These were our pictures from the "Nativities Around the World." The kids had fun dressing up.

Who is the Child...

Amberlee and Autumn sang this cute song for the Christmas program with the primary. I don't think they ever quite figured out the ending, Amberlee was having a weird hair day, and Autumn wasn't cooperating, but I thought it was still fun. :)

Breakfast With Santa...

My friend, Helaine, gave our family such a fun little gift this year! She treated us to "Breakfast with Santa." We enjoyed a yummy breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon, and then the kids got to visit with Santa and get a little gift. They ate it up! They were so excited- I think the girls were more tickled about Mrs. Santa Clause. They thought she was lovely and so sweet.

My little Autumn baffles me sometimes as a parent. Unable to contain her excitement, she slipped away from those of us waiting in line, and cut right to the front. While we were frantically searching the building for her, she was having a good visit with Santa. She return to us with a big smile on her face saying that she'd seen Santa and gotten a present. What do you do? We were so frustrated that she had cut in front of everyone and that we hadn't been able to enjoy her visit and take pictures too, but at the same time, we didn't want to kill her obvious excitement... oh this child!!! I feel like she does this to me way to often, and I think I'm sympathetic because she is so much like me! :)

Then we had a fun little added bonus! There were fire-fighters just outside, and they had us hop in and check it out- Seth was a big fan. :)

Nativities Around the World...

Our stake put together a beautiful Nativity display. We went last year with the, but it was so much fun to actually participate this year. I helped set up nativities (which I decided wasn't the best job for me, after breaking someones Czech Republic lamb on my first try- talk about awkward!) Doug caroled at the front door with the Young Men, and I volunteered in the fun children's room, helping them make little crafts, greeting people, and cleaning up. It was really fun to meet so many people who came through. It was such a beautiful thing and so neat to remember what is most important to focus on at Christmas time.

Grandma Nanna sent a little foam nativity for the kids to put together, and they had so much fun sorting out all the pieces. Amberlee was so proud of it, that she insisted that we put is on display- it definitely added some character to the table. :) She added a little start next to the angel- her own personal touch, and I didn't have the heart to take it off. :) Thanks for the fun Grandma!

I think the kids could have spent the night in that Children's room. They loved it!

Doug's Final Project Presentation

We headed to Lewiston last week for a fun open-house where Doug's final project boards were being displayed. I thought he did such a good job! I am so proud of him- he is good at what he does! It wasn't the most "kid-friendly" environment, but luckily there was a Dairy Queen right across the street and we made ourselves right at home there. :) The kids enjoyed a hamburger and we split a fudge sunday 4 ways. It was a fun evening.

Christmas Photos

I took some pictures of the kids on Sunday morning before we headed off to church- that is about the only time I can get them all looking right at the same time. :) The lighting wasn't the best, but we still got a few fun shots.

Christmas Photos

Christmas Photos

I guess I'll go eat worms... or study them.

Amberlee's class took a little walking field-trip expedition to a University lab where we studied worms. They have been learning how to be little scientists and make hypothesis and ask questions and make observations. It has been really fun to watch her get so excited as she explains their habitat- I have learned more (through Amberlee) about worms then I thought I would ever know. :) They are specifically studying a Palouse Prairie Worm, native to this area, that is almost extinct. It is huge- usually over 2 ft. It was fun to join her cute little class as they walked through the slushy snow and took a closer look at worms. Her question to the scientist was "Do worms have hearts?" And she found out they usually have about 5 hearts. :) Interesting, huh? Amberlee is loving school!