Snow Fun!!

What could be more fun than playing in the snow with friends?!!

Warming up by the Wood Stove!

Christmas Day!!

We received so many wonderful gifts through the mail this year! Due to my health with this pregnancy we couldn't travel home. I was worried since this was the first Christmas in 9 years that we wouldn't be with family. However, it ended up being a wonderful day due to many wonderful friends here, lots of fun family time with our children, and many calls home that day. (Sorry Dad and Mom, I think I called more than necessary!) Anyways, everyone let us know we were still thought of as the packages kept pouring in. We feel truly blessed by so many thoughtful family members! We tried to scale back this year, but after Great, Great Grandparents, Great Grandparents, Grandparents, and Aunts and Uncles all sent the kids gifts, the tree was packed! Thank you, thank you!! I won't list each gift individually but we are really blessed with a wonderful family! We love you all!!New Bedding for Our Room!

(now we get to start a new decorating project! YEAH!)
((Thanks Dad and Mom P.)

Taylor's Narnia sword and shield!

Madelyn and Emma's New Barbie Doll house!
(Madi didn't leave the doll house all Christmas Day!)

Christmas Morning Opening Stockings First!

I don't have a picture of the gifts Joseph gave me, but he got me some really nice things, including a pair of very fancy leather boots which I love! Thanks Babe!!

Joseph received a new suit and long wool winter coat which he looks really HOTT in!! I must admit he picked these out since I wanted him to get what he would like, but I think I succeeded in surprising him with one of his gifts. He received the new I-Pod Touch from Santa! He has really enjoyed playing with it this week.

Christmas Eve

The one time I love Wyoming
weather is at Christmas!
The kids enjoyed playing outside
in the snow Christmas Eve and
Joseph got us a nice supply of
wood cut so we could be warm
that night and through
Christmas Day!

Getting a Christmas Tree!

This is the first year we have cut down a fresh Christmas
tree! It was a lot of fun. We have become really good friends
with this family. Besides just cutting down a tree, we had fun
on their snowmobiles. They came over Christmas Day as well!
We are blessed to have such great friends here!

Holiday Traditions!

We did many Christmas activities as a family that we don't have pictures of! These activities take a lot of preparation and I must admit wore me out many of the days, but for me they are what Christmas is all about. I want to thank my mom and Joseph's mom for teaching us about the Christmas spirit and helping us to have wonderful Christmas memories! It is because of you two that Christmas is both of our favorite time of the year! Below are a few of our favorite things at Christmas, we have enjoyed sharing the traditions we enjoyed as children with our kids!

*Christmas Caroling*
(this year we took the Living Christ to 6 non-member friends and
caroled to them with the missionaries! It was 20 below that
night, but we all had a really fun time!)

*Visiting the Rest Home*
(took cookies and sang songs to the older people at the rest home)

*Twelve Days of Christmas*
(something both Joseph and I did as children,
the kids had so much fun this year with it. They would
chant the Mission Impossible theme song and say they
were secret agents!)

*Making Christmas Breads and Candy and Delivering it to Friends*
(one night we delivered to 19 people! That was a long night,
but it is so great to let the wonderful friends we have know we
love them and are grateful for them)

*Took gifts to the Homeless Shelter*
(didn't turn out as well as planned, but still good for the kids)

*Sang songs around the piano*
(the kids asked for this nearly every night)

*read Christmas stories together*

*Act out the Nativity story Christmas Eve*

If I can go on a soap box for just one moment, I had many friends say I was crazy to try and do so many things this time of year and that they were just too busy for such things! That made me sad. I love Christmas more than any other time of the year and so does Joseph, but the gifts I get on Dec. 25th or even that day itself isn't really why I love it. I love it because for a few weeks people are nicer and think more of others than themselves! The spirit of Christmas really is the spirit of Christ. I had that instilled in me by my mom and I hope to carry on these traditions with my children so they will feel it too! Thanks once again Mom P. and Mom K. for teaching us what Christmas should really be all about! We love you!

Candy Making!

Christmas Candy Workshop!

Too bad you all don't live closer! We have lots of
homemade candy we would love to share! It took most
of the day, but we had a really great time making candy
as a family!

Christmas Program!

Taylor was great in his performance! He sang really well and
looked so nice! In the bottom left picture he is pointing to his
teeth because they have fruit roll ups over their teeth to block
out two. They sang, "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front
Teeth"




















We had many friends tell us how funny Emma was in her
program! She was more concerned with talking to her friends
and pointing out their parents to them than singing. She was so
cute though, she would clap with the audience after each song!
In the bottom right picture she is embarrassed that I am taking
her picture so she is covering her face!

Catching Up!

It has been a while since I have posted, but there have been some noteworthy things going on this December!Even though she wasn't dressed yet, Madelyn didn't want to be left out of the picture fun!

This is the morning of Taylor and Emma's Christmas program! They looked so nice!

What a handsome boy!

Emma looked and felt just a princess! Her and I had a neat experience that day. A friend from school called me that morning and said there were two little girls at the school who were crying because they didn't have a dress to wear for the program. I guess their mom had left a couple months before and it was just Dad at home and they didn't have dress clothes. I quickly gathered a few dresses and some tights and socks and ran them up to the school. The second grader's teacher said all the girl's in her class told her she looked just like a princess and the kindergartener's teacher said she said she had never felt anything so soft on her legs regarding the tights. So the program went great and the girls were so pleased. One of the dresses didn't fit Emma anymore, but the other was one of her newer favorite dresses. I leaned over to her and asked her if she thought we could give the girls the dresses as a Christmas gift . She was fine about the one she had grown out of, but really struggling about the one that still fit her. I told her it was her decision. She thought about it and then agreed with me so we went up to the girls and told them they could keep the dresses. Our friend later told us they were so happy with the gift. I wanted to record this for Emma's sake. We are always looking for ways to teach our children about the true meaning of Christmas and I am so grateful that this opportunity came along for Emma and me. It was a special day for us both!!

Christmas Comes Early for Us!

We are so excited to announce that we are pregnant
again! We are due the end of June. The baby is healthy
so far and the kids are so excited to be having a new
baby! We told them over Thanksgiving! Emma won't
let us miss a prayer now without praying for the baby!
It will be a long 7 months for them!!

Christmas Lights!

Thanks to Dad
and James for
putting up our
Christmas lights!
We have had so
many compliments
on them! We really
appreciate your putting them
up, esp. Dad and the time it took
to individually tape each light!
Love you!

Christmas Stroll

Sheridan has a Christmas stroll the day after Thanksgiving
where all the streets are lit and there is food and music and
shopping! We had a great time experiencing this together!

Gingerbread Houses!

Making Gingerbread houses
are harder than they look.
Mine lasted only 2 minutes, but
we had fun making them!

Thanksgiving Day!!

Making favors for table! Boys were at the turkey bowl playing football!

Emma made our centerpiece in school! She was very pleased
we used in for the dinner!

A Big THANK YOU to my family for traveling to spend the weekend with us!
I really enjoyed hosting and appreciated not having to travel this time!
You guys are the BEST!!

NAP TIME !!

Traditional Pie Bar
(we had 8 pies for 10 people
maybe we overdid it a little)

Turkey Trot!

Madelyn and I joined Taylor and Emma on their school turkey trot the last day of school before break! It was a lot of fun. The flyer said we were doing it so we could eat that extra piece of pie, in Taylor's case mashed potatoes because he thought the pie was gross!