Christmas 2011

CHRISTMAS EVE

Watching for Santa

Christmas Pajamas

 We were so happy to add another stocking this year

CHRISTMAS MORNING

Makenna got a play ironing board for Christmas and they had to play with it right then. Hadley was "ironing" and said, "I feel like Mommy". That gave Travis and I a good laugh because I hate ironing.

Cabin Fun

We were invited to spend a few days before Christmas at a cabin with our friends, the Driscolls. It was so much fun! There was at least a little snow there and the kids were loving it. Their favorite was being pulled in the sled by a snowmobile, which was a blast. When we first got there, the guys took the kids out back and cut down a tree. The kids made cute, homemade ornaments to put on it. We spent the majority of the time watching Christmas movies, playing games, and eating. Camden pretty much never got put down. And the kids all had so much fun together. We discovered that Makenna has the potential to be a gamer- she was loving the old-school Mario game. Thanks for such a fun little getaway Driscolls!

Christmas Lights Extravaganza

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without heading to the South Hills to see THE lights. It's magical... the gazillion lights, Santa handing out candy canes, walking through with family, and feeding the camel. 

Getting Ready for Christmas

December flew by in a flash. What a holiday whirlwind! Every year, I say we are going to simplify, but it never happens. 

MAKENNA'S CHRISTMAS DANCE

DECORATING THE TREE

OUR CHRISTMAS SLEEPOVER BY THE TREE

PRIMARY CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

Travis and I were Mary and Joseph and Camden was baby Jesus in our primary program and Makenna was a cute angel. Hadley got to come into primary and watch it. The sweetest part was when Hadley snuck to the front of the room just to touch Camden (Baby Jesus) and give him a kiss. It was so sweet.

A New Ride

Well, we did it. We bought ourselves a van. We chose a Toyota Sienna. And man, are we loving it! Everyone has space and we are happy travelers. No more of this:

 Our new van worked great for tying our tree to, also. Our neighbor snapped a picture of us pulling up to our house with the tree on top and named us the Griswolds. Ha, ha.

Bowling Fun

We got to spend a little bit of time with Travis' family after Thanksgiving. The girls were so excited to play with their cousins. It was fun to all be together. Travis' little sister recently got engaged so it was fun to have her and Alex with us. I think he will be a great addition to the family and he doesn't seem to be too overwhelmed with the four older brothers. We all decided to go bowling and it was entertaining how horrible of bowlers that most of us were. I mean, I won out of all of the ladies and that doesn't say a lot for them. :) The kids had a great time and were so competitive. Next time, I'm bowling with them and the bumpers.

Miss Hadley

This little lady is growing so fast. Hadley is seeming so old lately. She is a little girl now and I'm not sure when that happened. Maybe when Camden was born? :) Hadley is such a joy in our family. She is so loving and affectionate. She is a funny thing and is constantly making us laugh. Hadley says such cute things, especially with her lisp and missing r's. I could listen to her talk my ear off or make up one of her cute songs any day. She LOVES drawing and coloring lately and is getting good. She knows what she wants and can get so frustrated. And man, Hadley can make a mess in two seconds flat. I love watching her with Camden. She grits her teeth because she can't stand how cute he is and she has to talk to him an inch from his face. She's a great big sister and has never been jealous. This little girl has been so patient with me while I get all flustered with trying to balance everything while having a baby. She's so forgiving and understanding. She melts me and I have so much to learn from her. She even tells me all time, "Mom, when I grow up, I want to be just like you." She makes me want to be better. I'm so grateful that I get to be her mom.