Christmas 2013

 We had a good Christmas.  We were proud of the fact that we didn't go crazy with presents.  We did get surprised with a few extra gifts this year a couple days before Christmas.  But in general everyone got one present from each family member and one from Santa.  Some may feel that is excessive.  However I think it is good for kids to feel like they have something to give.  I believe it helps with confidence.  Actually the two older kids gave their little sister a toy they no longer needed but still loved.  Other than that they had a small budget to find a gift at the store.  I love taking them as they get older because you can see how they are really thinking about what someone else wants and not getting gifts they hope to play with.  It is good to see how they think of their siblings.

 

Opening his stocking.  I was nice this year and let them open their stockings before breakfast.  However the reast of the gifts have to wait till after breakfast dishes are done.  I had to as a kid and I think it is a good tradition.  My kids may think differently when they grow up.  But it allows them to not get so caught up in what they got.  And gives us a chance to talk to them and teach them about what Christmas is about.  

 Here is a hug after they opened their gifts from each other.  This is why I love letting them give each other a gift.  When they get older we may encourage them to make gifts for each other.  But for now I am glad they get this opportunity.

 Her gift from her brother.  He looked so hard to find a Mermaid for her that was in his budget.  He just knew that was what she "needed" and would love.

 This was his present from his big sister.  She had heard him say that he really wanted this fire helicopter and she knew he would love it.  Originally she wanted to get him a remote controlled Dusty Crop-hopper from the movie Planes but that was way out of her budget.

 The boat was from her big brother.  Which was a big deal for his to give this to her.  He still likes to play with it sometimes.  But he likes that he gave her something that he loved and that he knows she likes.  This is her Pillow pet from Mom and Dad.  She was so cute and laid right down on it and loved it for a moment.

 Mom and Dad gave him these Fireman Sam figures.  They were the cheapest we could find but knew he would love them.  He took them out and tried to wash them with a wet wipe and the paint started to wash off.  That is how cheap they were.  But he liked them and no worries.  Grandma and Grandpa got him nicer Fireman Sam toys that were of better quality.  We were glad because he washed a lot of the paint off before we noticed what he was doing.  The truck in the background was one of the surprise toys that showed up from a secret Santa.  He loves it.

 This was a Santa gift.  She loves her little baby Anna doll.

 This year from Santa the kids got a Fire station and doll house.  Thanks to some amazing friends they made these for us for a 'very' affordable cost.  My oldest uses the top shelf for her dolls and the bottom shelf for her own book collection.  My son stores all her Fire Men and Fire Trucks on his.  The kids love them.

 This part is some gifts they got from Grandma and Grandpa.  They loved the gifts they got and love Grandma and Grandpa even more.

December

 We had a fairly low key December.  Here are some pictures from the month.  This month we did something different and I got little red stockings and numbered them 1-24.  Then I filled them with 2 slips of paper.  One paper had a part of the Christmas story and the other paper had an activity.  The activities could be a Winter or Christmas book or movie to read.  It could be a fun winter or Christmas activity like looking at Christmas lights, decorating the tree, baking cookies.....  Then I added a Rolo candy for everyone and each day the kids had fun pulling one down and seeing what was inside.  We enjoyed this and plan to do it each year.  You can see the stockings on the Christmas tree in the pictures.

 My sons Christmas Program at Preschool  they were really cute.

 Cute note our oldest wrote on her Magnadoodle for us.

 

 Cute pictures of the kids

 After I finished getting dressed I saw my youngest watching TV like this.

 My oldest with her one of her BCFs (Best Cousin Friend) at the Movie Theater after watching Frozen.  Yes that was the term she used a lot during this time to describe a few of her cousins.

Christmas 2012

So we had a nice Christmas.  We did one gift from Santa and one gift from each member of the family.  It was nice to have it not be so overwhelming.  And the kids seemed happy.

Here they are in the pajamas I made for them this year.  It was fun to have them match on Christmas morning and they loved that they looked like Christmas presents.

 I made my son a big boy quilt for his new twin size bed.  He was so excited to see it had Thomas on it.

 This is one of the best moments was seeing them say thank you to each other for the gifts they gave.

 So our oldest told me that she wanted Real Fairy stuff this year.  She would tell us what she would do and all the wishes of others and her own that she would grant.  When we told her that Santa may not be able to get her Real Fairy stuff but he could give her stuff that looked real.  But she felt that was inexcusable because since Santa is a magical being it only made sense that he could get magical stuff to give to her.  Well we were at the store one day and she saw these Princess art/craft packs and said she wanted them more than anything.  I asked her if she wanted them more than Real Fairy stuff and she said yes.  SCORE!  So we got them because it saved us from disappointing her.  On a side note she has asked me the Santa question.  We have discussed it.  I told her that he is as real as she believes he is.  That if you stop believing in him he stops bringing you gifts.  Which is what my mom told me.  I asked my daughter what she thought and she thinks it is us.  But she still talks about him as if she believes in him and well that is ok.  I feel this is something she will understand more and more as she gets older and she will process it in her own way.  And when she talks to me I will never lie to her.  Childhood passes to quickly I don't want to make her worry about all the grown up things yet.  Everyone has a way of experiencing, expressing and living magic in their lives.

 Baby girls first Christmas.  She got this from her big sister.

 This was a LED flashlight my son picked out for his Daddy.  My husband gives great reactions and my son ate it up knowing his Daddy loved the gift he gave him.

 This was the gift I got from my son.  I needed a new pair so this is AWESOME!

Isn't this cute!  She brings everything to her mouth.  But loved this glow worm.

 Another great reaction from my husband from for the gift from his daughter.

 Gift from us, a new scooter.

 His Santa gift.  Our son is funny he is learning how to pray.  In fact one day in November he started wanting to pray all the time.  Most of his prayers went a little something like this,  Please may I have Hiro, Spencer, Gordon, Harold, James, Percy, Rocky, Flin and Cranky.....Nourish and strengthen our bodies in the name of Jesus Christ...Amen.  Ya we have a little work on teaching him to pray and ask Heavenly Father to bless others in their trials and thanks him for his blessings.  But it is also a lesson to remember that we must also pray for the things which we would have the Lord bless us with.  Their is a reason our Savior asked us to be as little children.  To be so trusting that the Lord will bless us with our needs and some wants.  We will try to help him expand his prayers but I hope that he will never lose the ability to turn to his Father in Heaven and ask for blessings in his life.

 My gift from my daughter.  This is great for a busy mom who has little time to take care of herself.  Now I can make a smoothie and have breakfast no matter how busy my morning is.

 Checking out her stocking.  I think it is funny that my husband looks more interested than her.  Oh well.  There is always next year.

Christmas Morning 2012

Since this year Christmas landed on a Sunday we had the privilege of going to church for an hour Christmas morning. Which meant my kids got to wait till after church to open presents. It is nice to start the day learning and celebrating the life of him who we celebrate. I am so grateful for my Savior.

Here is our tree this year with the presents.

So I had to add this picture. My daughter got to pick a present for her brother this year and she did an awesome job thinking about what he would like. We went to Big Lots for cheap options and had a budget in mind. She saw this truck and just knew her brother would love it. He picked a magna-doodle for her but he seemed to want it more for himself since he is only 2 and giving presents is a little hard to understand. I love seeing how they progress each year.

My husband wanted knee pads this year so that when he worked on the roof or any hard surface he could comfortably kneel. He has already tried them out and loves them.

She got a lot of Disney Barbies this year.

He got Thomas Trackmaster sets and well I love his face in this picture.

Merry Christmas 2010

So for Christmas every year I like to take some pictures the Sunday before Christmas all dressed up from Church. This year I pulled out a green sheet and tried to take them. Here are a few from that night that make me smile. Hope they make you smile too.

The 3 loves of my life

Christmas morning. Here she is with her pillow pet. I bought this a while ago because this was them one she kept wanting. Then after I bought it she changed her mind every week. So I was a little nervous. But when she told Santa last week that she wanted a ladybug pillow pet I knew it was good. It was nice to see her smile.
opening their stockings
He had a hard time putting this toy down to open any other presents.
Daddy juggling an Apple and and Orange
The blanket I made for her big bed to match her pillow pet. She seemed happy with it.
Hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas. Full of family and love. I also hope that everyone took a moment to reflect amidst all the Christmas presents and food and games, shopping and candy, that you found yourself with your families reflecting on the reason for the season. I am so grateful to a Father in Heaven who sent his only begotten Son to this Earth. I am humbled by the humble surroundings of the baby Jesus' birth. Which was the start of a miraculous life. A man who suffered for my sorrows, grief and pain. Who loved me before I came to this Earth enough to give his life for me. In the words of Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!