Sledding & New Years Eve

We had two days of some crazy fun sledding and playing in the snow.  On Friday we met up with the Braithwaite clan at Iona hill and had so much fun sledding down the hill for hours.  Alissa had a small incident where the tow rope hook came and smacked her in the mouth and bruised her gums and lip pretty good and knocked a baby tooth loose.  She sat in the car for only a few minutes and back out she went.

Molly, Alissa & Sage

Ella & Sage

Anita & Molly

Lincoln kept taking his gloves off to eat snow so I taught him to lay down and lick it.  Gross I know, but he's going to eat it anyway and might as well keep his hands warm.

Kaiden and Lincoln

Alissa, Amy & Anita - the 3 A cousins all the same age.

The next day on New Years Eve we went to my parents house and pulled everyone around in the field on the RZR.  It was a riot!  We loved every second of it.

Lincoln and I snuggled right up in the back seat and he went to sleep so we took him in to hang out with grandpa so he could sleep peacefully and warm.

We got crazy and Farrah and I and Mike and Dustin even jumped on the sleds for a ride.  We had so much fun.

That night the Hansens came over and we had TONS of food and played some games

So great to have such fun and silly friends!  It was the best new years eve I've had in a while!!

More December Fun

Added into the mix here are a few things we did before Christmas.  

I took the kids to the first light parade in Ammon this year.  We had fun watching the floats go by but mostly the kids loved catching the candy.  It was pretty fun to watch.

Dustin's work party and the kids got to see the Santa there.  Lincoln was ok with him as long as we didn't make him sit on his lap.  I love this picture though.  A few days before the party I told the kids it was coming up and Molly said, "Do we have to sit on that Santa's lap?  He's sweaty."  Made me laugh pretty hard.  So nobody had to sit on his lap. :)

Molly had a few friends over one day and they painted and played outside and had fun.

We had our combined family home evening at Jeremy and Lisa's house and watched the Christmas Devotional. 

I got to help in Alissa's class with the Christmas party and making gingerbread houses.   

Alissa rode with Dustin and I on some errands one day and climbed a snow hill in the middle of Lowe's parking lot.  It's something Dustin used to encourage Ella to do to be brave and gain confidence and Alissa doesn't even hesitate she jumps right up there with a grin on her face.  It is so funny how different the kids personalities are.  Love this girl!!

We visited the nativity and gingerbread displays at the museum and of course dropped letters to Santa in the mailbox on the way in.  This was a first for the younger girls so they thought it was pretty neat.

Ella was especially fond of the tiniest nativity. 

And Molly liked the horse she could sit on.  Alissa was preoccupied inside the playroom I didn't even see her come out until it was time to go and thankfully Lincoln fell asleep in the car so he slept peacefully in the stroller as we walked around those fragile items.

We got a game called Watch ya Mouth for Christmas from the Hansens and we laughed until we cried one night and decided to make a video. 

We had a Sunday afternoon activity of making popcorn garland.  The girls and I made it for a good few hours and it was fun to add to our tree.

Ella made a drink from a recipe book for a school project and felt so very proud of herself.  She is getting so capable of doing big things its a little bitter sweet for me.  But mostly sweet. 

That about wraps it up.  What a month!

Christmas Day

We had another pretty awesome Christmas day.  Santa brought the kids all something they wanted.  Lincoln got a strider bike and a big train, Molly got some roller blades and troll dolls, Alissa got a big stuffed animal and a gymnastics mat and leotard and Ella got a bike, dress and fitness watch.

We were fortunate this year for Christmas to fall on Sunday so at 10:30 we headed to the church.  Most all the church meetings in the area were cancelled because there was a huge amount of snow fall and cars were getting stuck, however we all live so close to the church that everybody was able to make it there safety.  It was a wonderful meeting and the spirit was felt through the beautiful music and scripture they had prepared.

After church we headed to my parents house for more Christmas excitement.  We dressed up for the THIRD time this year and the kids did the nativity.  It was especially fun to have Heidi's kids in there with us since they hadn't done it before.

Mom got these cute new animal costumes and an extra angel for the extra amount of kids we have now.  They were a hit.

We had fun opening presents we had brought for each other and felt again an overwhelming gratitude for all our blessings.  My good friend, Farrah's parents are serving a mission in Africa right now and they made a post on Facebook about how many of the kids there got a single balloon and were thrilled!  Made me think a little harder about our situation.

Ella got a sewing machine. 

Alissa and Molly got fully stocked with Barbies and a Barbie house. 

Look at the simplicity of this.  I love these boys and am so thankful for my family.  They are such a blessing!  So thankful for the Savior and his life and Atonement which is the greatest gift of all.  I pray as the year commences and a new one begins I can regain some focus on the Savior and the most important things in this life.  Merry Christmas!