Happy Christmas!

For Christmas this year, Ryan gave me the 12 days of Christmas.  I got a gift each day leading up to Christmas day. I think this was my favorite:

 Christmas Eve we played Wii tennis and bowling.  It was so much fun.

 We did a ton of "science".  Brandon was really into it.  Here we are "ice fishing".  We made ice stick to string.

 Before it got too dark we decided to sprinkle some reindeer food in our yard, you know, to attract the blue-nosed Rudolph.

 Then, traditional pizza for dinner:

 The nativity:

 New pajamas, then bed:

 Christmas morning:

 After church (yes I forgot to get pictures of my cute kids all dressed up for church on Christmas) we found that Santa had left a few gifts under the playroom tree.

 I got a Psych iPhone case for my 12th day.

 We opened Grammy and Pompa's gifts while talking to them on the computer.

 Hours and hours of tether ball.  You have never seen a happier boy than Brandon playing tether ball...even in freezing temperatures.

 After Christmas, our cousins came to visit.  I really think these four had the time of their lives.  At least it sounded that way by the amount of noise they made.

 We went bowling.  Ryan and his sister:

 What could be better than laying on top of your cousin?  Total comfort!

Busy Week

Kathleen had her performance in the Nutcracker last weekend.  She was a snowflake.  She was so cute.

 Sunday was our anniversary.  Ryan and I have been married for 12 years!  Can you believe it?  And he is even better now than he was 12 years ago (and better looking).  As part of my 12-Days-of-Christmas gift (not to be confused with an anniversary gift) Ryan made me Baked Alaska.  I have never had it before.  I think it very well may be my new favorite dessert.

 I know many people have rotten kids in the month of December.  I don't know what it is, the sugar or the all-consuming greed of what Santa will bring them, but my kids are the worst at this time of year.  We have an "Elf on the Shelf" that comes to visit our family each Christmas season.  Apparently mom and dad aren't the only ones who have had enough of the kids behavior.  Santa has too.  When Freddie (the elf) reported back to Santa one night, the kids had been so poorly behaved that Santa did not allow him to return.  Instead, we received this note.  After a few days of the best behavior my kids have ever had in December, Freddie returned.

 We made it snow with cotton balls and cans in Primary on Sunday.  The kids loved it so much that we set it up and played at home.

 Brandon and Kathleen had their Christmas piano recital this week.

 Grandma and Grandpa sent the kids some Christmas gifts.

Can anyone say "Christmas Morning Mess?"  We had that at our house a few days early.

The kids had their Christmas parties at school.

Kathleen's class made pillow cases for kids in the hospital.

December Happenings

We actually have been doing stuff this month. I didn't realize it had been so long since I last updated the ol' blog. For starters we made gingerbread houses. The kids worked pretty hard on theirs.



Ryan made the Matterhorn from Disneyland.
Kathleen loves the book that Grandma and Grandpa gave us for Christmas a few years ago. We read it every night before bed. But sometimes she can't wait.
Kathleen wanted her hair like her American Girl doll.
We celebrated Ryan's birthday. Yes, he is old. And he couldn't wait until Monday to eat his pumpkin cheesecake. So we busted it out a day early.
Some friends of ours came over to celebrate the big day with Ryan. We had to sing with a partially eaten cake. But it's Ryan's birthday. He gets what he wants (for a change. Usually he just has to do what his wife wants).

We went to the mall to see Santa. The kids were so cute waiting in line.
Brandon really isn't as bored as he looks.
The kids thought it would be fun to dress up. They were so cute. It isn't very often that the three of them play together.
Ryan decided to do a 12 Days of Christmas thing for me this year. For day one, he gave me some new earrings that Kathleen picked out. Of course, she had to have a matching pair.
We made some sugar cookies.
Kathleen had her first ever orchestra recital. It was so cute to see her. She is so grown up. There were a million little 4th graders. But they sounded great.

So all in all, your typical busy, busy December.