December

Saturday December 5th

 We had our ward Christmas party this day--it was actually in the morning and it was a brunch. It was fun to do something different.  They had breakfast burritos with fruit and muffins.  Before they served the food, they had supplies to make gingerbread houses.  It was a cute idea, but we couldn't get ours to stay together. 

 With Santa

 The final masterpiece

 Primary kids singing.  Garrett was actually one of the speakers and he spoke on JOY.  I think it was about Jesus, Others and Yourself if I remember correctly.  He did great as usual!

 Later in the day we went to pick out our Christmas tree.

 Lydia helping to get it into the truck.

 The beautiful view from the tree lot

 These two--always taking selfies together.

 Watching the fire and drinking our hot cocoa.

 Traditional picture by the weird looking snowman

Garrett and I went to see "The Martian" that night.

Sunday December 6th

 After church, we drove out to Jim and Georgia's for linner.  We must've been waiting for Maggie to come out of church.  

 After coming home that night, we set up and decorated the Christmas tree.

 These two were having fun with the selfie stick

 Garrett putting the lights on while everyone else messes around.  

 Bella getting to help with the angel this year.

Monday December 7th

 Lydia's self portrait that she has been working on in school.  She's so good!

Wednesday December 9th

 We had been getting a lot of rain!  When it rains, some of the streets flood and the one that the middle and high school bus takes to get the schools started flooding.  Lydia took this picture as they were driving through it--she was a little freaked out by all the water.  I'm sure they closed this road soon after.  

Thursday December 10th

 We lost power around 3 or 4 in the afternoon and it stayed off till around 7 or 8 I think.  I'm not sure why it went out, but it was kind of fun.  I couldn't cook anything because our stove top and oven locks itself when the power goes out, so I had Garrett stop after work and bring something home for dinner.  

 We all hung out together downstairs, playing guitar, reading and playing games by candle and lantern light.  

We were playing apples to apples.

 Friday December 11th

 Noah decided he needed to do some exercising and lift some weights.  Such a funny kid!

 Saturday December 12th

 After cleaning the house all morning, we went out to lunch with Jim and Georgia and then they came back to our house to open Christmas presents from them.  They were going to Alaska for Christmas the next week, so this was our last chance before Christmas.  The kids opened her gifts like you do when you play the white elephant game.  Everyone drew a number and then could open a new present or steal one already opened.  It was fun, but did cause a little trouble later on.  

 Noah picked number one and ended up opening a scarf.  He was really disappointed and I don't think fully understood the game.  We told him to be patient and wait, but he wasn't happy.  

 Then Lydia opened a scarf.

 Then Paige opened this floral scarf...she wasn't feeling very good.  

 Then Maggie opened a NERF gun.  Look at Noah's face!!  Of course she traded with him. 

 Bella also opened a scarf.  Lydia and Bella wanted the same scarf, but grandma put a stop to the trading before Lydia was able to get it back, so she was kind of upset.  Ugh--go figure.  Grandma tried to do something fun and my kids were being ridiculous and getting upset.  Then about 5 minutes after we finished opening the gifts, Paige puked all over the bathroom floor.  At least it wasn't on the carpet, but she was SO close to the toilet!!  So, that started our two weeks of sickness.  I think it went through everyone except Garrett.  

Tuesday December 15th

 Maggie had her first choir concert this night.  They were going to sing someplace downtown Portland.  We weren't able to go to this concert because of mutual and stuff.  We were waiting to go to the one at her school in a couple of days.  Turns out though, that she started to feel sick at school and luckily made it home before she started throwing up.  So, she had to miss her other concert and she was really sad about it because they were singing different songs.  She also had to miss one of her basketball games the next day.  Lydia and I also got the flu the night before.  

Friday December 18th

Garrett got 4 tickets to see the new Star Wars for 9 am on Friday morning.  Maggie was supposed to go with us, but she was still feeling sick.  Lydia and I were better, although our stomachs still hurt.  We decided to go anyways and see the movie.  It was awesome!!  This was the last day of school before spring break and Paige was the only one who went to school.  We let Bella and Noah stay home with Maggie.  Noah actually threw up the next day, but he seemed totally fine after and was asking for food.  It was weird.  

Sunday December 20th

We all watched "Elf" this evening.

I'll do Christmas and finish up 2015 in the next post!!

Finishing up November

Wednesday November 19th

 Along with it being Lydia's 12th birthday(Yay!!!!), it was also our Young Women in Excellence Night.  I was in charge of decorations and so we had to come early to help set up.  Therefore, we had to open presents when we got home.  And we had to go out and celebrate on Saturday night. 

 In case it isn't obvious, we had a "Star" theme.  I thought it turned out cute.  

 Our young women singing.  It was Lydia's first YW activity, so at the beginning we had her stand up and we all sang happy birthday to her.  She was pretty embarrassed. :)

Back home opening presents.  Isn't she beautiful?  I can't believe how grown-up she looks!!

 She got some cash to go shopping and buy herself a new outfit.  

 This was her big present that she was asking for.  

 She got a guitar!!  She was so excited.

and some guitar books to help her learn to play. 

Here's her birthday questions for 12 years:
Favorite color:  turquoise
Favorite dessert:  Texas sheet cake
What is your favorite thing for dinner:  chicken honey nut stir fry
Do you collect anything:  bouncy balls
What is your favorite movie:  Star Wars
Favorite book:  Percy Jackson
Favorite song:  'Bleeding Out' by Imagine Dragons.
Who are your best friends:  Elise, Kali and Katelyn
What do you love about yourself:  my sense of humor
Favorite thing about school:  everything
Who is your teacher: Ms. Kolstad
What is your favorite thing to do with your mom:  be on the brunette team
What is your favorite thing to do with your dad:  make jokes
If you had a day alone with mom and dad, what would you do:  go bowling
What is the best thing you have learned this year:  long division and fractions
What makes you most proud: my family
What makes you laugh/smile: comedians, anyone funny
What makes you happy:  anything funny
Where you you love to go on vacation:  Alaska
What are some of your wishes for this year:  Pixie cut and cute clothes
What do you want to be when you grow up:  a mom
What is your favorite scripture:  Mosiah 2:17
What do you like about being in Young women's:  the excitement
Who is your favorite apostle:  Thomas S. Monson
Friday November 21st

Lydia's Friend Party

The last "friend birthday party" I plan for my kids is their 10th birthday.  Then for their 11th, they have a family party.  They can have a friend party for their 12th, but they have to plan it.  So Lydia wanted to have her friends over for dinner--pizza, she wanted to play games, decorate cup cakes, have fondue and have a sleep over.  I don't normally like having sleep overs or let my kids go to sleep overs, but she talked me into it since we let Maggie have a sleep over for one of her parties.  I guess it's now the new tradition since Paige is talking about having one for her 12th birthday.  

 I hung up a few decorations.  I put pictures of her for every year of her life onto a balloon and hung them around the room with streamers.  

Just born

6 years old

5 years old

10 years old

They decorated balloons

Played Apples to Apples and some other games.  Hung out in her room--talking and giggling.

After dinner, they decorated cupcakes.

Katelyn and Kali

Elise and Lydia

Scooter

Then they opened presents

Getting some books she really wanted

Cute girls

Later, we set up their beds in front of the TV and tried to find a movie that they all could watch.  It ended up being some cheesy princess movie that I had never seen before and I can't even remember the name of it.  No one could agree on a movie!  I went to bed then, but they stayed up watching Barbie shows off of Netflix.  I'm not sure what time they went to bed.

That morning after breakfast they played Monopoly.  Lydia and Kali's favorite game to play.  They were supposed to be picked up at 10, but we never got around to having fondue the night before.  So, I got everything ready and had them call their parents to see if they could stay for another half hour and eat fondue.  It was pretty yummy!

I had these photo prop things out, but I wasn't able to get pictures of the girls when they were playing with them.  But I did get this one of Noah, later in the day.

Maggie had her basketball pictures this morning--Garrett took her while I was getting breakfast for the party girls.

Her JV2 team
That night we took Lydia out for her birthday at a Teriyaki place
Sunday November 23rd:  Maggie spoke in sacrament meeting about the Holy Ghost and it was Lydia's first Sunday in Young Women's.
Monday November 24th:  The kids didn't have school today because of teacher conferences, (except Maggie--she still had school) so I took the kids to the mall to get Lydia's 12 year pictures taken and so she could go shopping for some new clothes.
Here are some of her pictures:

Tuesday November 25th:
The youth had a Temple Trip to do baptisms for the dead and so it was Lydia's first time to go to the temple!  We had Jim and Georgia watch the kids so that Garrett and I could go too.  It was pretty awesome--so cool to have two of my children in the temple doing Heavenly Father's work!  And so awesome that Garrett and I could be there to share in the experience!  I'm so proud of Lydia and Maggie!

Wednesday November 26th:

Spending the day getting ready for Thanksgiving

 Maggie (with Noah and Bella as helpers) makes an apple pie

I was making rolls.  I decided to try a new recipe that were supposedly from the Lion House in Utah.  But, they weren't that good.  So, the next day I made some of my dad's whole wheat honey rolls that we all love!

Thursday November 27:

Thanksgiving!!

 Jim found this card and gave it to us for Thanksgiving.  We thought it was so funny!

 rolls and banana cream pie!!

 The table

 the kids being silly before dinner was ready

 Georgia cooked the turkey this year again and also did the stuffing.  It was good, but I love the kind we make.  So, I made a batch to eat with our left overs.  :)

Yummy food!

We watched some football after dinner, took naps, played Apples to Apples and later that night, watched "The Giver" with Maggie and Garrett.

Friday November 28th:

This morning we went to the temple with some friends of ours in our ward.  It was nice to get to the temple with Garrett to do an endowment session.  It had been awhile, so I'm grateful to the Squires for inviting us to go with them.  Garrett's parents work at the temple on Fridays, so when we got done, they were finishing up.  So, we went with them and stopped for lunch at Chevy's before coming home.  It was such a nice morning.  I spent the rest of the day taking down Thanksgiving decorations.  Saturday November 29th:

We went to get our Christmas tree today.  Next year we need to remember to not get it so early!!  Our poor tree was so dead before Christmas.  It wasn't even funny.  So dead.  

 I love the clouds in this one...

 stopping to pose

 Right as we found our tree, it started SNOWING!!  Crazy! It didn't last long, though.

 Lydia trying to catch snow flakes on her tongue

 They have this big fire there to sit around while you drink your hot chocolate

Maggie's pumpkin didn't rot, so she decided to carve a Christmas tree into it today.  It was too weird for me.  Seeing a pumpkin on the porch when there's a Christmas wreath on the door.  And then inside, you have this beautiful Christmas tree smell and then you smell pumpkin....does NOT work!!

We got the Christmas boxes out so we could decorate the tree the next day.  That evening, Garrett took all the kids over to Jim and Georgia's (minus Maggie) so that he could watch a basketball game with Jim and also for a chance to hot tub.  Maggie and I had a date to go see "Mockingjay" which is why he took all the kids.  

Sunday November 30th:

Decorating the tree

 Maggie and Lydia took my camera and started taking silly pictures of themselves.  They started out cute, but then turned weird. :)

 Noah putting the angel on the tree

Merry Christmas!!