Ho Ho Ho and Snow

Here is the beginning of our Christmas day, before the chaos and joyfullness begins.

Looking at this picture of our tree makes me laugh because I can see the workings of Alex. The bottom half of the tree is a little more sparse, because I kept putting the ornaments (that he had taken off) on the top half. The beads and ribbon are also askew. And NONE of the presents went out until he went to sleep on Christmas Eve, for fear that they would be stepped on, thrown, and otherwise destroyed by our cute little two-year-old. This also reminds me of the food we had because....
He picked off all the olives from the 7-layer dip, and....

He had the first fist-full (as opposed to the first slice) of pumpkin pie. But I digress. Here are my kids Christmas morning in the traditional picture with their stockings.

And here is our Christmas carnage picture.

We did not have a white Christmas, but we did have a white Sunday after Christmas. It was the first snow here that actually stuck to the ground, and actually, is STILL out there 3 days later. My kids wanted to play in it so bad. I did not feel like playing in the snow, especially after our 2hr. drive home from church (it usually takes us around 20 minutes), but I told them we could go out for a couple of minutes.

After a couple of minutes....

They were ready to come back in. See in the picture below JT is looking very concerned at his freezing cold hands (no gloves) that he stuck in the snow.

Madelyn was the same, and before I knew it they were both crying. I took them up to the apartment, and then Cora and I went back down to take a few more pictures.

It's cold, but it sure is pretty.

We hope that everyone had a great Christmas, and we wish you a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Can you believe it's going to be 2010? My, how time flies.

'Tis the Season

You would think that since I haven't updated my blog in a while that it might be because we've been so busy this month....but you'd be wrong. This winter weather that we've been enjoying has turned us into hermits. We've just been spending all our time at home, together as a family, watching every Christmas movie known to man, and putting together puzzle after puzzle. And still this month has gone by in a blur, as it does every year. Even though I'm not a fan of stores putting out Christmas stuff in October, I have to admit that ONE month just doesn't seem like enough time to enjoy the wonderful Christmas season. It goes by so fast.

This year we didn't have all of our Christmas decorations (storage), but we did manage to bring our little tree, some ornaments, and our Christmas stockings. The basics are essential. And despite our hermitage, we did get in a few other Christmas activites this month, starting with school programs. Cora and JT both sang with their classes at the Dragon Hill Lodge on base. They were short and sweet, just the way I like them.

In Cora's group was a boy who was doing his own thing, if ya know what I mean. He also happened to be the loudest singer there, so it was.....interesting. I have it on video, but I can't find the cord to hook my video camera up to my computer, so sorry that you dont' get to see it. We also made Santa ornaments for our tree this year.

I wanted to make Rudolph ones too, but didn't have all the materials (like I thought I did), and was too lazy to hunt them down in the city. I thought the Santa ones turned out cute, and the kids had fun making them, even thought they were a little tricky. We've really enjoyed seeing all the Christmas decorations and lights around town, and especially on base. We've never seen a base put up so many lights before, and we really appreciate all the hard work that was put into it. Here are some pictures from around base.

Even the Dragon Hill went all out with their decorations, although some of their Santas were a little.....well, see for yourself.

It makes me laugh every time I walk by it. The church down the street from us is also decorated very pretty.

And they have these scenes of Christ on display that are so nice.

Of course, every year we have to make gingerbread cookies. The kids love decorating them, we all love eating them, and they just smell so dang good.

The other day we went and ate at TGIF's (sometimes it's just nice to get a taste of the States). Anyway, on the front of the kids menus was this picture.

And this is the coloring page that was on back.

I know, I'm confused too. If somebody can make sense of it, please let me know. And finally, here is our Christmas card for the year.

One of these years I'm going to actually send out Christmas cards....in the mail....but not this year:) Tomorrow is Christmas for those of us on this side of the world. We are so grateful for this special day to celebrate with families, and to remember the birth of our Savior. There was a nice little thing in our Sacrament meeting program on Sunday that I'd like to share with you, and then I'll be done.

"When Christ was born, a new star appeared in they sky. It is a beautiful parallel to consider. The star, as a swirling mass of piercing light and energy, was born upon the arrival of Jesus Christ, He who is the embodiment of pure light and energy. Furthermore, stars are born only under circumstances of intense pressure and heat. [During His life], Christ endured circumstances of extreme pressure and adversity, including the Universe's ultimate moment of suffering: The completion of the Atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross at Calvary. The fulfillment of Christ's destiny as the light, life, and Savior of all mankind was only possible through such ineffable opposition. The light of Christ also lives within each of us - we harbor the birth of a star. In what ways can you face your afflictions with courage and faith, so as to intensify your inner light during this Christmas season? How are we reverencing Christ and His example when we recognize our trials as opportunities to help fulfill our spiritual destinies?"

Merry Christmas Everyone - We Love You All!!!

It's a Good Thing

Do you know what I REALLY like? I really like that there are drains in the floors of my bathrooms. It makes clean up sooooo easy. Observe. These pictures were taken a while ago (you can tell because Alex still has a binki in his mouth), but I wanted to post them. Here are Madelyn and Alex painting with water colors.
Here are the results of Alex painting with water colors.

And here is bathtime afterwards (PG version).

Can you see all the water being splashed out of the tub? Can you see all the water on the floor? I don't care, because it's all going down the drain. Of course, the flower rug DID have to be washed afterwards, but that's small beans. Do you see how much fun they're having? It's a Good Thing:)

Take a Looksee

I never use my blog to promote things, but recently I have been really impressed with two of my friends who started their own online businesses. Partly I am jealous of their tremendous talents. Partly I admire that they actually DID something that I've always thought about doing (although I have no idea what I'd sell). But mostly I am just proud of them and want to show them off. I think you should check them out.

The first one is a lady named Debby Bateman. I knew her growing up - she lived in our neighborhood, and my sister was friends with her daughter. She crochets the most beautiful hats for babies and small children. Here are a few examples.

Debby also makes blankets and other things. You can choose your style and the color(s) you want, and she'll make it right up for you. Soooooo cute. You can buy them at her website Jinki Beans here http://jinkibeans.blogspot.com/

The next one is my friend Meshan Foutz, who I've known since we first joined the military. She is from New Mexico. She makes jewelry that is inspired by the Navajo Indians who live in that area, but adds her own contemporary feel to it. Beautiful pieces. Here are a few.

Meshan also does custom pieces. I just sent her an idea I had for a pendant, and she's going to make it for me. You can find her website Old New World Jewelry here http://oldnewworldjewelry.com/

If you like these, tell your friends, and spread the love:)