Santa Came Early...

 

Santa didn't want to take the Christmas presents to Utah so instead he came to our house two days early. The girls were really excited, and it was really nice having our own Christmas morning for the girls to enjoy. We opened presents in the morning, let the girls play with their new toys and then left for Utah.
The first present they each opened was a set of books. I was pretty excited because they didn't even care to open their other presents, they just wanted to read. When they did open their toy present the books went to the side and were forgotten for a while :) Madeline got a camera and used it for 2 hours straight in the car until the batteries died. Maybe she'll be a photographer one day. Aliza opened up a baby before Rachel opened up her baby and Rachel got really sad. She said, "I didn't get a baby either" with a big pouty face. I quickly showed her the present she hadn't opened and she was so happy as she was openining it and seeing baby pictures. Good thing Santa got her a baby too :)
We had a very nice Christmas. I'm thankful for the Savior Jesus Christ and that we can celebrate his birth. The Christmas season was a good opportunity for us to teach our children more about the Savior and His love for each of us.

Apples Anyone?

A while back I bought a box of apples for 25 cents/lb. Great deal! The apples weren't a variety I like to eat fresh so I decided the other day to turn them into something useful. (They were starting to go bad) I made apple butter. The girls had a lot of fun helping me get the apples ready. I still had more apples left so I made this recipe for apple muffins They were delicious. I added 3 cups of apples and 1 tsp cinnamon to the batter. I was disappointed the next day because my parents dog ate the rest of the bread. Bummer.

Hair Cut

I've been thinking about getting my hair cut for a very long time, so I finally did it about a month ago. It is definitely nice not getting my hair pulled all the time, and now I actually take time to do my hair :)

Church Christmas Party & Santa Claus

Happy Holidays everyone!! Last night we had our church Christmas party and it was so much fun. We don't have a picture of Rachel with Santa because she was freaking out... very scared. It was so funny how interested she was in him from far away, but there was no way that she was going to sit on his lap. Aliza was resistant to sitting on Santa's lap until she saw that candy was involved, and then she cheered right up :) Madeline was a little shy, but she told Santa she wants a Princess Computer for Christmas. I think if she got anything princess she would be totally happy. Amaya was just happy and staring at Santa's beard. The holiday's are getting more and more fun as our kids are getting older.

Playing in the Snow

It's been very cold here the last week. Probably the coldest it's been since we've lived here. Usually the snow melts the same day it falls, but we've had the same snow for almost a week. I kind of like it...I think I'd like it more if we had a garage. It's fun having snow. It helps me get in the Christmas Spirit.

cute pictures

Thanksgiving 2009

It's better late than never right? :) My parents and two of my sisters, Carly and Kaylie came up for Thanksgiving. It was really nice having family here. To be honest I wasn't really feeling like making a huge meal, so I'm glad my mom was here to help. Jared and my Dad played turkey bowl in the morning while we watched the Thanksgiving Day Parade and prepared the big dinner.
Jared stayed at home with the girls in the early morning of the day after Thanksgiving so I could go out shopping with my family. I remember going every year when I was growing up, so it was fun to continue the tradition.
I love my family very much. I'm so thankful to be blessed with a good parents who raised me with much love. I am grateful to have a loving husband and children. They fill my life with JOY. Happy Holidays!