Christmas Day

Santa Came!!
Autumn loved her giant Panda!
Brooke got her doll... just what she wanted!
Autumn was a little tired still! Chloe woke up before the sun that morning!
Chloe loved everything she got!
Ciera was excited about her Hannah Montana stuff!
After we opened presents (and got them all out of the packaging... no small task) we played for a while and then took off for the airport to pick up Grandma. It was snowing a bit on our way down but nothing too bad. After we went through the hassles at the airport, we got on the road back home. It was snowing a lot more! We were driving through the blizzard of the year to get home, but we made it safe and sound, and had a great visit!

Sledding, Bowling, and Acting... oh my!

Christmas Eve was a full day. We went sledding in the morning (which I forgot to take pictures of). There is a park close by that has some great sledding hills, and the girls didn't want to do anything to steep or fast, so we tried it. It took a while for them to get comfortable... but it ended up being fun! I am sure we will go again before the end of winter!
In the afternoon we went to the bowling alley with some friends for some good old fashioned fun! The girls had a blast! The adults played on one lane and all the kids were on another. It was really fun to watch the kids. They did such a great job! Dave and I had fun too. I beat Dave on our first game, but he beat me the second game. The girls want to bowl more often now, but I don't know!
Brooke and Nolan spent most of their time kissin' and huggin' instead of bowling!
In the evening, after our fun day of sledding and bowling, we read the Christmas story in the scriptures and the girls acted it out. They were too cute. Brooke and Autumn were wise men, Ciera was a shepherd, and Chloe was an angel. (Dave and I were Joseph and Mary... and we had a doll baby!)
After our nativity, Santa came early, and the girls each got a stuffed bear with clothes and accessories. They played for a few minutes and then climbed into bed to dream sweet dreams and wait for Santa Claus to come! It was a great day!

The Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas,
when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;


The stockings were hung... with care,
In the hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;


The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads...

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!!

Christmas beauties

At least Autumn was smiling as she was walking away this time... so it made a cute picture!
Not smiling... but cute nonetheless!
Little, sparkly Brooke. She loves the snowflakes on her dress!
Chloe is growing up so fast! She was beautiful.
Beautiful Ciera Marie. She had a talk in primary yesterday. She wanted to talk about "giving" and Christmas. She did a great job. She is getting to be such a grown up young lady.

This year for Christmas we are trying to keep our focus on the Savior, we have been talking about the Christmas Story every day, and trying to teach our girls that it is important to have love and charity for everyone. We have been trying to find little ways to include service in this season.

However... I am really excited to see our girls on Christmas Day! They each received a letter from Santa in the mail on Saturday, and they are very excited to see what he will bring them on Thursday! They have been very good this year, so I think it will be good!!

New Nativity Pictures

Pictures of the Wise Men... this one was fun to see the different drawings!
Angels drawn by angels!

We have been having so much fun doing our Nativity drawings this year... I can't wait to see the rest!

Fun in the Sun (Oops! I mean snow!)

Isn't Autumn adorable?
Brookie was lovin' the snow!
This was the "not crazy, please" face I got from Chloe!
Cute Cici giving me a smile.

We had fun today in the snow... we got SO much! The girls loved being out in it (for a little while)!

Ciera's Piano Recital

Ciera was in her first ever piano recital tonight. She played two pieces: Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. There were many music students that played... but Ciera was by far the best and the cutest (Not that we are biased in any way)! She did such a great job and we are so proud of her!

Winter wonder

Every morning when we wake up, I am amazed at the beauty all around us. All of the trees are covered in ice crystals and make everything look so magical. It is COLD, but so beautiful out there. It really makes it feel like Christmas to have snow on the ground, and beautiful winter magic all around!

While Shepherds watched their flocks by night

Our latest addition to the Nativity was the shepherds. Brooke actually drew hers, and it was so cute... then she started to color it all black. I had to quickly intervene so we could keep some of the drawing visible. Ciera and Chloe both did such a great job with theirs! Next will be the wisemen...

The Jolly Old Elf

Saturday night at our ward Christmas party, we had a visit from Santa Claus. The girls were all so excited to see him, even Autumn. She got a little nervous when I put her on his lap, but she didn't cry or scream, like most of the kids her age! All three big girls told him what they wanted for Christmas. Ciera, a Hannah Montana Malibu Beach house, Chloe, a real puppy, and Brooke, a doll. Guess which one has an actual chance! Well, it should be fun to see them opening their gifts on Christmas Day!

The Nativity

The first night of drawing...
Cute Ciera and Chloe
These are the animals that welcomed the Savior at the stable.
Joseph leading Mary on a donkey to Bethlehem...

Last year we started a tradition with our family that we draw different parts of the story of Jesus' birth on different nights leading up to Christmas. Our final drawing is of the baby Jesus in the manger. So far this year we have done the animals and Mary and Joseph. It is something that our kids look forward to and really like doing. It helps us to remember the reason for Christmas!

Happy 2nd Birthday Autumn!

Our beautiful birthday girl!
Finally, cake time!
Autumn doing a "bridge"... she had a fun time playing with Brooke today!
Cheese...
Opening presents before Ciera and Chloe had to leave for school.
Dora cake... before the figures went on.
... and after
Make a wish!

Today was Autumn's 2nd birthday, and I can hardly believe it! She is growing up so fast. She was so cute opening up her presents (Thank you Grandmas and Grandpas) and really was excited about each one. She had a fun day playing with all of her new things. After dinner we had cake... which she had been waiting for ALL day! She danced around the living room after cake, and played "ring around the rosy" with her sisters (which she can sing pretty well!). She is really becoming a great little girl. I am so glad that she is part of our family!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Well, it finally happened. We awoke this morning to a blanket of snow covering the ground. It is funny, because I went to sleep last night wondering when it was going to snow... wondering if we were going to have to "dream of a white Christmas" this year. When I opened the blinds this morning to look outside... it was all white and still coming down. This afternoon, some of it has melted, but I think winter is finally here!