12th Day of Christmas...

How Was your Christmas??? We had a great Christmas... I love how excited the kids get and how excited they get for each other... or to give their gifts. Canyon was really into giving his gifts he had picked...He loved wrapping them too. We let him just pick what he wanted which was kind of fun... Maddie got a fry cooker from him, Liv pet shops and Hayden got legos.... It was fun, not all kids get (especially that little) that it is almost more fun to give...

Here is Hayden with his favorite gifts... an Ipod, an air gun and a video game of course!!

Here is Madz, she asked for a Cotton Candy maker..... she loved it!!! (As you can see)
Each year she asks for really random gifts, people even start asking us what is on her list... this year she wanted an English phone booth... Santa couldn't pull through with that one, she got a t-shirt with a phone booth, but he made up for it with the Cotton candy maker, it is a real industrial size machine......... and I think it fits in with her odd gift collection. Last year she got a bow and arrow, she's received crutches, a metal detector..... etc Its kind of fun!

Anyone craving cotton candy come by or give her a call, she loves to make it!!

Here is Olivia with her favorite gifts, she got Rebecca the American girl doll, a sewing machine and Furbees.... I know they are 10 year old toys, but Maddie told her about them when they were talking about Zoo Zoo pets and she decided she really needed one.... after getting it, I think she is a little afraid of it. She asked me to come get it when she was going to sleep because it kind of freaked her out... I think she thinks it is a gremlin...

Here's little Canyon.... he so wanted all the characters from Toy Story and Hungry Hungry Hippos...His age is so fun!!

Here are Madz and Liv with their American Girl dolls... Maddie got Kaya which she has wanted for a really long time....

About an hour after everything was opened Tom told me and the girls there was one more present for us, it was wrapped in a huge box, and for all 3 of us so I thought it must be a chest to store our American girl doll stuff in.... (I have a small fetish if you didn't know).... anyway it was these t-shirts and tickets to Taylor Swift....!!!.... We were so excited we absolutely love Taylor Swift

All in all we had a great Christmas we feel very blessed to have spent it with family....

"through the years we all will be together" right!!

I hope you all had a great Christmas too!

On the 11th day of Christmas.....

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!!

On the 10th day of Christmas...

How do you incorporate more of the true meaning into Christmas?..... In years past we have had the manger out, and then you put hay in it each time you do nice things for each other. We have not done that for a few years, and this year we really should have my kids have been fighting so much lately!! I ask the kids (especially Canyon because he is young) why we really have Christmas at least every other day through the whole season, but this year we haven't read stories or anything..... and today Maddie said it doesn't really feel like Christmas. It was after we finally read Luke 2 and watched the movie on Jesus' birth that they finally felt like it was Christmas, so any ideas on how to spread this out throughout the whole Season and not just on Christmas Eve???

The 9th Day of Christmas

Today's question is what are your favorite Christmas programs?

From dance concerts to school recitals, there is always that one kid that stands out for one reason or another. Check out Canyon in his school program - and yes, he stands out!

Merry Christmas!

The 8th day of Christmas

Today my question is do you still do Christmas Cards?? I love to get Christmas Cards especially ones with pictures.. Tom keeps telling me its a dieing notion... like the Newspaper... so each year I wait until now like 3 days before Christmas and then either don't send them, send them late or find some the next year stamped and labeled that I did not get sent out.... so here are my top picks for the picture this year... as you can see I'm in a dilemma with that too, not one picture that everyone is looking at the camera or not pulling some kind of weird face.....would you give up yet another year on sending out cards? Or ????/

7th day of Christmas.... Traditions

One of my very favorite things about Christmas is traditions....What are some of your families traditions?? On Christmas Eve we have a tradition of getting together with my family and reading the Christmas story in Luke 2, and my parents give everyone pajama's. This year we had to do it earlier, with every one's in-laws and work etc it is getting harder to get everyone there. This year my parents gave everyone these red union suits with their nicknames on the back. It was so much fun...... If my dad gives you a nick name that is usually all he will call you.... so it was so fun for the kids especially...

We were trying to get pictures of everyone, and as you can see we had a hard enough time with just the grand kids... my parents gave 31 pairs (including their own)... Don't you love how the tiny ones are trying to show their nicknames...

Tom's a good sport he put his on for pictures. He said they were made exactly for his body type. (You can laugh)

Me and the girls...... Lila (miss lila), Emme (Emme K.) and Zarley (nanny) with Andrew's butt... (drewby)

Canyon (cotton) and Olivia (Pecos)... Canyon has never liked Grandad calling him Cotton until tonight.... Now he likes it and does not want to come out of his "Cotton" pajamas ever!

Maddie, was so funny after about the 3rd person getting the exact same pajama's she said "are we all getting the same?" "I'm getting some of those?" She then started crying really crying because she was so excited to get this kind of pajamas she's always wanted them I guess... and the fact that we were all going to match with our nicknames on the back was too much for her... really real tears!! She's cute and easily pleased and I love that about her. The other thing that started last year is everyone chanting your name when its your turn, it is so funny to listen to the tiny ones join in or keep it going.

"Peace Good will toward Men"!

This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions... and this year was all the more fun, matching with your fun names to boot!! What are your favorite traditions???

6th day of Christmas

On the 6th day of Christmas....... I want to wish you all a "Merry CHRISTMAS" Does the whole Politically correct thing bug anyone else???? Why is it offensive to wish someone a Merry Christmas, and why in the Sam h*** does 80% of the country have to bow down to the remaining 20%!!! It drives me totally crazy... It is totally fine to wish someone Happy Kwanzaa or Happy Hanukkah, but for the majority of us it is pushing our beliefs on to the rest to say Merry Christmas??? Seriously this kills me, a few years ago I went to help with reading groups at the school, we read a book all about Kwanzaa. I found it very interesting and was happy my daughter was learning what this holiday was about. Yet the very same year we are told we can not have a "Christmas" party because we can't use the word Christmas at school because it may offend someone what the crap?? Really what is the difference? Oh that's right the majority celebrate Christmas!! and really if someone said Happy Hanukkah to you would you be offended because you are not Jewish?? I will not ever bow down I will not send out cards that say Happy Holidays even... I make sure mine always say Merry Christmas.... at the end of my recital I had all the kids yell Merry Christmas. (that's what they said if anyone couldn't hear) and I certainly do not think it is offensive!! Remember a few year ago when the girl at West High sued the school because they sang Christmas songs... really! Ok I could go on forever, what are your thoughts on this??