The BIG 7-0

Today my Dad celebrated his birthday...the big 7-0!! This is one of my favorite photos of him-so young, care free, and enjoying time with his family (my brother on his back:) Although many years have passed since this picture, he still looks the same to me. My Dad is one of the best people I know. He leads by quiet example with much wisdom. I so love his sense of humor and his funny little quirks. I feel so lucky that I can go to him for any reason. I am so proud to be his daughter and I wish we could be there to celebrate this special occasion with him... We love you so much Dad and hope you enjoy your day!!!

Christmas Day!!

The morning began around 7:30 ...not bad at all for 3 little ones!! The girls made a quick stop to check the goody plate and make sure the Santa key was brought in from the front porch, then it was a race downstairs, entering the family room youngest first:)

First gift opened was from Mark and I...new fleece blankets I made for each of them. Our girls LOVE their blankets...problem is when they get a new one, they don't want to get rid of an old one...so we end up with a lot of blankies that are dragged around the house...oh well!
Santa had surely not forgotten them and soon we were buried in a mess of wrappings and new things to play with....everyone had fun with the newborn baby that Emm got. Another baby to take care of....How will she manage?
The girls always have fun picking out gifts for each other and for Mark and I. Bailee had written a story for Mark about their backpacking trip this Fall and I got a.....box of dirt...that's right she really does love me:) I had to dig to the bottom where I found an .....IOU...seriously!! She did this all on her own, clever little thing. My gift won't be finished until January, can't wait to see what it she has come up with!

Even Stewy was remembered. Santa filled his stocking with some treats and I made him a blanket to snuggle with the girls.
I remember as a kid, part of the fun on Christmas was having all your "stuff" left out in the family room to play with all day..or DAYS. After a few hours of not being able to see the floor, I could not take it any more and worked really hard to organize their stuff into tidy little piles...this lasted about as long as the picture taking:) How did my parents handle 3x's this???

Bailee was thrilled with her doll furniture and clothes and is so anxious to pick something out from American Girl:)

Kars got a doll bed as well, but was more excited about her Denver Broncos stuff and Lego sets. The two of us spent a good part of the day putting her Lego Christmas village together:)
Emmrey got a really cool dollhouse that I am sure Santa made himself;) And she did get her "fake plant" that she had her mind set on...but the Newborn baby took her heart and she lovingly named her JJ. It was a wonderful day...we are still in a mess, but it is all worth it, just watching the girls play together day after day makes my heart melt.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!!!

Christmas Eve

After much anticipation, Christmas Eve finally arrived. Because most of our countdowns ended on Christmas Eve, the girls were looking forward to this day as much as Christmas itself!! We had plenty to do to keep us busy, although it couldn't come fast enough!! The girls were very excited to learn that Santa had sent them a very personal e-mail message for each of them...Karsyn was convinced that this was proof that the big guy had indeed received her letter!! Emmrey could not believe that he knew her name and had all sorts of information about her...and Bailee just wondered how on earth he got those pictures of them...YIKES!!

We made our Gingerbread house which has become a tradition for us. We decided to try and simplify and make one big house together...I think the girls want to return to making their own next year:)

The girls opened their Christmas PJ's from us (thank you Grandma Shirley)...they have become so accustomed to this gift that they already know what it is before they open so we caved and let them open a gift from their cousins.

We also opened a special gift from Grampa Wayne and Gramma Cheryl. It was The Night Before Christmas....read by.....Grampa himself...WOW!! The girls were in awe that it was Grampa's voice booming through the pages. What an incredible gift that we will be able to enjoy year after year...Thank you both so very much...we will cherish it forever!!

I also read the girls the Story of the Christ Child, which my Mom read to us every Christmas Eve so it was not just any old story....now if I could just get the props that go with it:) We watched a short movie and enjoyed Eggnog Shakes before tracking Santa...he was coming soon!

We set out our goodies for Santa ...and we couldn't forget the reindeer:) The girls always love to leave notes with questions for Santa...which he ALWAYS answers:)

Bailee: What do your Reindeer like to eat the most??
Karsyn: Do you ever get a stomach ache??
Emmrey: Why do you visit our house??

The girls were all in bed by 10:00...although Bailee claims she was awake when the Big Guy made his stop;) Karsyn was just giddy with excitement and has never gone to bed so quickly. Emmrey was pretty worried about Santa peeking to see if she was asleep and asked that we shut her door. She kept telling us that she was excited for him to come but worried about him "looking at her". Before long they all had visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads.....

Christmas Light Stroll

About a block from our house there is a Dead End road that gets "lit up" for Christmas. We usually drive down it at some point during the month and last night it was so warm...(nearly 40 degrees), that Mark decided it would be perfect for a little stroll. We bundled up and headed for the light show. Now I know it is nothing like some of the spectacles you might see in the big city, but this little lane was just as much fun for the girls...and we got in a nice walk too:) We came home and warmed up with some Hot Chocolate...mmmm!!

 

"Read"down to Christmas

I love a good Christmas story. We have a nice big binder filled with them and every year I pull it out and (usually)have a good cry as I read them to the girls. I decided this year to change things up a bit. We have acquired a little collection of Christmas Books over the years and we had enough to create a countdown. With Emmrey asking every day "how many more days til Christmas?", I figured this was a great idea. I wrapped each book and placed them under our Family Tree. Each night the girls take turns opening a book and then we read it. Great way to countdown, read and enjoy Christmas stories together by the light of the tree...a win-win-win scenario:)

Funfilled Saturday!!

Last Saturday we had one of those days that was go, go, go...but fun, fun, fun (well most of it anyway;) We started off bright and early and headed to the church for a Christmas breakfast. It was a nice change to the dinner since evenings seem to get so busy this time of year. The girls were very excited with their Sub 4 Santa gifts in hand. We bought for a 18 year, 3 year and 18 month old...ALL BOYS. This made shopping lots of fun!!
Check out the perfect skiff of snow that covered everything that morning...BEAUTIFUL!


We enjoyed yummy food, entertainment and a visit from the "main man". Although Emmrey had sworn off the big guy this year, other than via mail, she had a moment of weakness and decided a short sit would be okay...I guess there is strength in numbers (aka sisters)



I spent the "not so fun"part of the day at the Library trying to finish up my school work....and then we were off to spend the evening with friends for pizza and games. What a fun night!!!



Emmrey had fun running around with her little buddy Grant and his sister Riley. Look at the two of them "holding hands"...yeah it's cute for NOW:)
Karsyn got to hold baby Carson. She thinks it is pretty awesome that they share a name!!

Hugs and Kisses

This year we tried to keep our goody plates simple. We spent an afternoon making hundreds of Hugs and Kisses (aka Bellybuttons). The girls were such good helpers and they only ate a few of the goods along the way:) I love these because they are so easy...even I have a hard time messing them up, although it has happened! Traditionally, I get these grand ideas for goodies I want to make for friends and neighbors and then.....DISASTER....STRESS....MARK GETS FRUSTRATED WITH ME...Not this year!!! These little goodies, while delicious, seem a little less sweet because they are made with a pretzel and all, sure they are covered with a Kiss/Hug and an M&M...but still:)

Such good little helpers!!

Wagon loaded and ready to make some deliveries!!!

Holiday Helpers

The Sunset Student Council spent a week in December selling various treats during lunch. The money they raised, which was just shy of 500 big ones, was donated to Holiday Helpers. The organization helps provide Christmas for the needy in the community. Along with the donation, the kids had the opportunity to spend the evening at the armory wrapping, sorting and filling boxes for delivery.

I was so glad Karsyn got to be a part of this and had so much fun spending some quality Mother/Daughter time with her while helping others.

Kars and some of her fellow "councilwomen/man"

More Christmas Programs

We have had a busy month filled with performances with all three of the girls...Karsyn had a part in her 3rd grade school play, "Compose Yourself". The program was filled with all the famous music composers....Bach, Beethoven, Brahms......and Karsyn played a student learning the violin with these greats as her inspiration!!!

She did such a good job and was given the additional job of speaking for her little classmate, Vince who would not say his lines. We are very proud of her!! (Sorry for the poor picture...bad lighting)

Karsyn and two of her best buddies, Kya and Emily

Emmrey had a singing performance with her preschool at the bank dowtown. They sang 5 songs that she had been practicing religiously. The cutest was "Run Rudolph Run". They wore sunglasses and baseball hats and used a paddle for a guitar. I wish I would have been able to upload the video of it...too cute!!

Go Emmy!!

Emm and her twin (who happens to be her best friend) Jane

"Frosty Hand Jive"

We enjoyed a night of Christmas music at Bailee's choir concert. She has so much fun singing with her group, now if we could just get her to sing by herself. Actually she will do it if she is given the lead in the school play and is asked to do a solo...No problem. Singing alone for her choir teacher...also no problem. When we ask her to sing something for us....Problem!! We have heard her sing alot, it just has to be spontaneous and she has a beautiful voice. We sure hope that she uses that talent of hers!!

Since Grampa and Gramma don't ever get to see her perform, here is a snipet for you all to enjoy!!

Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

Because we were out of town for Thanksgiving and the following weekend Bailee had a swim meet, we were a little later than usual getting our tree this year. Okay, so it was still the first week of December, but it seemed late!! Mark decided to detour from our usual tree picking area up the North Fork and head for Sunlight Basin instead. It was treacherous getting up there...the roads were terrible, but the snow everywhere made it beautiful and the girls had fun sledding. We had a great selection of trees and we ended up with a nice Spruce...mmm love that smell!!

The girls were so excited to decorate it, but it neede to thaw out overnight before bringing it in the house...so we patiently waited.

Then we turned out the lights and turned up the Christmas music and got to work!! I just love seeing all the unmatched ornaments that bring back so many good memories, and the girls LOVE to find all their ornaments and finding the perfect spot for them on the tree.

Christmas Tree 2010

Extended Stay

Our trip to Utah was set to be short. However, when we woke up to leave Sunday, we were welcomed with a snowstorm that lasted ALL DAY and never let up. So...we extended our stay one more day.
We cuddled with Grampa and Gramma and played with their new building toys.




We spent time with Uncle Sean who will be moving to Texas soon...
Good Luck Sean, we will miss you!



The girls had the best time spending the day playing with their favorite things at Grampa & Gramma Smith's






We ate YUMMY peaches...mmmm:)


And Mark shoveled LOTS of snow!!


Thank you all for letting us hang out with you for our Thanksgiving break!!