Don't you dare touch that puzzle!

It is our tradition every year for Troy and I to do a puzzle on Christmas. We stay in our jammies and veg. Of course it is always a challenge to get the kids from destroying it every few minutes. There are always a lot of little fingers wanting to "help". We finished the day after Christmas because it was getting to difficult to hold off children.

Merry Christmas 2008

Soren showing off his gun. Heaven help me.

Logan taking a look at his gun.

Little Miss Muffet with her doll house. She is sporting a few bruises and a black eye from wrestling with Soren.

The kids all lined up waiting to go out to the family room.

The kids waiting to see if Santa came. I am not looking pretty this morning!

Last night for Christmas Eve the family all went over to the Porters. We have been friends with them for years and have spent Christmas Eve with them for the past 3 years. They are like family to us and we are so thankful for them. Last year Olivia was in the hospital with pneumonia on Christmas Eve and Day. The Porters were so wonderful taking care of my family while I took care of Olivia. This year we have a Christmas miracle. Olivia is not sick. Well, not like she used to be. We still struggle, but she is much improved from last year.
Last night I ended up giving Logan a sleeping pill so he would finally go to sleep. He was driving me bonkers. The other kids all went to bed fine. This morning bright and early at 6:30 am the kids came and woke Troy and I. As you can tell from the photo I did not get much rest last night. That is one of the things we still struggle with Olivia. She was congested last night and had a hard time breathing. It is our tradition to all wait in my room while Troy goes and checks to see if Santa has come. Then all the kids live up youngest to oldest and they all go out to the family room. Brings back a lot of memories from my childhood. We would do the same thing. I get so tickled to see the looks on the children's faces when they see what they got and start unwrapping presents.
Santa brought the kids a Wii this year. They are already having a lot of fun. Olivia got a doll house set. Troy and I bit the bullet and got Soren, Logan and Troy all Air soft guns. What was I thinking? We all have had a great morning and plan to rest and play for the rest of the day. I have already had a nap. Right after the kids opened their presents I went back to bed and slept for a couple of hours. Troy kept the kids busy so I could rest. Got to love the guy!
We miss all of our family on days like this, and it makes us want to be closer to everyone. We can't so we make the most of it. Our friends her have become our family, and for that I am grateful. We hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas. We are especially looking forward to have Troys Mom, Sister and her kids coming in a few days. The kids are all so excited to see their cousins. Now just a few more days until the New Year! Can you all believe how time flies?

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

The kids had a snow day. The wanted to get up first thing and go play in the snow. This is the first time for Olivia. She is in heaven. She hardly knows what to think about it all. Last year she was sick and had to watch out the window while everybody else got to play outside. We are so excited she could play in the snow this year! You could see that Izzie was having a good time too.

Hear comes Santa (and the Mrs.)

A first for Anna!

What did you say?

Last night was the ward Christmas party. We sang songs, had lots of goodies and the kids had a big pinata. Then, at the end of it Santa and Mrs. Clause came to see the kids. James Simpson was Santa this year so Anna did not completely freak out. Sister Simpson, James Mom was Mrs. Clause. She came up to Anna before they got in costume and told her it would be them dressed up. It was sweet the way she wanted to reassure Anna so she would not fall apart like she usually does. If ya'll don't know, Anna has a phobia of anything in costume. That includes mascots, Tooth fairy, Easter Bunny, Clowns, and pretty much all masks. We don't know why, but she falls apart and gets hysterical about it. She has never been able to get around a Santa with out freaking out. So last night was history in the making with Anna. She sat on James lap and told him what she wanted for Christmas. It was funny because she knows James really well, yet she still was nervous. She was very proud of herself. We were proud of her too! Olivia would not go up to him, but maybe next year.

Anna's band concert

Last night was Anna's very first band concert. There were three elementary schools that participated in the concert. It was held at Rio Rancho High school, so they thought that they were very special. To be honest, I was surprised how well they did. They had learned a lot more than I had anticipated. She got to dress up and wear a little makeup. It was a big night for her. Her music teacher, Ms. Jackson, has done a fabulous job teaching the kids their music. She really is a talented teacher. Anna has a lot of fun going to band twice a week in the mornings. I was shocked that Anna had decided to play the trumpet. I mean really, the trumpet? Anna's mouth is so small, I thought there was no way that she could blow hard enough to make any noise. She does just fine.

Rio Rancho Christmas Lights Parade

Policeman with their horses.

Hot air balloon basket throwing flames.

Troy spotted the kids and got overly excited!

Olivia was being silly waiting for the parade to start.

Last night, the City of Rio Rancho had their parade of lights. Troop 714 had a float in the parade. Troy made a sign for the truck and they put Christmas lights all over the truck. Right before they started the fuses in the truck blew out and the lights didn't work. So there they were in the parade of lights, without any lights. I had to laugh. Logan and Troy still showed a lot of enthusiasm for the parade. Anna, Ella, Soren and Olivia all got excited over seeing the neat floats. They especially liked the ones with the horses. One float had baskets from hot air balloons and they were burning the gas. The flames were huge. Soren loved that one. The kids all had a great time, I got very weary and Logan froze. Turned out to be a great night.

A few of my favorite things.

Glass jars filled with white lights.

Red carnation in little jars. One of my favorite things.

Making the house smell yummy.

My "Tis the Season" banner.

My Snow Guys!

Some of my favorite things are
1. Scented candles. Nothing creates a warm and cozy feel in a house than a yummy smelling candle. During the Christmas season I like to have Baked Apple, Holiday Wreath, Cinnamon Roll or anything that smells like the holidays!
2. Lots of decorations. The ones I love the most, are the ones the kids bring home from school. Kids find the Christmas season so magical, it will always rub off onto me.
3. Christmas treats. There is no denying it we all gain wait during the holidays. I think it is sacrilegious to deny ourselves the treats the holidays bring!
4. The music. It seems to be on at our house 24/7. It puts us all in a better mood, and we find ourselves being kinder to one another.
Take a minute to think of some of your favorite things for the holiday season!