Happy New Year!

 This is what Christmas looked like before santa came. These are presents for eight children and one handsome husband and they only got one present from santa. I scaled down a lot this year! I told the kids this year that there will be no electronics for any presents this year and I know this sounds cheesy to some but I prayed about what to get all the kids this year. I was inspired to get things that can help them develop some talents, paints, canvas, sculpting clay, ect. It was the best Christmas we ever had and I didn't have that sick feeling that I normally get after christmas is over that I spent too much on them or that they got too many worldly things. I also got lots of books and board games for the kids and it was wonderful!

Because I babysat for Michelle Ray this year, she made a whole bunch of cute hats for the kids and this is one of them that she made, I am practicing my bardering skills. I think it makes her look like Strawberry Shortcake! 

Sledding!!

On Christmas Eve as a family we went to the big hill at the neighborhood park and went sledding. Our neighbors (the bishop and his wife) came with his kids and grandkids to join us. We're missing Hawaiian Princess, Danny Boy, and Baby Sissy. The Bishop took videos of us and made one giant video of all of us! Enjoy!!

Merry Christmas Eve

Even our neighbors came to play!  We have this great hill at the park behind our house and the kids just love to go sledding!

We made Gingerbread houses and went sledding!

But we are missing our extended family and can't wait to skyp them tomorrow!

Merry Christmas!

My early Christmas Present

About a month ago I was at Shopko late at night shopping and the parking lot was dark. I shouldn't have been there that late but I was. The next day when we were getting our kids in the van through the sliding big door to go to church we noticed in big bold letters...Well I won't tell you what it said, this is a family blog but I will give you a hint: it's a female dog. Anyhoo I was soooooo mad that they keyed that aweful word into my van and on the side that we get to look at, every time we get into the car. We first went to a body place and they gave us some bad news, that since this is dug all the way to the metal they would have to buff it out and it would cost thousands of dollars. We had our insurance guy look at it, since it was vandalism and he said that they wouldn't cover the cost of it. So Sloane and his handy dandy photographer, Michelle Ray designed this surfboard and then we had our graphics designer make it for us, one for each side of the van, and we love it! If you'll notice they even keyed my van all down the side of the van as well. I will keep my emotions in check and not get mad all over again and just say that these are hard times and there are a lot of angry people out there and I feel sorry for them.

Night at the Museum...

 It was such a fun night at the museum! They had a band that was fun to listen too and all these gingerbread houses and all these really neat nativities from all around the world, I didn't even take pictures of half of them, that's how many they had! Best of all it was free to anyone! Great FHE night!

 In another part of the museum they had an old town with a photographer (the old camera), and kitchen with this neat old wood burning stove(my dream stove, no really it is!), then a sewing shop(the old sewing machine)