Christmas 2008

Here are some pictures of all of our Christmas festivities:


We did a little play of the nativity story with the girls this year. Some were very unwilling to dress up and act their parts, but it was fun anyway.

This was the innkeeper.


The girls always get to open a present on Christmas eve.


This year they got new jammies.

And here they are in all their cute pink-ness on Christmas morning.

Grandpa and Grandma B came over bright and early Christmas morning to open presents with us.

Dad was master video taper for the morning. I was working the camers, and that is why there are no pictures of me!


M with her tea cup pup.


A with her tea cup pup (can you tell they liked them?).
Here is little K. See how happy she is.....she seems to be enjoying her Christmas right?
Well the scene that followed at breakfast would make you think otherwise:

She opened all her presents and seemed to enjoy them all. Afterwards she walked around kind of sad (she had a cold so I thought that might be why). I think she was just trying to be tough and figure things out. She completely broke down crying at breakfast and said, "I didn't get anything I want." Dad asked her what she wanted and she said, "A fur real pony." She said the only thing she liked that she got was her Barbie movie. It broke my heart! After breakfast I was talking to her about it and she said, "I told Santa's helper (the dressed up man at the ward Christmas breakfast) that I wanted the pony. I guess I should have told the real Santa." The poor little thing. Her little world was shattered. I felt so bad I cried. I know she wanted the pony, but there is no way we could afford that! She got a fur real puppy, but she REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted that pony I guess. Her faith in Santa is shattered...he isn't as magic as she thought.

She seems to have recovered nicely and is enjoying all of her presents now....thank goodness!

H's favorite gifts were these bead necklaces.

She wasn't much interested in her other gifts. She just wanted to play on the stairs with her beads.













DH spoiled me with clothes, a new crockpot, glassware, cookbooks, and lotions. It was a fun day.

My santa babies....

My sister took the most adorable picture of her first little boy in a Santa hat when he was a baby. I kind of stole her idea and did the same thing with all my girls. I am so glad I did. They are one of my favorite Christmas decorations. Aren't they cute!

Christmas Tag

Blackeyedsue tagged me to do a Christmas meme, so here goes.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bag? Mostly wrapping paper. If it is something weird shaped then I will put it in a bag.

2. When do you put the tree up? This year we put the tree up the day after Thanksgiving, but we didn't decorate it until the day after that.

3. When do you take the tree down? Within a day or two of New Years.

4. Eggnog?? Oh YUM!!! I milk it down a bit though. I just bought some Vanilla spice eggnog the other day.....super YUM!!!!

5. Favorite gift received as a child? My stuffed cat my mom made, my life size doll my mom made, my doll house my dad made and my big sisters redecorated for me, and my Girbaud jean shorts my dad got for me.

6. Hardest person to buy for?? My dad. or my hubby's parents.

7. Easiest person to buy for? The kids or David

8. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? I usually mail. Last year we e-mailed.

10. Worst Christmas gift ever received? I don't remember any awful ones.

11. Favorite Christmas movie? The Santa Clause

12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually around September.

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Probably.

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Candy.....my orange and raspberry sticks. The Sant's chocolate almond balls. YUM!!!

15. Lights on the tree? Yes. White only.

16. Favorite Christmas song? Just about anything.

17. Least favorite Christmas song? The Little Drummer Boy....it drives me nuts!

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We use to travel, but since we have had kids we stay home now and do our traveling for New Years.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? An angel Moroni.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We usually have pajamas or something for the girls on Christmas Eve.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The cold, especially if there is no snow.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? My tree is all done in cream, burgundy and gold.

24. Favorite Christmas dinner? Ham, potatoes, peas, and cinnamon apple jello.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A new crock pot and clothes.

These are a few of my favorite things.....Five favorite treats during the holidays:

1. My orange and raspberry sticks
2. Sant's chocolate almond balls
3. English toffee
4. My aunt Irene's fudge
5. My mother-in-laws turtles

Five favorite Christmas movies:
1. The Santa Clause
2. Charlie Brown's Christmas
3. ?
4. ?
5. ?

Five Traditions during the holidays:
1. Making candy.
2. Sleeping by the Christmas tree one night
3. Christmas Eve...we always try to do something special to remember the birth of the Savior.
4. Advent Calendar
5. Holiday parties.

A few Christmas pics...

Merry Nifus Everyone!!!

In the words of my two year old...."Merry Nifus" everyone. I hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas and that your holidays are filled with joy and happiness. In honor of the holiday...here is my Nifus tree. Happy Holidays everyone!

Christmas Time MEME....

Suzanne from A Rose By Any Other Name had this MEME on her blog. I thought I would play along too.


Wrapping paper or gift bags? Mostly wrapping paper unless the present is an awkward shape and then I will use a bag.

Do you have a Nativity scene? Yes, we have a nativity scene that we purchased in Guatemala the year after we got married.

Do you like eggnog? I love eggnog, but I have to milk it down. I love that you can buy it at Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Favorite Christmas movie? The Santa Clause. We have a tradition that we sleep by the Christmas tree one night and we always watch the Santa Clause movie.

Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? Usually I will make homemade cards to mail, but this year we aren't sending any. :( I am sad because I really like making them.

Easiest person to buy for? Probably my kids, unless they change their minds!!

Real tree or artificial? Artificial tree. I hate the smell of pine.

Angel or star on the tree top? We have an angel Moroni on the top of our tree.

Have you ever recycled a Christmas gift? Yes, I am sure that I have.

Favorite Christmas song? Away in a Manger, and Silent Night. I absolutely hate the Little Drummer Boy song.

Do you travel at Christmas or stay home? We stopped traveling on Christmas day a few years ago. It was too hard to haul all of the Christmas presents for all the kids with us and still keep them hidden. Now we do our traveling after Christmas and over New Years.

White lights or colored on the tree? White...my hubby loves the colored, but I love the white. I guess I won that battle. :)

Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My homemade orange and raspberry sticks, the Sant's chocolate balls, dips and crackers/chips, wassail, any finger foods, and hot chocolate ( but not this year....so sad!).

Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes

When do you put up the tree? We usually do it the day after Thanksgiving, but my hubby was gone then, so we set it up the following Monday for FHE.

What is your favorite place to go at Christmas? I love to see the lights at Temple Square (as long as it is not too cold!)

Open presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? We usually will have a present for the girls to open on Christmas Eve....usually it has been pajamas, but last year it was snow pants. This year we aren't having an extra present to open that night. Everything will be opened on Christmas morning.

What do you love most about Christmas? Making all the goodies, making things for other people, shopping, spending time with family, and most importantly, remembering the birth of the Savior and feeling that wonderful spirit throughout the whole month.

I would love to hear about your Christmas too if you want to participate in this MEME.

Holiday Joy....

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. We had fun at our house, even though my 6 year old said she didn't get anything she wanted. We got to go visit my hubby's sister and go 4-wheeling in the snow on Christmas Day. And yesterday I got to go to my parent's house for a big family party. We had a ton of fun until our ride home. My oldest daughter gagged right before we left my parent's house, so my mom gave us a ziploc bag for the ride home. Boy were we glad we had that bag!!! She threw up several times on the way home and then every 20 minutes or so for the next 4 hours. Then our 3 year old started throwing up and two hours after that our baby started too. And this morning my hubby wasn't feeling good either. So between all that and washing all the bedding in the middle of the night I am exhausted....and hoping that I don't get sick too. I hope everyone else's Holiday is going better than ours....oh the holiday joy!

Something missing....

The Stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
The presents are wrapped and hiding downstairs,

The cards have all been made, labeled, and sent
To the Ward Christmas party we all have went,

but something is missing,what can it be....
Christmas goodies, for you and for me!

I am usually all over making Christmas goodies...orange and raspberry sticks (yes, homemade!), cream cheese mints and cinnamon mints, fudge, english toffee, peanut brittle, peanut butter cups, cinnamon hard candy, oreo fudge, and candied nuts are all usually made by now. However, for some reason this year I am not excited about making any of it. Maybe it is because my daughter is off track and I am trying to keep all the kids entertained and happy, maybe it is because of those pesky 13 pounds I put on since this same time last year, or maybe I am just tired of making the same old things. I think it is probably the last one on the list. My neighbors always give us a goody platter every year of homemade candy....homemade caramel, fudge, and these fabulous little chocolate balls. They have a white soft middle and are coated in chocolate, and then rolled in chopped almonds. They are so good. I have been craving them since last year. They are the only candy I want this year. My hubby asked them for the recipe yesterday for me. They said they would sent it with our platter of goodies. I am so excited!!!! I can't wait....I hope they don't forget. Please, please, please don't forget! I just have to have them! (Can you tell I am totally addicted to sugar!)

What goodies are a must at your house during the holidays? I would love to find out what other people make. Maybe it will get me excited to make some goodies afterall.

Favorite Christmas Decorations Part 1...

I wanted to share some of my favorite Christmas decorations. Blogger doesn't seem to like me to post more than three pictures at a time, so I had to make two posts, so make sure you check out my previous post too.

This is a Santa that we made in R.S. one year. I love that it is big. Most of my decorations are smaller table top decorations, so it is fun to have something bigger to set on the floor.

I purchased these gingerbread men at the craft store I use to work at. I love them because they are so cute and they have glitter all over them. I usually have them on my stove top bent around a scented candle. They look like they are out having a bonfire.

This is one of the first Christmas decorations that I made. The santa is holding a chalk board that we leave various messages on or count down the days until Christmas on.

My favorite Christmas Decorations Part 2...

My good friend Becky gave me this one year for Christmas because she knows I love frogs. It says, "Kisses under the Mistletoad".

I was fortunate to work with a super creative and crafty woman in young women's a long time ago. She made this (and several other adorable decorations I have around my house). She was so talented, and I learned so much about making crafties from her.

I found this little treasure at Deseret Industries for $1.00. I don't know why anyone let this cute thing go.

Thanks for stopping by to check out a few of my decorations.

The sweetest thing....

On Saturday I took each of my girls shopping to buy Christmas presents for their sisters. This was the first time they have ever bought gifts for each other. They have been collecting spare change from doing their chores for months. They each had enough to buy each of their sisters a $1.00 gift. They loaded up their money into their play purses and took turns going shopping. They both went skipping and dancing into the store with their little purses swinging on their arms. It was the sweetest thing! They were absolutely adorable trying to figure out the very BEST present for each of their sisters. I didn't think that the decision would take so long, but they certainly had fun shopping. They were so excited to pay the saleperson, and put the receipt in their purse. They were even more excited to get to wrap their presents with dad and put them under the tree. They were actually nice to each other the rest of the day! I think giving their sisters presents might be the most special part of Christmas for them this year. This is definately a tradition that we will do again!

Holiday Home Tour

Nettie is having a Christmas open house. Here are a few pictures of my holiday decor. Blogger isn't liking me too much, so I was only able to post these 4 pics. I might have to put up another post with a few of my favorite holiday items that are not shown here, but that will have to wait for another day. Thanks for stopping by!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care....At least they are really hanging this year. The first year I made them I forgot to attach loops to hang them from! I still need to embroider our names on them in gold thread...one of these days I will get around to it.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, how lovely are your branches. We love our tree. It is so pretty and sparkly when the lights are all on at night. Note the Moroni on top!

Here is our nativity scene. We purchased it in Guatemala after haggling a guy for it. It came with an elephant, but I thought that was strange, so we talked the guy into exchanging it for an extra camel. It also came with a HUGE baby Jesus. We had him give us a smaller one that went to another set, but it was still about as big as the donkey...luckily it got broken on the way home. I found the new baby Jesus, the manger, and the sheep at a local ceramics shop.

This is our entry way table decked out in holiday decor. My husband made the table last year for me for Christmas.

Christmas Meme...

UTMOMMY and SUZANNE recently did this meme on their blogs. I thought it looked like a fun one so I decided to try it to. Here goes:
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? I love them both. They are two of my favorite beverages. I just saw an ad in a magazine that had a picture of egg nog in a can...can you really buy the stuff in a can? I need to start a year's supply if they do.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? It depends on if they are easily wrapped. Mostly he wraps them, this year the toys are not getting wrapped, but everything else is.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Definately white...my hubby loves the colored though, so maybe we will have to do that sometime.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Yes. It is in the archway to my living room, and on the wall by it is a little quilt sampler that says, "Kisses under the Mistletoad" with a frog on it. (Rather fitting don't you think?)

5. When do you put your decorations up? We took all the fall decorations down the day after Thanksgiving and cleaned the entire house and then decorated for Christmas that night. We were going to waith until Saturday, but the kids were too excited. I will be sick of them before Christmas is over though. And for some reason, I wasn't all that excited to put them up this year. I didn't even put out a lot of things I usually do.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I LOVE finger foods....crackers and cheese, artichoke dip, cheeseballs, little smokies, sliced meat, olives, cut up fruit with creamy fruit dip, etc. Yum Yum Yum!! Maybe I will have to serve that for dinner tonight!

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: I remember one Christmas (I don't remember how old I was) and we came out Christmas morning to open presents and there was a row of stuffed animals (one for each of the kids) lined up by the tree. I remember a Christmas when I was a teenager when my Dad surprised me with a pair of Girbaud shorts. I jumped up and down screaming I was so excited. (I would do the same thing today if I could fit back into them!)

8. How and When did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't remember how old I was, but I learned it from my neighbor Angie. I don't remember being sad about it. I just thought, "Oh."

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? My family never did growing up, but my husband's family always got new pajamas, so we have started doing that with out kids, except for this year (since they didn't need pajamas) we bought them all snow pants instead.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? We have 2 trees. One is an artificial full-size tree with white lights, gold, burgundy, and ivory decorations. We have a small artificial "kid" tree with colored lights that has my kid's ornaments and the ornaments I got when I was a child on it.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I seem to dread it more and more the older I get. I am perfectly happy inside watching it snow, but I would rather not have to be in it. Sledding with the family is pretty fun though.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes...I can even go backwards. Don't ask me to do any jumping though.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Mine would have to be a Barbie that my husband gave me in 1999. His sisters had been going through all their Barbie stuff and it had made me sad. I had given away (stupid, stupid, stupid!) all of my Barbie things when I thought I was too "old" for them, and I have regretted it ever since. My hubby's sisters even had a Barbie that I had when I was little. It made me miss them even more, so that Christmas my hubby bought a Barbie for me because he knew I was sad about mine (we didn't even have any kids at the time). It was very sweet.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Remembering the birth of my Savior, and spending time with family.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? My homemade orange and raspberry sticks, which I am not going to make this year. I will miss them.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I have two.
One is from when I was little. My mom made a little nativity scene with stuffed people. There was a wooden manger under baby Jesus, and everytime we did a good deed we got to put a piece of straw under baby Jesus. It is something I would like to start doing with my own kids. My other favorite is from my husband's family. When him and his 5 brothers and sisters got to be a little older and were waking up too early in the morning to find out what "Santa" brought his parents came up with a little plan to keep them in their rooms longer. His parents set up booby traps all down the hall to try to keep the kids in bed...we are talking major traps here! They would tie yarn all around their bedrooms with bells on it so they couldn't even get out of their beds without making a lot of noise. They taped wrapping paper over the end of the hall, rigged up marbles so when a door was opened they would fall into a metal bowl. They did all kinds of things. They said they would stay up laughing their heads off trying to think of new booby traps. I think most of the kids enjoyed trying to get out of their rooms as much as they did the Christmas presents. The kids would even gather up supplies the night before....scissors for cutting string, a flashlight, candy (in case they were hungry), a cup (in case they couldn't get out to go to the bathroom). It is so funny to hear my hubby tell all the stories. I would like to try that with our kids, the only problem is that our bedroom is at the end of the hallway.

17. What tops your tree? A gold statue of Moroni...what better topper is there than that!

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? I actually prefer receiving (I know I am just a big kid!). I do love giving things to people that I have made though.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Silent Night, and I can't think of the names of any others (I never know the names of songs!).

20. What is your favorite Christmas story? The story of the birth of Christ of course, but I have always loved the story of the Match Girl. I remember listening to it on a record when I was a kid. I wonder if my parents still have it.

Well there are some of my Christmas memories. I would love to read yours, so let me know if you decide to do this meme as well.