It's Christmas Time!

I love Christmas time! I love the foggy nights, and coats, sweaters and gloves! I love the warmth and smell of lit candles! I love Christmas songs and yummy Christmas treats! I love wrapping presents, and chatting with strangers in line when I'm buying the presents! I love reminding my kids to think about if they are being naughty or nice (usually when they are being naughty) followed by my terrible singing of one of my favorite Christmas songs (now that I am a parent), Santa Clause is Coming to Town. I love hot chocolate and candy canes and walking into a store and hearing the best Christmas song of all time, Baby It's Cold Outside! Christmas time is just the best!

So, here were are, starting off the holiday season, decorating the Christmas tree! The kids always love to help, which means I usually have some rearranging to do when they are at school!
A few years ago, we gave in and bought an artificial tree. I thought I would miss the tradition of going out and cutting down a tree, but so far, I haven't! It's clean, it's dry, it's not lopsided, and it's prelit!

I keep saying I'm going to get a real tree for the kids. They could put it in the loft and decorate it with all the cute things they make at school. So far, I haven't done it. For now, our tree is a mixture of my stuff and theirs. Maybe next year I will have a "pretty" tree and a kids tree!Yes, that is the second floor that I am using to help balance myself!

I bought garland after Christmas last year for my stairs! I love it! Next year I want to add berries!

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season! Merry Christmas!!

It's Done!

I finally finished my wedding album! I was going to give it to Jason for Christmas, but I keep wanting his opinion on things! He has already seen it, but he said he is still excited to see it published in a real book! To check it out, click here !

The Ranch

Last Saturday, I finally got out to the ranch with Jason and the kids! Before I had Ashlyn, we spent most of our Saturdays out there. With a baby, I have to schedule around nap time and load up a million things just to spend a few hours at the ranch. It has been a while since I have been out there!

I forgot have how much I love to ride! It took a little bit to get used to it again and I'm not as aggressive on my quad as I used to be, but it was so much fun!

Me

I can't believe how much better Austin is! He seems so grown up on his motorcycle!

Austin catching some air

Lauren

I always love watching Jason ride! He is so happy when he rides and he seems like such a big kid! It is so fun for him to have his buddies out there to "play" with.

Jason Jason and Matt
Margaret, Matt, Jason, Ashlyn, Aaron

Black Friday

For the last several years, the day after Thanksgiving, I have gone out to do the crazy Black Friday shopping with my mom and my sister and usually my aunts and sometimes my grandma. We get up at some crazy odd hour when it is still dark and cold, and wait outside for some store to open. The deals are great, the lines are long, the stores are crowded and traffic is terrible, but I look forward to it all year!


This year was different. I slept in. BUT, I still went out at 10am. The lines were long, the stores were crowded, traffic was terrible and the deals were still great, but it didn't quite feel like Christmas shopping. SO.... I bought lots of things for me! :-)

Jen, Me, and my Aunt Michelle

I did get some of my Christmas shopping done and I still had a good time! Next year, I'm going to the midnight sales at the outlets!

Thanksgiving

I know this post is a little over due. I can't believe the week has gone by so quickly!

This year, for Thanksgiving, we went to Danale's house. Here are a few pictures from the day...

Danale, Stephen and Jason

Colton, Tara and Ashlyn

Mindy and Sam

We are so excited for Sam and Mindy who just got engaged!!! We love Mindy and have always hoped they would get married! We are so excited to have her as part of our family!Danale and Tara

After we left Danale's, we went to visit Jason's dad. I know I say it all the time, but we just love our families. It is always so much fun to spend time with them all. It is about a three hour drive for us to visit and is usually crazy getting there, but it is always worth it.

Family Pictures

When Janelle was here last week, she took our family pictures. She is an amazing photographer!!! I love the fall colors! I need some help picking the best one. What do you think?

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4.I love all the pictures she took of the kids! I think they turned out so cute!

Pick a favorite Jessica picture!

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I think I am going to need a vote on Ashlyn's pictures too. She was just so cute!

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She took a few of Jason and I, but we were laughing so hard that we look pretty bad in them! It was funny though! Here is the one that I like the best, but I am glowing white! Janelle, can I give myself a suntan with photoshop????

Okay, last picture I swear, but I think it is kind of cute. I was trying to get Ashlyn to stay where she was and Janelle took a few pictures.
Thank you Janelle for being so patient and for sharing your amazing talent with us!!! Love you!

Happy Birthday Billy!

We went out to dinner for Billy's birthday on Wednesday and then went back to his house to give him a few presents.

Billy and his cute wife Jen opening a game from Janelle

My family has all kinds of traditions, and the silver bag with the teal polk-a-dots is one of them. It's called "The Present Bag". It started years ago. It was some one's birthday and I think it was my mom who forgot to wrap her present. She found this gift bag that someone had received a gift in and decided to reuse it.

Now, for each of our birthdays, we don't wrap each others gifts. The unwrapped gifts sit out of sight, waiting to be paraded in (usually by a very excited child) in The Present Bag. It is a fun tradition. The kids love to be the one to bring in the present and there isn't any clean up!

After Billy opened his presents, we played a game called Things. Our family is pretty funny, so we had a good time. It was just the adults and we laughed pretty hard! I love my family!

Happy Birthday Billy! I love you!

Family Night

Last week, my little sister Janelle was in town with her family! It was so fun to have her here! It gets totally crazy when all the cousins are in the same place at once, but they love it so much!

I took a few pictures of Janelle leading family night. She told the story of Nephi and his brothers going back to get the plates while the kids acted it out. It was pretty cute! Tyler knew the story so well that he was always one step ahead of Janelle! Peter joined in the fun at one point. We love Peter! He is just so much fun! We are so glad Janelle married him! He has the best personality!

These aren't the best pictures, but it is a moment I want to remember. I loved having our families together and I love Janelle and the example she is to me.
Tyler was sitting on the floor and Ashlyn decided he would make a great chair, so she just backed herself in! Kids are so cute!