We wish you a Merry Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Santa was able to make everyone happy. We all got everything that we wanted or if you ask Nichole we all got "the usual" The Usual? Hmmm I am unsure what "the usual" is??? We did also have some funny things happen this Christmas. Tyler got a buffalo webkinz for one of his Christmas presents. When asked what he was going to name it. He looked at it and noticed that it had 2 horns so naturally he said that he was going to name it horny. I suggested that he name it 2 horn instead. To which he agreed would be a much better name. Natalie got a piece of paper that had a redemption code for a free music download on one of her stocking stuffers. She turned to Nichole and said, "Hey Nichole do you want to listen to Ashley Tisdale?" Nichole picked up the paper, put it up to her ear, and said "I don't hear any music." At that point Natalie and I just started laughing. Natalie said "Nichole, it is for a free download on the Internet. You can't hear the music on there it is just paper." Nichole just started laughing and said "Oh". She really just had a blond moment. We spent most of the day hanging out as a family. Playing the Wii or watching someone else play it and watching T.V. It was so fun to have Rock and Meagan here too.

The kids got up a little after 6:00. I get this picture of them every year. Great isn't it.
Santa doesn't wrap presents at our house. He just leaves them on a chair. The kids really like setting their chairs out before they go to be on Christmas Eve. Nichole trying to look at her goodies and look at me at the same time.

Natalie liked all of her presents this year. Santa did good.

Wall E. Ohhhh Ella loves Wall E. She also got that dollhouse that is bigger then she is.

Tyler didn't want to stop looking at what he got to pose for me but he did give me a quick second of his time.

Nichole is getting ready to dump out her stocking

Ella was so happy and excited that she got an orange and a banana this year.

Nattie loved this hat and wore it most of the day.

Tyler is showing off his bakugan

Meagan and Rocky opening some gifts.

Ella watching Nate and Ty play the Wii. She had a piece of gum in her mouth all day long. Gum is her favorite treat.

Nichole is getting ready to put in her pink, beaded hair extention.

Tyler and Nate playing the Wii

Natalie looks so big in this picture. She got to pick out her own clothes this year. She fell in love with these boots. To tell you the truth I wish I had a pair of these too.

Nichole looks so much older in this picture too. She has her hair extention in.

We all had a great Christmas this year and we all hope that you did too!!!!

Otis has arrived

Rocky and Meagan brought our Christmas surprise to us when they came. The kids were all asleep when they got here but we couldn't wait until morning to give them the dog so we showed them that night. We took the dog and set it on Natties bed and she was so excited. It took Nichole a little while longer to figure out what was going on when the dog started to lick her face. When we put him on Tyler's bed he didn't wake up for a while so I told him that it was his dog and he said "Ha Ha very funny" until he realized that we were telling him the truth. Ella didn't really care she was just to tired to do anything about it. When we put Otis to bed he whined and whined and made this horrible sound that kinda sounded like a mixture between golem (when he says it my precious and yells) and a gremlin. He went on like that for so long that Nate and I ended up sleeping on the couch upstairs. All of the kids have loved having Otis around. They fight over whose turn it is to hold him and he runs away from Ella. He still whines alot when he is put in his Kennel but he is getting a little (a very little) better.
I thought that this picture was so ugly I had to post it.

Christmas Eve

This year we were especially lucky to have Rock and Meagan spend Christmas with us. They got here on the 23rd. They left Utah around 2:30 and didn't get here until almost 10 because the roads were closed from Utah to Idaho. We had a great time with them. We just hung out the first half of the day. Around 4:00 some of my friends came over for a Christmas Eve Dinner. It was delicious and we had a ton of food there. After the dinner Nate and I took the kids out to the tower to look for Santa. As we were leaving the base they closed it down and they wouldn't let anyone off the base. We were stuck there for 30 minutes. In the mean time the wind started blowing and it started snowing really hard. Finally when we were allowed to leave (we all cheered) we started heading home. It was so horrible outside. It was almost white out conditions. To make matters worse there were snow drifts outside at least a foot deep which pushed us all over the road. Nate felt most comfortable driving down the middle of the 5 lane road. I hated it. When we got home I was so relieved. As tradition in our house we opened our Christmas Eve presents (p.j's) and we watched our Christmas Eve movie. We watched how the Grinch stole Christmas and sent the kids to bed. They all crashed about a half of an hour after we put them to bed. Which was nice last year it took over a hour for them to go to sleep. My new Christmas jammie bottoms

Nichole's jammers

Nattie and Choley got to pick out there jams this year.

Ella is always one to strike a pose

Tyler was thrilled that his jammies had pockets.

Rock is such a dork in his pants.

Visiting with Santa

After the kids did the Nativity we all sang Christmas songs until Santa got there. Okay we really only sang about 10 seconds before Santa got there. All of the kids got to sit on Santa's lap. All of the younger kids got to go first while the older kids sang Christmas songs out in the hallway waiting for their chance to sit on his lap. The big girls didn't want to sit on Santa's lap but they went along with it after I told them they had to.

Tyler like every other time he has to do something was embarrassed to be sitting on his lap. But he did tell him what he wanted... A trip to Hawaii. I told him Santa can't make that and he only gives presents that he can make.

Ella was of course very excited. She has never been scared of Santa. She told him she wanted a big, big, big doll house.

Christmas Party

On Saturday we went to a Christmas Party at the church. It was a lot of fun. Nate and I had to be there early the men had to help set up and the Young Women had to help decorate. We ended up being at the church for 4 1/2 hours. There was a ton of food there too!! The program was really nice this year. After everyone arrived we ate then they did a slide show about Christ's life. It was really neat. While the slide show was going on the Primary kids went to get ready for the Nativity. Which was a very good thing because I don't think they would of been able to sit through the slide show. They were not going to do the Nativity this year and when the older kids found out they booed. So the Primary president called and asked if they could please do the Nativity? When the older kids found out that it was back on the kids cheered. I never knew they liked it that much. All of the kids did a great job.Nichole is saying her line in the Nativity. Natalie is behind the little girl in the red shirt and Ella is the girl in the pink shirt holding up the star.

Ella did great holding her star up really high the whole time although she couldn't hold it still. At least this year she stayed where she was supposed to be.

Tyler played a shepard. He is the one in all dark blue so he blends in with the curtain. All of the kids did great. Both of the girls had speaking parts which they did really well.

Happy Birthday Nicole

Happy Birthday Nicki D!!!!! I hope that you had a great one. I took Nicole out to lunch at AJ's for her birthday. Afterwards we went to my house to cards and hang out for a while. Nicole you are an awesome friend. I am so happy that I have you as a friend. Katie Holmes?
We were dancing to Mercy by Duffy and this part reminds me of So You Think You Can Dance

Playin cards

She's such a playya

The both of us!!!

The Bold List

THE BOLD LIST
Here is a list of different things people have done in their lives. Everything I've done on this list will be bold.
1. Started your own blog (obviously)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower (I tried my family went outside to watch one but everyone got impatient and went back in the house
6.Given more than you can afford to charity
7.Been to Disneyland
8.Climbed a mountain
9.Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14.Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20.Slept on an overnight train
21.Had a pillow fight
22.Hitch hiked
23.Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24.Built a snow fort
25.Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (so it was just a dinner cruise but cruise non the less)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung Karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (sadly)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (the outside)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person (I was only a few blocks from it but didn't go and see it)
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (4 times in just one summer)

Family Home Evening

Last night Tyler and Ella did FHE for us. They did a very good job. They talked about remember Christ and how he set an example for us on giving service to others, and how we needed to strengthen our spirit bodies, our physical bodies, and our mind. They both did a very good job. We had tons of fun. We got to pop balloons that had a question in them and we had to answer them. All of the kids needed help with popping their balloons. Ella was sitting on hers and her hands and feet were up in the air. Choley came over and popped her balloon and she dropped so fast to the ground on her bottom that I thought she was going to cry because it startled her so much. At the end of FHE Ella said the prayer. It was so cute all she said was help us have a good day tomorrow and thank you for Tissa. Which is her friend Kerissa. She was so excited that she gets to see her today she had to thank Heavenly Father for it. Tyler and Ella both worked very hard on their first FHE together. I am so proud of them.

Tyler drew this picture of Christ for our FHE.

The First Snow Fall on the Season

The kids had a great but short time playing in the snow when they got home from church today. They have been waiting for this day forever. Most of the kids love the snow. The big girls are starting to not enjoy it as much. I being not a snow fan sent the camera out with Nichole and put her in charge of taking some pictures. The kids really wanted to make a snowman but the snow was just not sticky enough. But they had a ton of fun anyway. I love sending the kids out with my camera because you never know what you are going to find on there. I told Nichole to make sure that all of the kids got picture's of them taken so this is her way of getting a picture of herself.
And here is another one of her

Ella and pretzel Doesn't she look happy

Here are 2 of the 4 chicken's we now have.

Poor pretzel got tons of snowballs thrown at her but she loved it.

Natalie snapped a picture of the poser.

Ella making a snow angel. Yes those are socks on her hands I guess we need to buy her some new gloves.

That trampoline is very slippery.

Go pretzel go!!!

Tyler trying to make a snowman.

Tyler what a cheesier he is.