Last Daily December 31: Happy New Year's Eve!

Wow,  I didn't really know if I was going to be able to make it the whole month of December with daily blogging, but I did.  Yeah!  Thank heavens for the option to schedule your posts ahead of time :)  I think December is kind of a crazy month to do that, but there is also lots to share.  I hope you have enjoyed it.  We are getting ready for our New Year's Eve get together with some friends tonight.  It has sort of become a tradition that we have Chinese food for dinner, which I love!

One of my contributions is egg rolls.  I make my mom's recipe which she got from some friends when I was about 8 who are from Africa.  I know Africa and egg rolls don't really go together, but my African friend's egg rolls are the best!  They are a process to make, but it makes tons and are so worth it.  So, we are egg roll wrapping today so we can devour them tonight and ring in the New Year! 

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and here's to more blogging next year!!!

Daily December 30: Fun new games

We love games at our house.  We got some fun new ones for Christmas that I wanted to share.

*Ratuki is a fun, fast paced card game that Miss A got.  Very quick to play and very addicting. 

*LeftCenterRight is a dice game with chips that we played last year at a school family game night, and we loved it.  I didn't know where to find it, but then Wal-mart had it advertised right before Christmas, so I ran out and got one for Miss E.  It is really fun and simple. 

*The Scrambled States of American Game is a fun US geography type card game based on the book by Laurie Keller. 

*Rory's Story Cubes is an awesome imagination game.  Anyone can come up with a cool story, no right or wrong answers, just roll the dice and think of a story.

New Year's Eve/Day is always a big game playing time at our house.  We will be playing these and others.  Hope you have fun playing games at your house too!

Daily December 29: House lights

I thought I better post this before we take these down this weekend.  Ben is our lights extraordinaire expert.  I can't make it beyond the second rung of a ladder.  I direct from the ground.

He put these up before Thanksgiving.  Great job on the lights sweetie!  Now you get to take them down :)  Until next year. . .

Daily December 28: My gift to Ben

Today my sweetie and I are celebrating our sweet 16.  16 years of marriage.  16 years of love, fun, sweat, tears, laughter, and everything in between.  They have been the 16 best years of my life, and I wouldn't exchange them for anything.  I am looking forward to another 50 plus to come :)  Sure love you sweetie!

For Christmas I wanted to do something extra special for Ben.  My dad is a professional artist and a retired college art professor.  He does private commissions all the time, but he has never done my kids, so for Christmas this year I commissioned my Dad to draw my kids as my Christmas present for Ben.  I loved the way they turned out!  I cried when I saw them.  They are amazing!!!  The below pictures do not do them justice.  I just took them before they were matted and framed with my point and shoot, but you get the general idea and can see how good they are.

Mr J

Miss O

Miss E--love how she has her head cocked

Miss A

My Dad took pictures of the kids and then drew from the pictures he took.  He only works off his own photos that he takes.  My dad is amazing.  Needless to say Ben loved them.  We are excited to hang and display them at home.  Of my 16 years of wedded bliss, these 4 kids are my greatest treasures.

Christmas Day 2011

Christmas Day in the morning (like 6:30 in the morning :)

Stockings are always first at our house

It isn't Christmas without some kind of train for Mr J

Who would think you could get so excited about a book?  Love it :)

Or pens and stationary?  Miss A is a writer.

HP Legos are definitely something to get excited about.

I was super excited about my gifts--Project Life Cobalt edition for 2011--yeah!!

All ready for Church.  Miss A played a piano solo and did wonderful, and Miss E's snap watch matches her dress so well, but it was a present from her sister, so what can you do? :)  love it

After church we went to my parents for lunch and more presents.  We all loved our new BYU shirts that Ben's parents gave us.  They know us really well.

Hope you all had a blessed and wonderful Christmas!!

Christmas Eve 2011

Mr J played 5 Christmas songs that we sang to.  I was impressed.   He did a great job.  Miss A, Miss O, and Miss E also all played Christmas songs that we sang to.  We sing a lot on Christmas Eve :)

Miss O and my brother-in-law played guitars while we sang.

Then we do our Nativity re-enactment.  Miss E was Mary.  The 3 wise men are visiting the baby here. (yes, the baby was a teddy bear, can you believe we have no baby dolls in my house?  The kids looked and looked.  Not a one could be found.  Where did they all go?  Kind of made me sad.

The kids always open one present on Christmas Eve---new pajamas.

This year they got a bonus present to open Christmas Eve, and I think it was their favorite of all.  Ben's dad always makes the kids some cool thing for Christmas.  He is very creative.  This year he made them all real wood, fancy, individualized (with their name and different designs and jewels) Harry Potter wands in boxes with labels from Olivander's in Hogsmeade and with labels that said, "This wand picked you, Mr J"  The kids were so excited about their wands!  Thank you Grandpa and Grandma!  The spells are flying around my house!  Huge HP fans here!

Daily December 27: Blue Jeans Week 49

What a week, what a week--you prepare and prepare for this time of year and it goes so quickly, but we enjoyed it.  I hope you did too.

Sunday:  Before Church we had a little bit of quiet time, and Mr J read to Miss E.  Yes, my kids fight like cats and dogs, but every once in a while they get a long, and we have some nice peace.  I try to get pictures of those moments so I can remember them amidst the cat and dog fights :)

Monday:  Christmas goodie plates--got them ready and delivered

Tuesday:  School Christmas program.  Miss E is in the middle black and white dress playing the alto recorder.  I am so grateful that my kids go to a public school and they can sing "Silent Night," "Away in a manger," and talk about the real meaning of Christmas-- their classrooms have a nativity set in them.  I count that a blessing of living in a small town.

Wednesday:  We made big, soft gingerbread men cookies tonight--a favorite Christmas tradition

Thursday:   Around Christmas we always like to go up to the big city for a night to see the lights and spend a night in a hotel with an indoor pool--another fun Christmas tradition

Friday:  Miss A's birthday and her cake.  It is a tradition at our house that the birthday kid gets to decorate their own cake.  My kids love doing that.  They get to do it with their Dad.

Friday picture #2: Another Christmas tradition is the kids always get to sleep by the Christmas tree the night of the 23rd.

Separate posts for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day--how can you possibly have only one picture for those days? :)