Happy 2009

Ethan and Abby loved getting ready for our New Year's Eve Party. The little ones were a great help making the decorations, putting toothpicks in appetizers, mixing punch etc.

They were SO excited for everyone to come!

At one point we had 24 people, but by midnight only 14 were left standing to bring in the new year.

Ethan was barely standing... he fell asleep around 10:30 and had to be awakened just before midnight so he wouldn't miss out on the big event, although he was too tired to really enjoy it anyway.

WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR!

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO MADE OUR 2008 SO WONDERFUL!!

Christmas- Part Deux

Thanks to record snowfalls of 25" of snow in 24 hours in Coeur D'Alene and Spokane followed by repeated dumps of snow on the area, my mom and Karl were unable to make it down for Christmas.

They sent their presents for the kids GUARANTEED delivery before Christmas, but not even UPS could beat mother nature.

As a result the kids got Christmas- Part Deux, the day after Christmas and it was exciting to be able to open presents... again!!
Everyone made out great with a new pair of skates and clothes.
It is impossible to get skates here, so this was a real treat! Thank you!!
I also wanted to post this picture of the Tech Deck skate park Ethan built for Elise a week and a half before Christmas. He wanted to give it to her for Christmas, but couldn't wait and gave it to her right away. He spent SO much time on it, and I thought it was so thoughtful as it wasn't for himself at all since he didn't have any skateboards of his own to play on it. It was also cute how excited he was that he couldn't wait to give it to her. :-)
It works pretty good too, and they've had a great time playing with it.

Believe

I figured I had better hurry up and post Christmas, as New Year's is now upon us....

The kids left this note for Santa

(you'll want to read it)

(we wouldn't want to offend Santa by suggesting he needs to eat "healthy" food and trim down a little!)

Abby did NOT go to sleep until 1:30am, which is about the time, Ethan woke up, and by 2am Elise and Samantha were up!! I gave up and went to sleep at 2. Then... at 4AM we were awakened by the noise of children milling around in the living room peeking in stockings!!

We sent them upstairs until we finally caved in around 5:15 and got out of bed to open presents.

Stylin' Elise in her new sweater, jewelry and boots

Samantha was a little bummed this year because she had asked us and extended family to send money to put in her flute fund this year instead of Christmas presents, so there were not many presents under the tree for her. Then when all the other presents were opened we found this one...

(I love Elise's comment in the video "I told you not to loose hope" :D)

Thanks to generous family we were able to get the flute she wanted (although she still has to payoff her part of the flute), and she can now practice and play her way to a college scholarship! :-D

The kids cooked up this idea Christmas Eve and told us it was our present...(yes, this is our shower stall draped in a table cloth and a sheet)

This is what we discovered when it was unveiled Christmas morning...

I thought it was sweet until I saw the SHARPIE sitting by my bathroom sink!! Why would they use permanent marker on my glass shower??? Samantha assured me they "tested it". Sure enough... it does come off... and so my children live to see another sun rise.

Speaking of sunrise... I went back to bed around sunrise at 7am until I got up to make breakfast around 8. Brad needed a nap later in the day too.

We had a wonderful Christmas and are so grateful to everyone who sent gifts and cards and made it such a wonderful day.

Thank you!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It wouldn't be Christmas without some sugar cookie making.

Or a good dump of snow.

(Star LOVES playing in the snow!)

Stringing popcorn and cranberries
Fun playing out in the snow on Christmas eve
(even though Samantha tried hard to act like she wasn't having any fun)

Even after supper the little ones couldn't get enough and went outside for another hour and a half!!

Could it get any better?

Well, maybe if your mom let you make a gingerbread house... so many of my blogging friends have pictures of their families making gingerbread houses etc. and my kids asked me a few times but... I kept avoiding it until the season was over. My poor kids. Perhaps next year I will be up for the challenge, frustration and mess.

Our Christmas Star

Ward Christmas party 2008

Here she is with a little back up from the others

(you may recognize a couple other kids on the far left- look for the one twisting back and forth- even without her dress on :D)

Ethan explaining to Santa what a Tech Deck is...

It was a lovely evening.

Frontier Yuletide Celebration

We went out to the High Desert Museum to meet Father Christmas, but Abby was scared to death and it was all we could do to even get her this close.

Ethan took a break from the Christmas celebrations to remove a bullet from a settlers chest

The snow looked so pretty sitting on the trees

Out at the settlers cabin the kids had fun stringing popcorn

Picture Perfect Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It's a picture perfect Christmas eve and day here in Bend.