christmas 2008 update...

I didn't do much blogging about all of our Christmas "activities" so I'm going to give the synopsis. Maybe that means I was too busy enjoying everything we did...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

PINK CHRISTMAS....

For the third year in a row, I participated in "Pink Christmas". It's a girlfriend gift exchanged of handmade items. My friend, Kristi, started it 3 years ago with (I think) 80 people and this year 250 women participated. Kristi also picks a few families in need and everyone donates money when they sign up that all goes to those families. Really cool!! So this is a picture of what I did this year(I promised my mom I would put it on here so she could see!) Pretty simple this year...flower clips on a wire "board". I didn't take a picture of what I received(lame). It was great! A handmade apron, box of Alaskan chocolates, and an Alaskan knife. You guessed it...the girl who had my name is from Alaska.


DANCE RECITAL...
Brenna did an awesome job on her tap and jazz dances. She won't be taking dance classes starting in January. She auditioned for the local performance of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and that will be taking up most of her time for January and February. So we'll start dance classes again after that.
Emma Grace was awesome! She has such a cute dance style and has LOVED her teacher this year. She has been taking dance with Sheridan this year. They love going together each week. Unfortunately, Sheridan threw up in the car on the way to the recital so they turned around and went back home. Bummer for Sheridan. She was so excited to dance.
Eliza had this smile on her face nearly the entire time she danced. She LOVES dance class and that is an understatement. She asks me nearly everyday if she can go to dance class. This cute little white costume was for "Suzy Snowflake"...too cute!
The highlight of our Christmas season was Eliza learning the dance to "I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas". Now six days after Christmas I want to strangle the person who wrote the song. It was fun at first but we have now listened to the song at least 800 times...no exaggeration!
We mostly listened to the song that many times because of this little guy. This is the look he had on his face during the entire recital...no joke! He concentrated so hard on every move. Then he came home and insisted that we play the hippopotamus song over and over and over again while he taught it to himself. We pulled out some old tap shoes and he can't get enough of it. It may just be inevitable...he may be a tap dancer.

SHARING TALENTS...
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS TRADITION...
Todd and I took Brenna and Emma Grace to see "A Christmas Carol" at the Hale Centre Theatre. Can I just say it one more time...I love living here. How lucky are we to have such a wonderful local theatre. When you come out of the theatre, after the show, the cast is standing there singing Christmas Carols and there is a snow blower over the doorway. AH...fake snow...again...I love living here.
Check out Brenna's flip flops with her cute outfit. I'm raising an Arizona girl! Before the show, we went to Joe's BarBQ to eat. We loooovvvvee Joe's! We love Joes too because he is single handedly reviving downtown.


TEMPLE LIGHTS...
Look at this beautiful nativity in front of the temple. The lights are so beautiful at the temple and we are so blessed to be able to go each year and enjoy them!
This is our family in front of the statues of Mary and Joseph with the donkey going to Bethlehem. Beautiful!
We figured out the best was to take advantage of the temple lights with a family this year. It only took us 5 years to figure it out!! We went during the middle of the week and got there at 5:30 before the sun was even completely down. By the time we got out of the car and over onto the temple grounds, the sun was down and hardly anyone was there. We walked around, enjoyed the lights, and went home for dinner. Oh...what a beautiful thing!

NATIVITY....
It's been tradition in my family my entire life to dress up and read the story of Jesus' birth on Christmas Eve after having a Christmas dinner. Because we have typically been here without family, we often invite other families to come and do this with us. This year the Taylor family and Norton family came. Todd set up a great Nativity in our backyard. Unfortunately because we had been having so much rain the grass was a little too wet and muddy so we set it up right next to the porch. All the adults read scripture verses from the Bible to retell of His birth.
Emma Grace was Isaiah foretelling of Christ's birth.
Brenna was the angel who came to Mary(& the angels who came to the shepherds).
Eliza was a Wiseman(girl). Courtney was an angel. Brenna and Courtney decided that they would hang from the sides of the nativity...you know..."fly like angels".
Valerie was a Wiseman(girl)
Tony was a shepherd. In this picture it looks like he may have been a shepherd bearing gifts. But really, he was the cutest shepherd. Couldn't you just eat him up. This would be a good time to mention that Charlie(Tony's buddy) did not participate in our nativity. Ten minutes before everyone came Charlie threw a major tantrum and Todd and I decided he would make a wonderful Shepherd next year and we put him to bed.
Laine was Mary and Adison was Joseph. Because we had so many girls and Mary is "the main part" we had to draw names to see who would play the starring role. Laine filled her responsiblities beautifully. , and
GIVING & RECEIVING...
This is probably my favorite memory of Christmas.

The kids all get a chance to go to the dollar store or Target dollar spot with their own money to shop for everyone for Christmas. They all wrap their presents and on Christmas Eve they get to give out all of their gifts. It is so awesome to watch them be so giving and so grateful for the things their brother and sisters gave them.

So in the picture Brenna is hugging Eliza for the gift she just received and Brenna is giving a gift to Charlie. Look at the expressions on all of their faces. They love it!
CHRISTMAS MORNING...
Who is that peeking under the tree?

Christmas morning we opened gifts after running through our Santa wall and saying a family prayer.

Brenna got the Marionette that she had no idea she was getting. She has played with it nonstop.
Emma Grace got the horse she's been dreaming of.
Eliza got the camera she wanted so that she could be like mom.
Charlie got the Buzz Lightyear that will drive us all crazy by saying, "to infinity and beyond". Or as Charlie says, "and yon" and then flies around the room.


CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST...

Charlie finished off the Christmas season by enjoying a wonderful breakfast of a giant Hershey kiss and candy from his stocking. This fourth child thing is working out pretty good for him.