A Merry Christmas

For the Christmas season this year we tried to do something different. Something to focus a little more on Christ and what he would have us do. The first FHE before December we talked about serving and how we can do this for Christmas. Our goal was to do 24 days of service. So we had a jar with slips of paper in it, and on each paper a different service idea be it big or small, the kids helped us come up with some of these ideas. And we tried to do one of those services for each day up to Christmas.

I didn't plan as much of it in advance as I wish I could have but I think its something that we'll try to do every year just as a reminder to us about our Savior and the REAL gifts of Christmas.

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Garrett and Embrie did their usual cookies for Santa. This is a big deal at our house, they love it.

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Just a few random Christmas morning shots...

Garrett and dad both got remote control helicopters

We're a lucky bunch it was a fun relaxing Christmas.

do a little dance ...

Embrie had a Christmas Dance recital which naturally means, a lot of pictures of her flopping around on the floor ...

and doing .... her own moves?

Ha ha! it was actually pretty cute. Just another thing Brad had to miss for working, so I recorded it, or at least tried to with a baby on my lap and not having the best view of her. And now I am upset because the "actual dance" is not to be found on my camera?! It really was a cute dance I guess we'll have to settle with their warm up.

And on to December

We had a fun little excursion to Gardner Village to do an 'Elf Hunt'.

We've done 'witch hunt' and this was sort of the same but really, the kids love it they've never been bored with it yet. And it is my chance to spend more time with Embrie too since Garrett is in school all day.

My parents were not going to be traveling much through the holidays (due to Blain having shoulder surgery before Christmas). So they invited us all up for a couple of days to have a Christmas party.

We had competition: Gingerbread houses

Now it was going to be couples or families against the like. I was missing my other half, Brad had to be working that weekend. I knew that with him we'd probably win, but I was determined to show that I could do it without him!

Kalvin brought a friend, Morgan, home. She was his partner. Jared and Jessica, Sunni and Ed with help from their boys Blake and Colton (since they are older kids). And Grandma agreed to be on my team.

I had really grand ideas. To win this competition I wanted to make a long ranch house.

Blake with his families truck and trailer, pretty awesome.

Jared and Jessica made a log cabin.

Kalvin and Mogan made what I thinkwe decided was "a prison court yard" although I think they were at first trying to make it look like a building on campus at USU.

....... well this is the last photo of me and grandma Judy's house still standing. My long ranch house didn't want to stay standing and we tried to turn it into a house with a fenced yard but it was a FLOP! ah! sorry Grandma. Apparently I can't do it with out Brad. I am sure Grandma could have done better with an idea of her own. I probably should have let her make the blue prints :)

Even the kids and Grandma Sheri made houses that stood better than ours!

Oh well it was lots of fun.



I vow to catch up

This is after all my diary/ scrapbook/ family history journal of sorts so because I am a little bit obsessed with chronological order and stuff. I will get these past few months out.

And so this was our Thanksgiving Holiday spent with the Callahan side of the family. There were fun Minute to Win It games for the kids they loved it!

I recognize how amazingly lucky we are to have such great families, to not want for anything and to know that our Heavenly Father has given all of this to us!

November

We'd come back from Disney Land to the first snow of the winter season and so the kids and Brad promptly set out to make a snowman ...eeerr woman. Hmmm kinda looks like me on most days.

Last Day at Dinsey

The House of the White Rabbit is just Maren's size.

Yes, after a couple of days I dared to show my face in fantasy land again and we headed to Alice In Wonder land's ride (don't worry we didn't ride the tea cups).

After that I went and stood in line to wait for the princesses while everone else did a few rides. Then when they got there Embrie joined me and Brad took the other two some where else.

Embrie wore a "Bell" dress up to meet the princesses.

First we saw Sleeping Beauty.

Then Cinderella ... again since we'd seen her at goofy's kitchen.

And sweet Snow White.

Embrie liked meeting the princesses, although we missed out seeing Prince Charming. He was supposed to be there with Snow White but couldn't make it (hence Cinderella showed up to take his place). The kids liked coming up with reasons why they didn't see certain characters like making up what they were doing somewhere else.

And ... we saw more ducks and birds, like I said Maren loved this part of Disneyland.

This was Thursday and was the least busy day that we'd been at DisneyLand. We went on everything we wanted to go on and some rides 2 or 3 times since there wasn't a line. Right after the princess parade Embrie's illness started taking a toll on her. She slowed way down and just was tired. When we rode Thunder Mountain she declined the chance to go so Garrett went twice.

They loved the Haunted Mansion which was all geared up for Nightmare Before Christmas which they LOVED.

We rode Pirates of the Carribean I think 3 times (one of my favorites for sure).

And when we visited Toon Town (I had previously been convinced we just wouldn't see Mickey the line would be too long I'd heard) There was a 10 min wait to see Mickey Mouse!!!

The kids loved exploring his house.

As we began to wind down our last day at DisneyLand we revisted Cars Land, it was time to pick out the souveniers they'd saved up for.

Garrett decided on a toy car (one he could've gotten at any store near home, but oh well he really wanted it) and a Radiator Springs snow globe.

Embrie chose two stuffed animals, Pluto and a mini Donald Duck.

Everyone got a Mickey Sucker.

And Maren got a pink set of Mini Mouse Ears.

Then we said goodbye to the park.

Worn out from so much fun (and from being a little bit sick).

The next day we got up bright and early. Our original flight was to leave around noon, but it was becoming evident that we wouldn't make that flight so we headed out to an earlier one....

... and here is where the fun begins. For one thing if you're flying standby don't ever try to leave LA on a Friday. We know that now. I had said to many people before we left that we'd never had any trouble flying standby thats what we always do. I should have knocked on wood.

We tried for 3 flights that morning, didn't make any. Finally we got on one going to Oakland, but the SLC flight from there wouldn't be leaving until 8pm.

To make a very long story short, we were in the airport or on a plane from 9am to 12:30am with 3 sick kids. Good times. It definitely could havebeen worse the kids were pretty good considering so I shouldn't complain.

But that in a nutshell (and 4 blogposts later) is our trip to DisneyLand! can't wait to go back.

On a side note everyone went to the Dr. the next day and Embrie had pnemonia, go figure. :)

DisneyLand night 3 cont...

I know this is a little late in coming I was having blog issues so I am behind...

Dinner at Goofy's Kitchen!

The kids loved meeting all of the characters. Just as we were leaving Aladin was going in, bummer we missed him, but we were on our way to World Of Color. 

World Of Color was amazing, my only wish is that we'd gone to the front, what they called "wet zone". We didn't because it was a cool night and didn't want the kids miserable especially Maren, but turns out you don't get that wet and we would've been able to see better.