Christmas!

I sure love Christmas. Especially now when my young children get so excited about every thing we do. We try really hard to make it about the Savior and activities surrounding Christmas day. And about being with friends and family. I hope they have wonderful memories to look back upon.

hanging up the ornaments

our favorite activity. hide the pickle! every year it gets harder since we get more ornaments.

she looks so big right here!

ward party Santa. are you snuggling Addi??

cute boy

frosting our Christmas cookies for neighbors and Santa and ourselves.

Christmas Eve Nativity (Em really? bunny ears on baby Jesus?

family together

Christmas pajamas from grandma and grandpa

opening gifts. all smiles

and after opening gifts.....

My mom is 60!

I have spent several months planning my mom's 60th birthday bash to be celebrated in November. We needed to get all the family there, which we almost succeeded. My younger sister moved out to Milwaukee, WI and didn't make it. But a majority were there and THAT was awesome. It had been since my brother's wedding, almost 2 years ago. We surprised her with the celebration. Girls outing for lunch. Guys movie out. And dinner, DVD slide-show, birthday cake, game, and present. It was pretty much the best birthday ever.

I knew I wanted to get my mom a cello. She played in high school and some in college. When times got tough, and they did with a farm to run and 4 kids under 4, my mom sold her cello and has regretted it ever since. I hope she enjoys this one just as much.

And the best part of the party? Spending months gathering old photos of my mom! 

This is my fav of my parents. 

Fav of my mom

And that's me. (because I'm the 4th and there are hardly any pictures of me. and I will never let my mom live it down!)

New things

I finally picked out last years Christmas (2011) present. I know I know. Jerek got me an awesome laptop, BUT I really wanted a new desktop. SO being the good husband that he is...he got me what I wanted. :)

And Addi likes to hide in the box.

Our beautiful mulberry tree. 

We have a love/hate relationship with this tree. Provides GREAT shade, grows like crazy, expensive to prune, drops mulberries every June and in turn feeds tons of birds for weeks so lots of squawking and pooping. Yeah, there is definitely more hate there. So we cut it down. (we have since realized that we now rake up 1/2 the leaves that we use to!)

And now we have LOTS of awesome firewood!

And a place for our fire pit!

Awards at school: Achievement & Honor roll

I've got drawers!!

Aren't they beautiful?! And so free! Just awaiting some knobs now.

It's so nice to finally have a closet in my room after 10 months or so......

October is OvEr

Field Trip to .....pumpkin patch for preschool

Field trip to Bowen House

Friends

Carving our 40 pound pumpkins

Trick or Treating Fun at preschool

Halloween!!

Election Day!!!!!

My favorite part of all of this:

Our family night election dinner!

Addi wanted apple to win. Doesn't it look delish?

The kids come up with candidates (aka dinner options) and make posters to persuade the voters. For family night we have a couple speeches and then vote! Tuesday night we eat the winning candidate! :)

My favorite poster this year:

"What's better than a cow? A chocolate cow! Vote for Chocolate Milk!"

Finally....Addi's turn

Starting in June, we have Blake's birthday. Then mine. Then Emmalee and Jerek's in September. And then finally Addi has her turn in October. After each birthday celebration we hear, "When's it going to be my birthday?? Is it my turn yet?" So yes it is finally Addi's birthday and we are all very happy that it is here. The relief of finally having all the birthdays finished is also saddened by the realization that my baby is 5. FIVE!

Celebrated with friends. Had their hair, makeup, and nails done.

before

after

Addi is full of life and opinions. She loves clothes, shoes, jewelry, and I have no say in what she wears anytime of the day. She adores her older siblings and is 'so boring' without them. I love that she is all about being a big independent girl but will always play the part of baby of the family and cuddle with me when needed. She has a bright spirit that completes our family. She is a JOY!

Happy birthday to my baby girl!