Our Family Nativity

Here is our annual family nativity reenactment, complete with wandering animals, crying children, and baby Jesus being born well before his trip to Bethlehem!

Jonah got to be some kind of stable animal . . . maybe a reindeer?  Were they in the stable?

Sarah was so excited to have her turn this year as Mary.  Joseph looks a little less than happy about his role this year!

And here's the whole crew.  Jacob was a wise man, and Jonah's antlers are sticking up at the bottom of the picture as he decides once again to throw a fit during picture taking time!  Are we having fun or what???

Sugar Cookies

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without making yummy sugar cookies from the Lion House Cookbook.  It's always amazing to me how many candies, sprinkles and frosting can fit on 1 cookie when in the hands of small children.  Of course, it makes for a lot of candies, sprinkles and frosting on the floor, chairs, table, and faces as well, but half the fun of it is making a glorious mess!

Sarah and Jacob showing off some of their masterpieces!

Our friends Ava & Kyra came to help!!!

Traditions

I love holiday traditions, although I'm sure I'm not alone in my sentiments.  I know a lot of people do advent calendars, but this one is special to us.  My mother-in-law handmade this when her children were little.  Every December Brandon and his siblings daily opened the little packages that contained a clue and the new ornament to count down the days until Christmas.  My kids love this advent calendar, especially knowing that when Daddy was their age he was opening the same little pieces.  Thanks Donna, for passing this on to us and allowing us to continue in your tradition!

Take 2

And here they finally are all in their clothes from Grandma, plus a few toys to keep Jonah happy!

Big Brother

Yep!  Jonah got to announce on Christmas morning that he's going to be a big brother on or before (most likely before) July 5th!!!

Jacob the Mom

Do your kids ever make you feel like you're still the kid and they're the parents?  I've struggled a little lately with a couple of incidents of road rage.  I had the following conversation with Jacob in the car:

Jacob:  Mom, what's wrong?
Me:  Those drivers are IDIOTS!
Jacob:  That's a bad word, Mom.  You shouldn't say that.
Me:  I know.  I'm sorry.
Jacob:  You know, Santa's watching you and you could get a lump of coal for Christmas this year if you're not careful.
Me:  I know.  I shouldn't use those bad words.  I'm sorry.
Jacob:  That isn't how Heavenly Father wants us to act either.
Me:  I know.  I'm sorry.

Hmmm . . . hopefully this just means that all of my teaching is sinking in to at least 1 of my kids.  But am I ruining the teaching by providing a bad example or am I boosting the teaching by allowing my son to be the teacher for a moment?  I guess time will tell!

Jonah

This child could very well be the end of me.  What happened to my sweet, perfectly content baby boy?  He must be approaching the "Terrible 2's!"  He pulls hair, hits, kicks, screams on the floor while kicking his feet, throws absolutely everything (dinner can be a challenge to say the least), refuses to accept "No!" as an answer, breaks everything, gets into everything else, and I could go on and on.  Was it always this hard with the kids at this age?  I really think Heavenly Father knows exactly what he's doing when He sends our kids to us so cute, because most days it's Jonah's only saving grace!

Santa's Lap

We managed to visit Santa this year without a screaming child!  I really thought Jonah would pull through for us this year, but I guess not!  Carefully coached Jacob asked for walkie talkies, Jonah sat on Santa's knee very nervously, and Sarah . . .  well, Sarah asked for a real, live, but just a little puppy!  Hmmm . . . we have since had a talk about how Santa doesn't ALWAYS bring what we ask for because if Santa brings a puppy this year then Mommy will be MAD at Santa.  Is that bad to tell your kids?

Daddy was in charge of this one . . . can you tell?

Christmas Clothes From Grandma

Have I ever mentioned before how much we love it when Grandma goes shopping?  With 8 cute grandchildren to buy for it can really put a dent in Grandpa's wallet!  But how can she resist?  Thanks again, Grandma!

Ummm . . . yeah, that would be Jonah on the floor throwing a fit.  Sorry, but considering how late we already were to church that was the best I could do.  At least you can see his cute clothes!  Just imagine a red, screaming face on the other end!  I'll try for a better picture next Sunday!

Our Gingerbread House

While Grandma was here she bought us one of those fun gingerbread house kits to make with the kids.  I was quit impressed with the quality of the kit.  I doubt I could have made gingerbread walls that thick and sturdy myself!  The kids had a great time and made a huge mess!  (Of course I cleaned up the mess BEFORE I took the picture!)

 Jacob & Sarah with their gingerbread house!!!

Great jobs, kids!

Temple Square

Over Thanksgiving my parents and little sister, Kristen came out to visit!  We had a great time trying to cram everything we wanted to do into 4 days.  My mom and I decided to take Kristen and the kids to Temple Square to see the lights.  Boy, was it crowded.  But it was a beautiful night and not too freezing cold.

Grandma, Jonah, Amanda, Jacob, Sarah & Kristen

This was my favorite tree!  The picture doesn't do it justice.  Too bad I can't be a fabulous photographer like Jennifer!