Christmas 2013 in Pictures

Maddie as a angel in the nativity on Christmas Eve.

Isaac played Joseph and Nater was the baby Jesus while a friend played Mary. Davis was a sheperd (no pic of him).

Christmas morning was everything I hoped it would be--excited and happy children, fun presents, and no fighting :)

Breakfast consisted of store bought cinnamon rolls (you know, like the Pilsbury pressure can type) in the shape of a Christmas tree. No work for me and the kids were totally impressed--win/win.

Ryan getting in on the action.

Every brother needs a silly sister like Maddie.

And every daughter needs a Dad that will photo bomb them. 

And six year old boys need to learn how to be dangerous. 

Opening presents together. 

We spent the majority of the day in our pajamas, playing and video-chatting and eating whatever we wanted. Later on we were able to get together with friends for dinner. It was a great Christmas.

Their Excitement is Through the Roof

A very sleepy Nathan meeting Santa for the first time.

Are your kids bouncing off the walls right about now? Mine are. Isaac came up with the innovative idea the other morning to climb on top of the radiator, pull down the cord to the window blinds, tie it around his waist (knotted several times), and leap into the air. He said he thought he would swing around the toy room that way. Needless to say, I found him in the middle of the room with the cord around his waist and the entire set of blinds dangling from his midsection.

At least he wasn't hurt.

I wrapped most of the presents for the kids the other night and it really got me feeling the Christmas spirit. We have a house full of believers this year and it is magical. I don't know how long that will be the case so I am trying to soak it up as much as I can. I remind myself of this when they drive me bonkers with their endless bouncing off the walls.

I can't wait for Christmas morning.

The Week Before Christmas...

Davis had a Christmas Story moment while one Santa's lap this morning and could not think of a single thing he wanted for Christmas. He finally sputtered out "I wanna a candy cane!"

I recently started the little guy on solids. He is slowly getting used to them and is actually the first of our four children to eat pureed green beans with a smile on his face. 

I wasn't lying when I said he had shoulder rolls. This picture is proof. 

Our school district cancels school when there is even a flurry of snow in the forecast. Seriously. It looks like the kids will be going to school until the 4th of July again this year. We did have fun making graham cracker houses on the kids' day off last week. FYI, burnt sugar is a fantastic way to stick the houses together. Check out a how-to here. 

I know this picture is super poor quality, but I had to post it for memory's sake. Last Sunday we got home from church and the kids immediately headed outside in the backyard to play in the snow. We noticed that Maddie was trying unsuccessfully to pull Davis around in our little kiddie toboggan, so Ryan went outside (suit and all) to take over and gave each of the kids a spin around the yard. I couldn't stop laughing as I watched Maddie with her hands in the air like she was on a roller coaster at Disneyland, squealing with delight while being pulled around by her dad. It was adorable.  I, as you can see, enjoyed the scene from the warmth of our kitchen. 

From the Mouth of My Babe

Baby is 6 months old! 20 lbs, 1 oz. of  pure love and chub!

"Mom!" said Maddie earlier today, "I really want to eat our gingerbread house...but eating it today would be disrespectful to Christmas, so I can wait."

From the Mouth of My Babe

What happens when free reign over cookie decorating is given to a six-year-old.

The other day Davis was gushing over how delicious his lollipop tasted. "Dis is da yummiest wawee-pop in da whole universe!" "No," Isaac interrupted. "You mean in the whole world. You can't find candy anywhere else in the universe."