Within the Norm

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Santa DELIVERED!!!

First sight of the GOODS!!!

A Very excited #3!!!

#5 found her shopping cart...but she isn't sure what all the fuss is about!!

#1 got some jumps for his bike!!

#2 got a drumset!!!

(Santa found this sweet find at a pawn shop!!)

They are SUPER LOUD!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!

Pretty skirt for #5...

Two happy kiddos!!!

Now they can drive.....!!!

We had a great Christmas this year and feel that our greatest blessings are our five wonderful kids and the blessing of having gospel in our lives!!!

Our Christmas Eve....

We had some friends over and decided to have a hayride!!!

We drove around the neighborhood and sang christmas carols....

Number 1 brought his trumpet and played along with our singing... it was quite a sight (and sound) I'm sure!! Notice the handy head lamp for reading the music!!! HAHAHA!!

After the hayride... we acted out the Nativity... We had a bunch of little girls who all wanted to be angels... so our little #5 was Joseph....

She was such a cute little Joseph....

Beautiful Mary riding on the donkey....Our big boys fight every year to be the donkey.... this year #2 won!! Love the horns and ears... Do donkey's have horns???? Nope!!

Number 4 was DYING to be the cow.... I don't remember there being a cow in the scriptures... but there is one in our nativity...so he was the cow!!!

Our baby Jesus...being taken care of by Joseph!!

Our one and only shepard....played by number one!!!

There are the little angels... all THREE of them!!!

The whole crew....
Every year I want to make some REAL costumes so that our spur of the moment costumes aren't so OUT THERE... I have yet to accomplish that goal ... but still aspire to do so!!!
What fun!!!

Boo is TWO!!!

Our little cutie turned two!!! She had a great birthday and was able to get some practice opening presents just in time for Christmas.... Notice the cake decorator spelled BIRTHDAY wrong!!! How special am I???

She is now officially a member of the terrible TWO's!!!
She is too cute to be too terrible, right??!!!

Monday, December 14, 2009

A Visit With Santa!!!

We had a chance to visit Santa at our Ward Christmas Party. At the beginning of December, #4 had me write a letter to Santa, which we have added to several times since. So... when he found out we were going to VISIT Santa.... he decided to personally DELIVER the letter to him!! All night long he kept asking me if I had lost the letter and if I still had it in my pocket. He was sooo... excited!!!Here he is fishing it out of his pocket....

Here is Santa trying to read it.... (I guess those aren't REAL reading glasses!!!)

Santa decided to keep the letter... so he wouldn't forget everything on it!!!

A great big hug for the jolly old feller!!!

This is her opinion of Santa.....

Not loving him quite so much!!!

Guess What He's Getting For Christmas???

SOCKS!!!!

Yes, that is my son... #1...!!!

Can you believe he actually wore them???

He calls them 'three hole socks, two hole socks, etc.. etc..' (the one on the right is really a FOUR HOLER!!!) Now before you go condemning me... I purchased two new packages for him at the beginning of the school year... this is a result of wearing them outside!!!! Which I am constantly telling him not to!!!

Seeing him wear these brought us all a good laugh!!! Hahahaha!!!!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

November Blessings!!!

I am not sure what happened to November... it was here... now it's not!! It went by so quickly. Here is a recap of some of the things I am thankful for....

I am thankful to be healthy...

I got sick with everything BUT swine flu... I had strep, a sinus infection and bronchitis... it all lasted more than three weeks. YUCK!!! Shane and #3 also got sick but they rebounded quickly.

I am thankful for family and warm winters.....

We went to Boise for Thanksgiving. It was fun to spend time with family and eat yummy food prepared by someone else!!! It was great, but very cold, more proof that we have become super duper huge wimps to the cold weather.

I am thankful for family pictures.....

We did our annual family pictures. Oh, what fun!!! I love having them but HATE taking them... I become the wicked witch of the west... it is so.... awful!!! It is just downright painful for all of us!!!

I am thankful for my brother....

He is such a great dad to his kids... he had to play Mom and Dad while his wife was in Germany for a week and 1/2!! He did an AWESOME JOB!!!! He is one of my very favorite people in the whole world. I love him to death!!!

I am thankful for Grandpa's....

My Grandpa K (My Dad's Dad) passed away this month... He was such a wonderful person and a special grandpa to me... I will miss him. My Grandpa P (My Mom's Dad) is still kicking... he is so grateful for everything and everyone around him that helps take care of him. How hard it must be to grow old and depend on others for everything. What a blessing to have children who love you and care for you!!

Grandpa K

Grandpa P

I am thankful for my testimony.

I am so thankful for all of the many blessings in my life. I am thankful for my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that Christ is who he claimed to be, the Son of the Everlasting God. He is the Savior of all mankind. I am thankful that I am a member of the true church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The fulness of his gospel has been restored to the earth. I am thankful for my wonderful family and that we can be together for all eternity.