Christmas 2011....

This Christmas season has been very different than any in our past. Due to me having back surgery in November, I was advised to not travel during the holiday's. At first I was devestated because I knew how much my kids looked forward to seeing their family in Utah, but quickly realized that I needed to have a good attitude if I wanted my kids to have a good attitude about staying home. We quickly made plans for a Christmas Eve candle light dinner, and grandparents were so wonderful to come and spend time with us in Nevada rather than us coming to see them.

We made gingerbread houses one morning which turned out wonderfully. It was fun to see each of my girls creations and personalities (and ages) show in their own gingerbread house.

My parents came a few days before Christmas which was wonderful. We were able to see a movie, played at Chuck e Cheese, and just enjoyed being together. They were a big help considering I wasn't feeling the greatest. Thanks mom and dad for all your help!

Love the morning hair and PJ's. :)

The finished product's were awesome!

Christmas Eve was the hardest for me because I knew we were missing out on our favorite party's of the year at Grammie and Gramps house. Thank heavens for Skype, because we were able to join in on the fun, and even see Santa through the internet. Instead of sitting on his lap we were able to just talk to him and put in our last requests before he headed out that night. Wheew!

I actually got teary eyed when we first turned on the computer on Christmas Eve. Abbie saw me trying to hide the tears and quickly mouthed the words to me "it's really ok mom" with a smile. She knew my heart was breaking because I was the reason we had to stay home. I will never forget her kind words and expression that helped me out so much.

And Santa didn't forget to send their Christmas Eve present that they usually get for sitting on his lap. They were thrilled.

Love the Christmas Eve PJ's!

Abbie was fun this year because she was asking for all toys that we have never had around the house with all girls. She got a nerf gun, remote control car, and legos to name a few things. She was thrilled.

Christmas morning was nice other than the girls woke up at 4:00am with no intention of going back to sleep. Micah and I finally caved and went downstairs when we realized they were not going to let down until we opened everything. Next year we are setting a time limit for getting up.

Abbie and Avery received much needed new bikes from Santa. With the weather here in Henderson it's nice to be able to use them. They have been out there nearly every day since Christmas riding around.

All Avery wanted this year was Squinkies and fashionable clothes. She got her wish.

Aliza on the other hand is at the age that she was just so excited and thrilled with everything. On Christmas morning she kept clapping her hands together like she just couldn't contain her excitement. It was pretty cute.

Thanks Heavens church was on Christmas this year because it gave us somewhere to go to break up the day. Our Sacrament Meeting program was absolutely beautiful which added so much to Christmas day. My parents stuck around until we headed off to church, and we thoroughly enjoyed having them stay with us a few days.

It did have it's perks to staying in Nevada for Christmas. It was nice to let the kids just play with their toys instead of running from place to place. They have even commented that they enjoyed relaxing at home, but we do miss our family terribly. I just pray my back heals so we can at least make it home for Easter. It's been a tough last few months, but every day my back is getting a little bit better.

Christmas Fun 2011

Like everyone else, December has flown by with lots of fun Holiday activities. These were some of our highlights so far.....

Abbie was in a very cute performance with her school choir for the Holiday. I can never seem to get to the school early enough to get a decent seat. She is always in the front row due to her height so we couldn't see her well, but it sounded wonderful.

We couldn't wait to make cookies.

We got flour EVERYWHERE!

Frosting them is just as fun as cutting them all out.

We went with our good friends to see the lights at Ethel M's Chocolate Factory. It was a beautiful night, and the lights were amazing. Who knew a cactus garden could be so beautiful.

The kids took turns fighting over Santa's big red chair. It's funny how cold it feels here in Vegas right now. I have really adjusted to the warmer weather, and can't imagine that most of our family has snow. Brrr

Abbie and Avery were able to perform in a solo recital, the ward Christmas party and also at the mall last weekend. They did fantastic every time they performed. The solo recital they both performed perfectly, and worked really hard. The ward party was funny because they called and asked us to play a piece. Abbie really didn't want to so Avery and I planned to play Joy to the World. At the last minute they were short on musical numbers and asked if we could do another one. Abbie stepped up to the plate at the last minute and did a beautiful job playing a solo. I think all their performances turned out nicely, and we are looking forward to a few weeks off from school and practice.

It's like a Where's Waldo at the Mall. Can you find Abbie and Avery. hehehe

Meet Ava

A few weeks back we added a new member to our family. Truthfully everyone in the family wanted a dog, but me. To my defense I knew I would be the one having to take care of the dog, and I just wasn't ready for that kind of commitment. After years of debate on what animal to get, and begging from the kids, Micah and I decided to settle on a cat. I said yes only knowing that they pretty much take care of themselves, and if we go on vacation we won't have to worry about boarding her or anything. I knew that an animal would be good for our kids, and she really has been wonderful. It may be crazy, but the first time I saw her, I knew she was the right one. I even went home and thought about it over the weekend, but when I went back on Monday she was still there, and I knew I needed to take her home with me.

She is so sweet, and lets my girls basically maul her. She will just sit on their laps for hours letting them pet her, and follows them around the house just as happy as can be. She has never scratched or bit anyone to hurt them. And when friends are over, and it gets a bit crazy she will hide under my bed and then come out when our visitors go home.

Now, the funniest part is that Micah is her very favorite. He would really like to have nothing to do with her, but she sleeps right by him every night. She will follow him around at night after the kids have gone to bed, and then will only go to bed with him when he lays down to sleep. She will even get right in his face in the morning just begging for his attention. It's so funny. Micah doesn't really think so, but it really is hilarious.

Family Pictures

We had a lady in our ward take some new family pictures of us, and she did a great job for the price. I'm still trying to figure out which coloring I like best for each picture. We have been needing a new family picture for quite some time, so I'm really excited to share these with everyone. Tell me what you think?

Halloween 2011

We had a wonderful Halloween this year with beautiful weather, and lots of fun Halloween parties to attend.

We had a Beauty Queen (Miss Nevada to be exact), Minnie Mouse, and a Bed Bug. You can't read the sign Abbie is holding, but it says Bed Bug so everyone would know what she was.

I was pretty proud of myself for getting out the sewing machine (it had been years), and making this sash for Avery. You can't go wrong with vinyl lettering and some glitter glue. It worked out great.

Aliza had been talking all year about being Tinker Bell or a black cat for Halloween, but when she saw this Minnie Mouse costume she was in love. We bought a Tinker Bell costume on clearance after Halloween to save for next year.

Abbie's first pick for a costume was Nancy Drew, which I thought was adorable. After one of our many Halloween parties she realized that many people didn't know who Nanacy Drew was, so switched to a bed bug at the last minute.

Aliza was more that excited to go get some candy. Abbie's goal was to make it all around the whole neighborhood, and she did. Who knew they would get so much from just our tiny little neighborhood.

Apparently our neighbors don't give you just one piece of candy. You are suppose to give a huge handful to each kid I guess because that's what they did. We will be eating Halloween candy until next Halloween because they got so much.

Abbie was grinning from ear to ear the whole night.

I have been addicted to Pinterest lately, and these are a few of the easy crafts I tried from that website. These ghost milk cartons were really fun for the kids to decorate.

I made this fun Halloween banner to hang in the back of our car for the Trunk or Treat. I thought it turned out cute.

My friend Wendy and I made these tool wreaths which were easy and fun. The best part was letting the kids play while we sat around tying on the tool and talking. She made hers all orange with a green ribbon which was much cuter than mine. Maybe I'll try again next year.

Carving Pumpkins

Our kids couldn't wait any longer to carve pumpkins, so today was the day.

Eeeeww! Getting out the insides is gross, but roasting the seeds is delicious!

We were so glad that Dan, Mikaela and Shad were able to stay with us this weekend. They are wonderful guests, and they were great to have around to help out with the carving.

Shad was one serious dude during the carving. I took a couple of pictures trying to get a smile, but he was wanting to be very serious. He is so cute!

Here is Aliza's creation. She drew on the face, and we did the cutting. Cute!

Abbie wanted to do a cat pumpkin which turned out well also. She did add ears and a tail after we took this picture. I'll have to take another one before Halloween is over.

Avery decided to go with a scar face this year. It looks very scary!

I found this cute list Avery wrote a few weeks ago, and had to take a picture of it. She of course had to fit in high heels and lipstick, or I wouldn't have believed it was actually written by Avery. She is quite my glamour girl.

Abbie has had these shark posters hanging on her door for quite some time. She really would like to be an oceanographer when she gets older, and I think that is fantastic.

She did a beluga whale report last year in school, and has that also hanging on her closet door. If you would like to "Save the Sharks" she is the right girl to talk to. You may be thinking "why do we need to save the sharks?" Abbie knows all about different species of sharks and what we can do to help. Just ask her the next time you see her and she would love to tell you all about them. She knows a lot more than I do.

I love it!