Christmas Favorites

I just thought I would share with you a few of our Christmas Favorites:

Christmas morning has to be one of my favorite mornings of the year to get out of bed. The kids came in our room at 6:45 a.m. They are never allowed to go downstairs until Mike has confirmed that Santa really did make it. After the green light Danny, Ryan and Nathan rushed down the stairs with Lydia a few steps behind.

One of our favorite family traditions is that each of the kids have to hug the person who gave them their gift. This picture and the next, are a couple of the Sibling Hug Snapshots of the morning. (Don't you think it is so funny how Lydia's foot came up in the air?)

Ryan and Nathan's Sibling Hug Snapshot

One of Lydia's favorite gifts was from her Grandma and Grandpa Swensen. On Christmas morning she couldn't get enough of her new princess dress, and hugging the doll that was wearing the same princess dress.

There is no question that one of Nathan's favorite College Football Teams is Boise State. We all loved cheering them on to victory in the Fiesta Bowl.





Santa brought a little Fisher-Price 4-Wheeler for all of the kids to share. It has helped create some of our favorite fun moments. Even after it snowed, Mike went and shoveled the entire sidewalk that runs around the perimeter of our back yard. He wanted the kids to be able to keep riding. During those few days (and even still) you could always find Mike and I staring out the back windows, watching the kids drive around and around and around.





This is my favorite Four-Wheeler picture. Doesn't that look like fun?!





Here are some of my favorite Little Girl Blue Eyes. Lydia is wearing her new Sunday dress and bow.

One of my favorite silly moments was later in the afternoon. I came around the corner and found all of the kids trying out Ryan's pretend Spiderman Shave Kit. Several times through out the day and several times through out the weekend Ryan insisted that he had new whiskers growing. "I better use the shaving cream again," he would say. (side note: Danny-I think you missed a spot...)

We love spending Christmas time together and sharing in all kinds of favorite funny and special moments. They are sure to make some of our favorite memories.

Here's hoping that your Christmas was filled with Favorites, too!

Christmas Eve

We got to have a very nice Christmas Eve at Grandma Dildine's house. It was fun to share in some traditions and spend time with cousins and other family. Thanks to Mom and Dad Dildine for hosting. It is certainly a big crowd when everyone comes over!

Danny is next in line to dish up his feast. Ham, funeral potatoes and Jell-O salads were on the menu...potluck style.

Here is Nathan enjoying his dinner surrounded by LOTS of cousins. I think there are 31 cousins in the family now.

Grandma Dildine always has a way of making special and memorable moments for the grandchildren. Here she was telling all of the kids a Christmas story about a little sheep named Joshua. You can see Lydia just behind the Nativity, with a yellow flower in her hair.

After story time and singing "Away in a Manger" some headed out to do the yearly neighborhood caroling. Mike's brother-in-law always brings the trailer filled with chairs and blankets.

Once we got home from The Dildines, Lydia, Danny, Nathan and Ryan, got to open their Christmas Eve Present.




The kids always get coordinating pajamas, but this year they also got a Christmas pillowcase made special for each one of them. They are not really asleep here. (I'm guessing Ryan's face is the one that gave it away!) ;)




And Wake Up!!




The kids were so, so excited. Christmas is such a wonderful time to be a kid.

Early December

December was a busy and festive month. This year I really tried to enjoy every second, rather than getting stressed out. We had parties scheduled every weekend and just as many basketball games (maybe more). In between all of the "hustle and bustle" we found some moments to spend as a family. I got to have a mommy date with each of the kids and take them out to buy little presents for their brothers and sister. Usually each date ended with a trip to Starbucks for a gourmet hot chocolate with whipped cream--a holiday mommy date tradition.

This is a picture of Nathan with his atom that he made for school. He and I stayed up late one night getting it completed together. Carbon was the atom he chose. I really enjoyed telling Nathan about my seventh grade science project with my dad: a very detailed 3-D model of the Water Cycle. Do you remember that Dad? How do you think we did?

Here we are doing our annual Sugar Cookie evening. Danny picked out a stocking and wrote the icing inscription "Dan Rocks" (simply because he couldn't fit Dan-ny)...perfect with red and green sprinkles.




Mike and I got to go to a birthday party with some friends. It was a Murder Mystery that took place in 1962. I got this awesome dress on Ebay and my jewels were from Forever 21. Man, they have some flashy jewelry there...for cheap! I went as the movie actress Doris Daily.



Mike picked out his smooth outfit at the DI. He went as the magician, Harry Hoodunit. He even studied up on some card tricks to impress the other guests. It was so fun for all of us to get dressed up.

The kids always find it very exciting to decorate the tree and the house. They run around, holding different decorations, saying, "remember this?" and "oh, I forgot about this one!" I also love unwrapping the ornaments one by one. It probably sounds silly, but it always feels to me like seeing an old friend you haven't seen for a long time.

My mom has been sending us a few ornaments every year since we were first married. Each year, at the beginning of December, she sends us a package and we all get to open an ornament that was hand picked just for us. Lydia took her job of placing ornaments very seriously.

She was sitting here for quite awhile! Take your time and enjoy it, Lydia. Before you know it we'll be putting our "old friends" away until next year.