Christmas

Christmas Eve we told the kids that they couldn't get up until their alarm clocks said 7:30. If they did, then we wouldn't open presents until 8:30. (I know, we are SUPER mean!) But, it worked and we didn't hear any stirring until 7:30.

Santa had left each child 2 presents.



We should have opened the gifts from us first, because once they saw their Santa gifts, there wasn't much interest in anything else for a while. But, that was alright, we had nothing but time.

Avery got a Leapster.




Easton and Paisley got DSI XLs. Easton and Paisley have wanted DSIs since before last Christmas. All their cousins have them and they just think they are the greatest thing!






You can see how excited they were. That was awesome!

So, eventually we got around to opening the presents from Dave and I. Most of the morning was spent with their new video games. Everyone got in on the fun.




My dad and mom were there that morning. We keep saying that we need to buy grandpa a DSI with Mario Kart. He really likes it. :)




Dave had such a tiring morning that he just couldn't help but nap as Avery played her Leapster. Weird. He never naps. HA!



Paisley got some fake nails that she LOVED!



And, she managed to pull herself away from her DSI to do some art with the supplies she got for Christmas.



That afternoon we went to my uncle Chad's for lunch. It is always fun to spend time with my extended family! Later on we moved the party to our house where we had a gift exchange with my siblings.

We played games, talked, ate, and just enjoyed good company all day. It was a perfect Christmas!

Christmas Eve

It has been a month since Christmas, and I still haven't blogged about it, yet. Sad. I used to be so good about updating. So, here we go, finally...Christmas Eve.

We always spend Christmas Eve with Dave's family. I love it. They have developed some fun traditions and it is always a great time.

We started off with a super yummy prime rib dinner. They had enough prime rib to feed an army and so we were all sufficiently STUFFED afterward! It was great!

After dinner we had my 16-year old niece, Marissa, read the Christmas story from the Bible. As she read, all the grand kids took part in reenacting the story. Easton was one of the three wisemen, Paisley was Mary, and Avery was one of the angels.




It was really fun to watch all the kids. Paisley and Joseph (her cousin, Max) knelt next to their baby. (And made fun of the doll's crazy eye that won't close), :)



The angels came in to visit Joseph and Mary.



And the wisemen followed.



It was great.

After the nativity story, we all sat around to hear Dave's Uncle Dennis recite the Night Before Christmas.




After the story it was FINALLY time for presents! We draw names for all the grandkids for a gift exchange. They were spoiled!





All the girls got super cute skirts and sweaters. Avery and Paisley just had to put them on.



Dave and I always get the kids new pajamas for Christmas Eve.




Dave's brother and his wife gave their Uncle Dennis and dad footed pajamas. There is just something not all that pleasant about seeing a grown man in feet pajamas! :) We all got a good laugh, though!



Then it was time to head home and put the kids to bed so that Santa could come. They were pretty worn out after all the fun. They did leave cookies and a note for Santa.



And, even though the picture is blurry, you can see that Santa did come!

Pinewood Derby

For the past week and a half, Dave and Easton have been busily working on their new project, their new pinewood derby car! (I need not remind you that they won 2nd place last year, so Dave said there was no where to go but up!) :)

They searched the internet for ideas, cut it out, sanded and sanded (that was Easton's job), put several coats of paint, added decals for BYU (thanks soooo much, Hailey!), and then added a top coat. (Which, by the way, bubbled the paint for some reason and ruined the smooth surface. But, no worry, it still turned out nice.)

Here is the finished product:



They were really excited for the big race last night. I could tell Dave wasn't as confident about this year's creation as last year. Since Easton took 2nd on his first year, I think he really didn't want Easton to expect that again. So, he kept telling him that even if we don't win, he did such a good job and that's all that matters. And, talked about etiquette for both winning and losing. And, don't get mad if you you lose...etc.




But, he had a great night. It was a double elimination tournament. There were 15 cars. He won his first heat, lost his second (to his life long friend, Rece) and then won his third. So, at this point it was down to the final five. He won his next heat which took him into the final 3. He won the next one to guarantee him at least 2nd place. But, he then had to race Rece, who had already beat him and had not lost yet, for 1st place. And, it was close, but not fast enough. So, he took 2nd place! He was super happy with that. He said that he was glad for Rece and that it was okay to lose to his good friend. :)



We had a fun night. I loved seeing the smile on his face when he would win. Dave and I kept telling him that we were so proud of the way he won and lost. He had very good sportsmanship. Proud mom moment, for sure!

A Non-Believer

I am a little sad today. My son is officially a Santa non-believer. Yup. He will be 9 in a couple weeks, so it is to be expected, I guess. I know he has been thinking about it for quite a while now. He has asked me about it a few times, but always right in front of the girls and so I would lie and keep defending Santa. He would ask, "Is there really magic?" And, I would say, "No, magic is just a trick. There isn't really magic." (I know, mean mom. I just hate lying.) So, he would say, "Then how do the reindeer fly and how does Santa get everywhere in one night if there is no magic?"

He caught me. He is a smart little boy.

This year for Christmas Santa brought Easton and Paisley DSi XLs. So, last night when I was tucking him into bed the conversation went like this...

Easton: "How much did you have to pay for our DSi XLs?"

Me: (Pause) "I didn't pay for them."

Easton: "Yes you did."

Me: "No, Santa gave them to you."

Easton: "You are Santa."

I sat down on his bed and wondered if I could bring myself to tell him the truth. I had thought about it quite a bit lately, if he asked me when he wasn't with the girls if I would answer him truthfully. I had thought about the many years of him being a firm believer. I thought of all the gifts Santa had brought him that he loved. I thought about the cute cute notes he would leave for Santa on Christmas Eve, full of questions for Santa to answer. I just didn't want to tell him the truth.

But, I did last night. I just told him that he was right, dad and I are Santa. I wasn't sure how he would react. But, his face lit up and he smiled so big. He said, "I didn't think you would really tell me. Not until I was like 20." :)

The light went on in his head when I admitted it to him. He then was asking me all kinds of questions about how it worked, logistically. Like, who answered the Santa letters, who ate the cookies, how did we leave the crumbs behind on the plate, did we buy him the ride-on tractor that Santa left a couple years ago. We talked for a long time. He had lots of questions.

I did make him promise not to tell any other kids or his little sisters. I tried to make him understand how important that was and how cool it is to share a secret with dad and I.

A little chapter is closed on his childhood. I wasn't ready for it. I can't believe he is getting older so fast. Everyone said that happens, but I didn't believe that 9 years could fly so fast.

I believe now.

Snow suit time!!

When we had our first really good snow storm, the kids were very excited to go play outside. Unfortunately, Paisley's asthma was acting up and she didn't have any boots and snow pants that fit. So, Easton and Avery were the only ones able to go out and play. (Paisley was happy to stay in and hang out with me.)

I took some super cute pictures of them. Not much cuter than kids that are all bundled up and having a blast in the snow!!







A few days later we bough Paisley some new boots and snow pants, so they are all able to go play in the snow now. :)

Swim meet

During the summer, Easton and Paisley did 8 weeks of swimming lessons, twice a week for 1 1/2 hours each day. With all that swimming, they really began to swim well and learned the different strokes. After the summer, Easton was really sick of swimming. Paisley, on the other hand, loved it and wanted to do another session. So, we signed her up for another 8 week session.

At the end of November, they had a swim meet to show the parents how they had improved. Paisley swam in 5 races. She won 3 of them and came in 2nd on the other two. We were so proud of her. She swam the breast stroke, back stroke, free style, the butterfly stroke, and a relay. I was so impressed by how great she did. We had a great time watching our little swimmer.



Doing the backstroke


By the end of this session, she was getting a little burned out on swimming. I don't blame her after 16 weeks straight. So, she is taking the spring off, but she and Easton will be right back with it in the summer!

Music Program

Last week, Easton and Paisley had a Christmas singing program at their elementary school. My parents and Dave's parents were both able to come and watch. It was fun to see them perform. They both had a lot of fun singing in front of the crowd. I am so glad that they haven't reached the age that it is "not cool" to sing in a program. They each had big smiles on their faces as they sang. After each song, Paisley would bow to the audience several times, as if she was the only child up there. I think she wished she was doing a solo. She just loves to be the center of attention.

These pictures are not very good, but oh well. :)






The 3rd graders wore a hat during one of their songs, if you're wondering about his hat! :)

I am so proud of my kids. They did an awesome job!

Beard or no beard???

As you could see in the pictures from our St. George trip, Dave had been sporting a full beard for quite a while. He was pretty proud of the growth, I was not so proud. I love my husband tons, just don't really love the long facial hair. :)

I FINALLY talked him into shaving it off. I mean, I couldn't even feel his lips to kiss him anymore, it was like just kissing whiskers. Ewwww! So, he said that if I would cut his hair (which I usually don't look forward to) that he would shave. So, I was very eager to get out the clippers and get cutting.

We decided to take some before and after shots. I would like to get some more opinions. Beard or no beard???








So, let me know what your opinion is. He really thinks that the beard was awesome! Help me prove him wrong! :)