Christmas Fun Fun Fun

I am a little bit of a pack rat. I keep show tickets, game programs, movie stubs, tons of my kids drawings...and on, and on, and on. Anything that might have some sentimental value. Which is why I was only able to whittle down the Christmas post pictures to a mere 32 (or 33? I already forgot). So there, you have been warned. I don't scrapbook so this is as good as it gets for my family as far as photo organization.



December was a busy month. I loved 95% of it (I don't want to be unrealistic, I am sure there was sometime in there I was mad at my kids or something), and I realized again how very blessed I am. On the 21st was our 7th wedding anniversary. Below is a picture of the lovely couple. I was tempted to post a wedding picture along side it but then decided to wait for a year that I don't give birth so that people might recognize the girl standing next to Tim in them. : ) Tim made it a fun day and spoiled me which is always something I enjoy. I am grateful that he still hasn't realized after 7 years how much closer he is to being perfect than I am. (or if he has noticed, he still loves me anyway...that is more likely.)

This next batch of pics is from Christmas Eve and apparently I forgot to edit these so don't mind the occasional devil red-eye in one of the kids.

I love my little girl.

We spent Christmas at my parents house with all my siblings. We always go out to eat on Christmas Eve so here is Brenna at Macaroni Grill.

Jace was in charge of pics at the restaurant, so the two above are both his. Not bad, in fact I should probably let him take all the pictures. That isn't one of my talents. : )

We also open one gift on Christmas Eve. Jace and Brax were very anxious to open their presents from Nana and Papa.

They were also more that willing to "help" Ashlyn open hers. She is saying, "Will someone please tell them that is my present?!"

At least they let her play with it. Thanks Nana and Papa, she loved it! She hasn't figured out how to open them yet, but she is a pro at closing them, and has even figured out how to do it without smashing her fingers.

Jace and Brax each got Tommy 20 dart guns. They love them. They have also been told to never point them at people. So far, they have complied. Instead of shooting at each other, they set all their action figures up on the window sill and see who can knock the most down. It is still funny to me sometimes what boys like to play.

Braxton's is almost as big as he is. He sometimes loses control, so we have learned to give him a good 10 foot accident radius from his target.

This is Christmas morning, and if the guns weren't enough of a temptation they both got Light Sabers to beat each other with. : ) They have actually been really good with them and usually keep the contact to just the Light Sabers.

Here is the Lego Castle set. It was worth the hassle. He loved it and it has occupied lots of his time since getting it. And yes we know the box clearly states that it is for 7-12 year olds and Jace is barely 5...we like to think our children are geniuses. : )

Here is Ashlyn on Christmas morning. She was a gift to the whole family this year. (She got her clothes really dirty right after this picture which is why she is in just a onesie the rest of the time)

Here is Brax Christmas morning. He decided to get dressed before he opened his gifts. Our kids all got up at different times this year due to a horrific Christmas Eve night that I won't even get into because I hope to erase it from memory soon. Brax was the last one up at NOON, so I will let you guess who was the star of the Christmas Eve middle of the night horror. He recovered nicely though and enjoyed opening all his gifts.

Brax and Jace both got little Wall-E toys (which is what he is staring at with that loving look), which they have decided they must take with them everywhere now. They go back and forth between talking like themselves and talking like Wall-E and if I answer one of them when it was actually Wall-E speaking to me they let me know quickly. Brax especially likes to carry him around. Watch for him to make frequent appearances in the rest of the pictures.

Ashlyn is such a little girl. Look how excited she is to get her first phone : )

She also can't wait to get her hands on that baby doll. Poor girl has been playing with trucks and dinosaurs her first 7 months of life. She loves her girlie toys.

She also got a Care Bear, which I used to love when I was really little. I remember giving my Care Bears an actual bath in the tub and then drying them with the blow dryer. I hope she doesn't get any ideas like that.

She was so glad we finally took her baby out of the box so she could get her little hands on it. She also likes to chew on her too, so hopefully she becomes more maternal with time. : )

She also got this little ball toy that helps encourage crawling. She is so close to getting it. She will get on her hands and knees and move her hands forward but doesn't quite get what to do with her legs. She will usually push them up till she is on her hands and feet and then she really doesn't know what to do. She will get it before I know it though and then I will really have to baby proof the house.

I didn't get any pictures of Tim or I on Christmas morning because we got up with my brothers and sisters at the crack of dawn to open our presents so they wouldn't complain about us being the party poopers. Since we had been up most of the night with Braxton (and Jace and Ashlyn when he woke them up) I was kind of like a zombie and the last thing I was thinking of was taking pictures. Oh well. We got great stuff that we loved. : )

Yummy Christmas dinner. Can you spot Wall-E?

Ashlyn was excited with her empty cup. She is so easy to please. She was probably also happy that we weren't trying to feed her any baby food which she still hates.

Here is the completed Lego castle. Tim and Jace finished putting it together the day after Christmas.

They also got a new sled from Nana and Papa which they used the day after Christmas since we got tons of snow. Here is Braxton enjoying a ride from daddy. Can you find Wall-E?

Jace got new snow pants too which made sledding much more enjoyable.

Jace unsuccessfully trying to chase Braxton down.

After all the hard work sledding Braxton was ready for a nap.

Ashlyn in her cute Christmas dress from Grandma and Grandpa.

A week after Christmas it was my 28th birthday. Yes, you read right. 28. I know, I am getting old. Good thing I still feel like I am 22. : ) I seriously can't believe that in a couple years I will be 30. I remember my dad turning 30 and thinking "Man, he is old" but now 30 doesn't seem quite so old. Tim spoiled me again with shopping time without the kids and some gift cards for new decorations. He and the kids also got me a delicious carrot cake. My parents were nice enough to come and take me and Tim to dinner that night at Texas Roadhouse (yum, yum, yum) and get me a wonderfuly fabulous present that I really wanted. I have to thank Brennan too for coming to babysit all three kids while we went to eat. It was so nice. Thanks Bren.

My yummy cake that I ate way too much of. :)

On Saturday Tim took the boys to a big hill near our house to break in the new sled some more. He said they had lots of fun. Ashlyn and I went to Target instead which was just as fun to us. I love Target.

For Christmas Braxton got a BYU hat just like Jace's. Besides Wall-E it was probably his best gift. (way better than the underwear which he wants nothing to do with...sigh.) I hope what I have heard about wearing hats and going bald isn't true or he will be completely bald by kindergarten. They both love their hats. I love my boys and thought these pictures were really cute.

Now that all the holiday craziness is over we are getting back into a routine this week. Braxton starts his first preschool tomorrow so I will post some pictures of how that goes soon!