Christmas

Christmas Eve. Our tradition of going to my parents to open pajamas. Tons of fun.

 The best I could get of them all. =)

 After Santa came! 

 Mark opening his favorite gift - The Piano Guys CD. At this point he didn't even know that it is signed by all five of them. Wish I got a picture of his face when he saw that!

 The kid's got Madagascar 3 from Santa and it came with Marty's circus wig. No one likes to wear it for very long though.

 Gotta have a picture of the mess. This is what makes Christmas feel like Christmas. =)

We had a great holiday and especially loved experiencing the magic of Christmas through our kids' eyes. They are at such great ages. It was nice to have a day to be lazy and just be home. Now we are looking forward to the new year and all that it might bring!

Holiday Cheer

I figured I better catch up before Christmas comes and I have more posting to do. We have been having fun doing lots of Christmas things. Mark's work does a family party every year where they feed you pizza, let you see Santa and then the kids all got a free present (good ones too!). We love it.

Another thing we love this time of year is the party we have with my sisters and their kids. Cousins draw names and us sisters are on a rotation. Ty had to jump in here for our "sister" pic. And yes, the turd is taller than all of us.

 The best thing about the sister party is the gag gifts. Sarah looks way to cute in these.

 Shane is rockin' the cowboy hat. Styrofoam cowboy hat.

 And Mark is trying out the bald man's comb that I picked from the pile. Pretty funny coincidence. =)

 We also had parties at Mark's mom's house (forgot pictures, whoops) and his dad's house. We have such wonderful traditions with our family members and we sure do love seeing them all this time of year.

Baby J is always willing to strike a pose. Show him and camera and say "cheese" and this kid will ham it up.

My kids have been getting pretty creative with what to do in the spare time that we actually do find. I thought this was too cute not to share. Love them!

 But all the fun sure does wear a little guy out! Don't you just want to eat him up? So cute.

 And last but not least, our best attempt at getting a Christmas picture this morning before church. 

While it is true that our days have been filled with lots of fun and Christmas spirit life gets in the way too. Mark got sick last Sunday and after lots of testing has found out that his gallbladder is not functioning. We see the surgeon on the 27th to find out more. Poor guy is pretty much flat in bed all day. Saydi and Jonas have had ear infections and Weston's glasses didn't get here before the Christmas break so he has been struggling with his headaches still and will not even have a chance of getting his glasses until Wednesday at the soonest. The young women got put in charge of the ward Christmas party so that was a huge stress for me but it turned out great and I am glad to have it over because now I know I won't be in charge of it next year. =) I share all of this not to complain or seem negative but so that my kids will know our life was real and not just all twinkles and glitter. And most importantly so that they know that even when things get chaotic or don't go the way you hope you can still make the most of things and have a great life. Which we do!

Weston's 5th Birthday

I can't believe my boy is so grown up! I was telling him stories today about when I was pregnant with him at Christmas time and it seems like it was just yesterday. He had a great birthday. The Friday before his big day we had a party with cousins. Weston requested a ninja turtle cake so that is what I attempted. On his birthday we opened presents, he went to school, and then we spent the rest of the day playing until we went to Grandma and Grandpa Anderson's and then to look at lights. 

 Wearing the crown he got at school.

 In his new jammies from G&G Anderson. He loves them.

Weston started getting headaches this last summer but they were very infrequent. Then within the last month he has complained of severe headaches every single day. So we decided to start with getting his eyes tested and sure enough, this poor boy needs bifocals! The doctor we saw specializes in kids so she sees a lot of them and she said he was the worst farsighted case she has EVER seen in a child his age. Crazy. But he is sure going to look handsome when they get here next week!

Wes is still an absolutely amazing big brother and person in general. He wants to be good and do what is right and tries his best to be obedient. He has an amazing memory which helps him to be awesome at playing games on the Wii. He can tell you exactly where to go to get a Yoshi or an extra life, etc. when he plays Mario! =) He is very smart and loves to learn new things. He is always asking questions and is curious about things. He likes black and red and his favorite food is pancakes. Our family is blessed to have this sweet boy in it. We love you so much Weston!

Silly Sleepers

I don't know what has been going on around here lately, but my kids have been falling asleep at the strangest times and in the strangest ways. 

This girl goes to bed with a book almost every night. I can't possibly tell her no when she asks for a book!

 Baby J was getting out of bed the first couple weeks we took the front off his crib and we went to check on him one night and found him dead asleep like this.

 Again, getting out of bed and I just shut his door and left him. When I checked on him here he was. =) As a side note, he is fantastic at going to bed now and never gets out at all.

 If Jonas goes downstairs while daddy and Wes are playing the Wii, he is guaranteed to fall asleep right here. Every time.

 Just plop down anywhere Westy! Funny guy. Note the boots. He wears them around the house 24/7.

 A repeat offense. He is laying here as I write this. Poor, tired boy.

Jonas got his blankie one day, ran up to me, and within two minutes was fast asleep on my lap. I had a HARD time putting him in his bed. After cuddling for a while first, of course.

 And this is where poor Saydi girl spent Thanksgiving dinner. She got sick. =(

I would do a separate post about our Thanksgiving but it was very un-blogworthy. Unfortunately. Our basement flooded in Saydi's room at the beginning of the week, Mark got a cold, Jonas got an ear infection, on Thanksgiving Wes and Saydi came down with fevers and we found out they had strep throat, I got a migraine the day after, and we ended the week with Saydi's room flooding for a second time (third total that we have lived here). Yuck! So she has taken up residency with Wes in his room and they both love it. Which is great because we are tearing her room apart and leaving it that way through the winter to make sure we solve the problem. Despite all of this, we are greatly blessed and have seen the tender mercies of the Lord in our lives. Much to be thankful for!

Getting In the Picture

I recently read this article (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allison-tate/mom-pictures-with-kids_b_1926073.html) about how important it is for us to get in the picture with our kids and let them see that we were with them. It really struck a chord with me. I don't like pictures. I over analyze and criticize myself so I find it easier to just avoid them. But I want my kids to see me, flaws and all, and remember the way I was when they were little. Even if I have a piece of hair in front my face that my husband didn't tell about, like in this picture. =)

So here's to getting in the picture. And hopefully my kids will look at these and have good memories of the way their lives were, because I know I always will remember this time in my life (and theirs) as one of the best times of my life.

Halloween

My little ninja, witch and monkey.

 Beck and Maylee

 Miss, Makoy and Channing

 Emma, Kaden, Amy, Keira and Aaron

 The trick-or-treating group posing with Papa on his 60th birthday!

 Us with mom and dad.

 Dad liked his present!

I love our tradition of going to my parent's house on Halloween since it is my dad's birthday and going trick-or-treating with cousins. I always have so much fun and I love spending that time with my sister and their kids going from house to house. Mark had to work so we definitely missed him but still had a great time!