New Years Eve

This year we had New Years at home, with just the little girls. Usually the big girls go to the church sponsored New Years dance but one of their friends in the ward had a party at his house and it sounded like most everyone was going there. Tersa originally planned to go to the dance anyway but didn't. They had a good time. Just before midnight Joel broke out the sparkling cider and right after he went and picked up the big girls. (Who wanted our traditional sparkling cider when they got home. Good thing we left a bit for them.)

2011 was a good year. We hit several milestones, had people come to see us, no serious illnesses developed and Joel has a job. (No we weren't worried about him losing his, we are just glad to have one.)

Wilson Christmas

I forgot my camera when we went to Wilson's for our traditional celebration. Mandy was kind enough to send me what she took.
I think it is funny that the little kids sat together and the older ones sat together. Payten is by Mardi.

Christmas Morning

Anarya loved the stuffed animals she got!

Joel added this monkey to her stocking. The scarf? She loves to drape things around her neck. I didn't want it too long so I knotted it.

Shinara never asks for much. This year she had a list but about two days before Christmas she decided she'd like a football. Santa brought her a personal DVD player. She wasn't too thrilled at first, but quite appreciates it now!

Christmas Day part II

Let the opening of the gifts begin!

I made Tersa a hardbound book of a lot of her 16th Birthday pictures.

Anarya

loved her

baby doll!!

I took pictures of the baby mainly since it was really the first time she participated in the opening of presents and I took the one of Tersa so I could capture her reaction to that particular gift. Sorry Mardi, Keddi and Shar, as usual, it's all about the baby!

Christmas Eve

I finally started wrapping two days before Christmas and Anarya didn't really mess with the gifts. I wish I had tried it out earlier! We had some issues this year with the lights going out at the bottom of the tree. Next year I will have to buy lights to string just down there. It was bad enough that it was only decorated 1/2 way. Only lit 1/2 way?!?! Unacceptable.

The stockings I am sure she wouldn't leave alone so they were not put up until today. So sad, it's one of the decorations I like most. Oh well, Christmas will come around again next year.

The girls haul. Joel got a nice briefcase and I got a Circuit machine.

Keddi, Tersa, Mardi, Shinara and Anayra

Ethel M. Chocolate Factory

Joel decided that it would be "fun" to go to Ethel M. Chocolate Factory tonight. It was very cold and when we got there, there were hundreds of people milling about. You could hardly walk down the paths and stopping to take a picture was difficult.

Ethel M. has a cactus "garden". It's what they decorated with lights. I thought it a bit weird, but lights are lights and they were beautiful!

This was one of Tersa's favorites.

Shinara's Glasses

Shinara has new glasses. She picked this pair because the sides have blue camo. There was another pair that had a

thick, peacock blue frame and they were gorgeous on her. Made her eyes pop out at ya. But she liked these. And they are cute!

Ward Christmas Party

The ward Christmas party was fabulous this year if only for the fact that I did not have to plan it. I got to sit at a table and eat with my family. Then I set up my tripod and took pictures of all the kids with Santa.

Anarya did not get her picture taken with Santa because before he arrived, Joel had to take her home, bathe her and change her since the diaper bag had not been brought with us. Not such a great activity for Joel.

Nap Changes

Anarya's nap schedule is changing. She doesn't sleep as long in the morning and becomes downright miserable around dinner time. And this has been happening far too often lately. From now on, on top of the morning nap, we are going to have to allow a short one earlier in the afternoon!

Braceless

Before

She was quite excited to get these on and get her teeth straightened out. But about a year before they came off, she was chomping at the bit to have them out.

After

Movie Viewing "Fort"

Shinara wanted to watch a movie in a fort. So, with the iPad and netflix, this is what came about. The baby is in there too.

Christmas Tree decorating

We had guests the night we decorated the tree. We put it up a bit earlier this year but it still took a day or two to get around to decorating it. Kiara Randall and Daisy Peterson dropped in to see Tersa and helped out.

This is the first time we've had to do this! A half decorated tree?! I tell ya. (Can't put up my stockings or porcelain houses either.)