Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to your family.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve has been a fun day at our house. It started off with Hadley and Daddy doing a little last minute shopping. Then it was mommy and Hadley's turn to run to the store. We were trying to beat the nasty weather. It started to sleet just as we were leaving Target. We picked up lunch and headed home. We got home just as the winter storm hit and it hit hard. We are currently having blizzard conditions here. Hadley wanted snow for Christmas and she is getting a lot of it.
After lunch it was time to make cookies for Santa and reindeer food. Here are my elves hard at work.



This is what it looked like outside around 5pm. Church was cancelled.
Opening their one present for Christmas Eve. Pjs and a book.
Time to show off the new jammies.
Here is a picture of Jillian's first ornament.
Here she is doing what she does best these days, pulling up and trying to climb on everything.
Since it was too dark to play in the snow in her new princess snow boots, we brought the snow inside.


Reading stories together before bed.


Time to leave cookies and milk for Santa. Oh and sneak one for Hadley too. Hadley was very concerned about how she was going to get the food on the roof for the reindeer. She said daddy would need to get his ladder. I told her we would put it in a sack and let Santa take it to them. She is always thinking. After putting her to bed tonight I heard her blinds moving. I went in to ask what she was doing and she said, "I'm checking if it is dark or morning time. Is it morning time mom, did Santa come." I think I went in there at least 5 times before she fell asleep. It has been so much fun watching her learn about Christmas and get excited.
We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas. Enjoy time with family and remember that first 6 letter are the most important, CHRISTmas.

Working

Today has not been a fun day at our house. I have been really sick since last night so Mike had to work from home and deal with the kids. He was amazing! They kids did great as well. It was a very busy work day for Mike so he had his hands full and I was no help at all.
I did catch these cute images of Hadley working with daddy. At one point she said, "Mom I am busy right now doing my work." It was very cute.

The Big 30

On Friday I turned the big 30! I had a great day. To start the day off Mike got up with the kiddos and let me sleep in. He took the day off to be home with us. When I got up he made us purple pancakes for breakfast. Then after breakfast he took Hadley and they washed my car. I was starting to feel like a queen. We all went to lunch and then Mike and Hadley had to go do some shopping. They were not going to be gone very long but ended up being gone about 4 hours. Mike called and said I better like my present and if I didn't to lie.

First Hadley walked in with these.And then they gave me my new netbook. I love it! Mike said good because he isn't going back to Best Buy for a long time and that is not like Mike at all. Here is a picture of my netbook.
They were planning on baking me a cake but ran out of time. They did have time to pick one up.
Jillian was making eyes for some cake. Sorry kiddo you will have to wait.

Hadley and mommy waiting for cake.
My mom came down after she got off work to spend the weekend with us. She watched the girls on Friday night so we could go to dinner and on Saturday night so we could go to our Sunday School Christmas party and a movie. Two nights out without kids was nice. Thanks mom.
Ready for date night.

Lady and Hadley.
On Saturday mom, the girls, and I did a little Christmas shopping. Here we are ready to go.

8 months

8 months and happy as can be...

Craft time

I have been trying to do a few more one on one things with Hadley lately. Last weekend we had a donut date and went shopping at Kohls. Yesterday we had craft time while Jillian took her morning nap. We made snowmen and reindeer.

Putting some eyes on her snowman.
Baby had to help glue Rudolph together.

Jillian woke up before we were done so she watched from her jumper.
Craft time is over let the playing begin!

Crawling

I finally caught Jillian crawling.

Crawling

We have a new crawler at our house. But every time I tried to get a video of it this is what she did.

A Night in Bethlehem

Last night was our children's Christmas celebration at church. Instead of doing a program they put on "A Night in Bethlehem." They decorated the fellowship hall to look like Bethlehem. They had your name put on the census, the stable with Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, a live donkey, pottery making, metal work, painting, stone mason shop and much more. Hadley seemed to have a great time once she warmed up. The tax collector and the beggar scared her at first.

Here she is looking at the donkey. It smelled awful!
Working on making a wreath.
Time to make a scroll.
Metal working making a necklace.

Time for some pottery.
Painting an angel.



At the end she wanted to pet the donkey but this is her yelling NO to having her picture taken while petting the donkey. She is a true princess.
Working on some stone mason work.

I didn't have my camera out for the best part. At each station you went to they would talk about the new baby in town and ask if you had seen Him yet. We had seen Jesus right at the beginning but after all the talking she wanted to see him again. This time she wanted to hold baby Jesus(who was a doll) and tell Him Happy Birthday. She also gave him a kiss. Mary told her that is was his nap time and they were trying to get him to sleep. Last night as we were going to bed Hadley said, "Mommy why did Jesus need a nap?" I explained that He was tired from a busy day of visitors then she said, "Mommy, I love Jesus so much." It was very precious.