Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Jesus! What an exciting end to the Advent season. We had a very blessed Christmas here. We enjoyed spending time with family and friends, ate delicious food and even recieved some gifts. I feel like I've learned a great deal this year, especially about the importance of giving and making "sacricrices." More than once this month I was found picking out toys to give to needy children.... my parents found this very sweet.

J is for Jesus

Jude and I preparing for Mass
So fun getting all dressed up

After Mass we got to open one present.....

New jammies

I decided Santa likes soy milk with his cookies

Twas the Night Before Christmas and I was listening intently

Christmas morning and there was a new bed set up in the living room.... did I get evicted from my room?

Big ol' grin

Sam is looking for one with his name on it

Putting baby Jesus in the Nativity

He's pretty comfy in all the soft hay I earned for him this season

Thanks for moving my bed into my room Dad

I had to take a 'nap' right away, this will work just fine

I picked out this dress to wear to Grandma Katie's... I was soon back in my new jammies though

My new hat (and attached gloves) and a new game.

I'm still wearing these glasses 2 days later...

Merry Christmas!

Thank you Lord for sweet potatoes

I thought you said "cheeseball"
Serving fudgecicles at my high tea

Christmas Trip

We had a great trip to Spokane last weekend! It was so nice to see everyone and celebrate Christmas a little early. It was a quick trip but we packed a lot of fun things into it including a Gonzaga Basketball Game, watching Preschoolers sing, a trip to Cat Tails, and a lot of fun visiting with family! I did however miss the swimming pool ;) Thank you everyone in Spokane for a special visit and all the neat gifts! We are feeling so grateful!

The game was a little loud for me but I managed to have a good time anyway

My dada got to shoot a half court shot as a promotion!
Taking a quick rest to rejuvenate during the game

Bonding....love you dad!

This Bulldog is COLD!

Santa came to Grandma and Papa's house early! Guess my grandma has a special connection!

The neatest book! Thank you!

Sam and I working together on this one!

Scared of this place! (I thought the animals were going to ROAR)

Just a photo to show a rare glimpse of my pants "rolled down" ;) Guess it has to be snowing and below freezing!

Are we done yet? My brother sure had a blast.

Papa helping me with another present

We love you Great Grandpa!

Vanna's understudy?

Getting Ready!

11 days now! Can you believe it? I understand that it is going to be Jesus' birthday but not too much about Santa and the presents yet. All I know is that I don't care for him and don't want to sit on his lap or tell him anything. This week we got together with friends and decorated cookies, which was a lot of fun. My parents also took my brother and me out for pizza and then to see a neighborhood filled with beautiful Christmas displays. I even had a candy cane while singing Christmas carols in the car. Advent is such a fun time of year!

Thursday we are heading to Spokane to see family and celebrate an early Christmas there. I am hoping for some snow to play in!

Being silly!

Frosting the cookies
Yummy!
I had a little too much icing on my two cookies and got sick shortly after. Funny, since we talked about food groups and healthy eating this week in school. We might need to go over that lesson again.....

Holding baby Therese. Mama and I fight over holding her. Ahhh....I just love her!

We had a day break in the rain and I had fun out on my bike

Making cards and rudolphs

Decorating more cookies with mama. These pens are really neat!

The results!

Our waitress gave my brother and I pizza dough to play with while we waited...super duper fun!
Trying to toss the dough like the guys in the back

Advent -Week 2

Advent is now in full swing and this week we went out and found our Christmas Tree and decorated the house -I even have lights and a nativity in my room! We also celebrated Saint Nicholas Day with a fun tradition of putting our shoes out the night before. I have been helping mom bake cookies, along with everything else. Here are some family traditions we have started....

This is my favorite Christmas Book....you should read it if you haven't already done so!

Our Jesse Tree...Sam and I made it with our handprints and we are adding an ornament everyday as we read the Bible story. The stories start with Adam and Eve and go through Jesus' ancestors up until his birth on Christmas.
Our Advent wreath and sacrifice manger. Sam and I get to add a piece of hay to the manger when we do a good deed or make a sacrifice. Jesus will be comfy upon his birth! Also we light the candles and say a prayer every night at dinner. So far we have lit the Candle of Promise and now the Candle of Light.
Out at the Christmas Tree farm with our friends. We found a picture of Santa there! Wow!

Mama and I posing for a picture in front of the tree we found

Watching intensly as dada cuts "The One!"

I had fun exploring with my friends and running in the "Meadow!"

It was super cold outside so after we got home I had to have some hot chocolate with marshmallows! Yummy!

Unpacking the ornaments with my brother

I made this one! Mama and I used some clay that rolled together and into a candycane

That night we went out to a restaurant and had pizza before heading to the chilly parade in Lynden. Jude and I sure had fun together!

I had fun on Dada's shoulders before the parade started. We were running around trying to keep warm.

Sam was in heaven, I on the other hand was a bit undecided. I loved the lights on the floats and vehicles but the noise was a little loud for me!

Decorating the tree on Sunday. I was a big help!!

Helping put the ornaments on top. I needed a little help after mama and dada realized all the ornaments were a little low ;)

At the port festival. This was pure torture. Do you know that we couldn't eat this candy??

This one had smurfs!! I don't even know what those things are but my parents remember them!

Posing for a picture...too bad brother won't sit still. Mama was trying to get some Christmas pictures of us together...challenging!

Cheese....cute one!

Saint Nicholas....he turned out great!

Finding coins in my shoe! I even traded my shoe out the night before finding the "biggest one." Saint Nicholas also brought us the Veggie Tale video of himself (which I really liked!) and a nativity to play with for the rest of Advent!

Helping bake cookies...notice the flour (not the flower, the flour!!) on my shirt?