Merry Christmas Eve!

 Opening our Christmas jammies. We had just finished eating a tasty icecream cake one of my students gave us. You can see Hallie is still wearing it on her face. :)

  

 Everyone with their new jams on! Merry Christmas!!

Holiday baking begins!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Tooth Extraction

 Cade had to have a baby tooth pulled that didn't want to leave. They had to go all the way down to the bone to get it out. I can't believe the size of that tooth! The dentist told us it was worth atleast $3 from the tooth fairy. :) Cade's been a great patient. He is such a tough kid.

Lego crazy

 Nativity Scene

 Cade's birthday sets

Cassidy's Choir Performances

 Cassidy has had a lot of great singing opportunities with her school choir this year. This one I was the most amused by- singing at the opening of a Race Trac gas station. They even had the mayor there and some of the High School cheerleaders. I felt like we live in a small town or something. It was really made me laugh. But the people were great and fun and Cassidy did a great job.

 

 

 Singing at the Veteran's day breakfast- honoring veterans. Totally made me cry. I can't keep my eyes dry when they sing all the armed forces songs- especially when they have the veterans from each branch stand up during the singing. I'm so grateful for our military and their families.

 

Trouble in River City

 This lady loves make up. If she can't get ahold of my mascara, she puts on her own version with markers. Age 12 can't come soon enough for this lady!

 She likes to put diapers in all sorts of odd places. We think she is carrying them to the trash, but in reality she is putting them places like our bed, Warren's work bag, etc. We're always quite surprised when they appear. :)

 She plays innocent though- look at her reading "For the Strength of Youth"

 She cleans up well too. Love this little lady!

Marvelous Maverick

 So proud of Luke for getting the good citizen award at school!! Great work, Buddy!

 

 

 

Festivities

Paying their respects at the nativity scene

It's undetermined whether the gingerbread man was stuffing the elf in the Santa mailbox, or whether they were still playing "hide and go seek" and the gingerbread was just finding the elf....

 To go along with the fun decorating, baking, parties, book reading,visiting, movie watching,  music listening, and other traditions of Christmas- we have added our Elf adventures. He's our own version of "Elf on the Shelf." He reports to Santa every night if the kids are being naughty or nice. If he gets touched he gets sick and sometimes doesn't return the following day from the North Pole. Our elf had several sick days at our house, but thankfully he still keeps coming back! The kids LOVE finding him doing different silly things every morning with his different friends around the house.

 Elf put up some lights on the banister. He and Gingerbread man needed a little rescuing from the Barbies.

 Elf decorated the top half of our Christmas tree

 Elf's friend's caroling him while he's sick in bed (his tissue box)

 Elf is sick. Got a note from the head elf at the North Pole telling the boys they better start being nice to their elf.

 

 Dangling from the chandelier with a nativity brought for the kids in the Santa hat

 Hide and seek

 Reading books

 Decorating the house with Mom's candy cane stash

 

 I'm not sure where the photo went that featured our elf on a date with Barbie in her Barbie car- but he's quite the friendly fella.

 Playing legos

 Snowball fight with marshmallows

 Skiing

 Plane crash