Gingerbread Houses

I realize this is posted after Christmas but that is when we finally got to our Gingerbread houses.  With all the craziness before Christmas we just didn't have time.  The kids had fun, but it was such a mess!!  We were cleaning candy up for days.  They also didn't seem to want to stand up for very long.  Let's just say that I threw them away the next day but the kids had a lot of fun for about 20 minutes.

Fun With Cousins

The kids loved playing with their cousins.  Ava got very comfortable with them, and finally left my side after about 4 days.  They loved playing with all their new toys and being together.  It makes so happy that they get along so well.

Happy 20th Aunt Amber

Amber celebrated her 20th Birthday on the 27th. All of the girls surprised her and took her out to lunch in Grangeville.  We went to the fanciest place we could find.    She was feeling a little sad that none of her friends were there, so we took her out instead. The cake is of course her favorite - grasshopper pie. Miraculously it didn't melt with all of those candles.  We love you Amber!!

 



A Little Techy

This is what we were doing most of the Christmas break - playing our Kindles.  Mom, Heather, Amber and I all got some form of a Kindle for Christmas.  The kids enjoyed playing them, and so did Uncle Roy.  The kids also had a lot of fun playing the Kinect.  I think it is Owens new favorite thing.

Happy Birthday Orrin and Molly!!

Christmas time at the Farmer house also means birthdays!!  We celebrated Orrin and Molly's birthday on the 26th.  Orrin's birthday is on Christmas and Molly's is on the 26th.  We had fun making Orrin his own monster cupcakes and Heather worked hard making Molly a barbie cake.  The kids had a lot of fun and enjoyed celebrating with their cousins.

Christmas Day

After our crazy Christmas morning, we got to open the rest of the presents after church.  It is always exciting to see the kids so happy, but also fun for the adults to get to open something.  Chad got me a Kindle Fire, and I got him a few small things and tickets to The Zac Brown Band which I hid inside their CD.  I was so excited to give it to them.  My parents got Chad a router, and I got some new silverware.  The kids got a toy and an outfit.  My mom got Brittany and Claire new matching jackets.  The girls were very excited and wore their jackets all day inside.  We are very lucky and grateful for all we have.

Christmas Morning

We had planned to go to my parents house for Christmas this year.  About 6 weeks before Christmas my parents had a fire at their house.  Needless to say it left the whole upstairs unlivable, and the basement without heat.  They had to gut the upstairs living room, get new carpet throughout the whole house, and lots of new paint.  They moved in next door with my brother Roy and his 7 kids.  So, that is where we had Christmas.  Crazy wouldn't even be the right word to explain that house, but full it was full of happy kids.  Christmas morning was a little crazy, but the kids didn't seem to notice.  They were each in their own world.

Reading the Christmas story to the kids.

Santa left us a big pile.

We're waiting!

Just a glance at the craziness

Owen got just what he wanted!  An Optimus Prime that turns into a truck.  He also got a Hot Wheels Wall Track, a few video games, and a new book.

Grant got a new Geo Trax, some new cars, The Fishing Game, and a new book.

Ava wasn't sure about all the chaos but she was happy with her new doll, stroller and pillow pet.

Claire got an MP3 player, a run for her room (seriously she wanted that), and a new Ken and Barbie and a Barbie Jeep.

Christmas Goodies

I'm not going to lie.  I didn't not want to bake this year.  It is always so much work, and having all those sweets around the house is just not a good thing.  I finally bit the bullet, and enlisted the help of the kids to get things done.  We did simple cookies that the kids could help with.  They had so much fun, and I need to stop worrying about a big mess, and let them help me a little more.  Everyone was so proud of our finished work.  I wish I took a picture of our plates, because they were perfect. 

FHE Christmas Party

Since Chad is at school or at work most of the week, FHE was very hard for me.  I have loves having my "single mom," FHE with my good friend Anjie and her daughter McKinlee.  We had a fun little Christmas party for the kids.  We pinned the face on the snowman, then had a lesson ont he Christmas story.  We topped it off with cookie decorating (always a favorite!).  The kids had so much fun, and have grown to love FHE.  It is our favorite night of the week.

All the munchkins.  They keep us very busy.

Christmas Part 1

  Each night before Christmas we also open a Christmas book.  Most of the times I can hardly make it through them because I am crying so hard, but I make it through.  It is a fun activity, and the kids love it because they get to open a present each night.  Sometimes the books are about Santa, but most of the times they are touching Christmas stories that revolve around service.  I want my kids to understand that not everyone is as lucky as they are. 

 Whenever we travel away from home for Christmas we always open up presents before we leave. The kids opened their presents from their Grandpa and Grandma Clayson. They got some new pajamas, and couldn't have been happier.  This was Ava's first understanding of a present, and it is fun to watch as they discover that there is something under all that wrapping paper.