Connor's 3rd Birthday!

Connor is not a fan of the camera, so on his birthday I didn't really get any good pictures of him. Above is him GQ style at Kris and Brenna's reception, doesn't he look handsome? Well, besides the frown... : ). I should have posted this a long long time ago, but better late than never, right? We had a low key birthday for Connor this year. We spent the day jumping and bouncing at Jumpstreet and partying it up at Chuck-E-Cheese. Connor is such a tender hearted little guy and is so affectionate. One of my favorite things about Connor is that he is always hugging on me and playing with my hair. It's so cute, he even plays with it in his sleep and I love it. He can melt my heart in a split second with one little grin and those big dimples of his, love that boy : )!!

Gage's 1st Birthday!!

This poor baby was so sick on his birthday, he really didn't even enjoy his birthday cake. He was, however, still the sweetest little boy there is. I LOVE this baby. He is such a treasure to have in my home. Always happy and just easy going even when his sibs drop him, steal his toys, push him around, eat his food, take all of his mommy's time, yank his pacifier right out of his mouth, pretend he is a baby doll, and just plain scare him sometimes. He is such a comfort to me, I can always rely on Gage to keep me sane when Kinsey and Connor are pushing my temper to it's limits ; ). I cannot say enough about this sweet little guy and how much I love him. Happy Birthday Baby Gagey!! I can't imagine life without you.

We were lucky enough to have Gage's birthday while we were still in Colorado, it was so fun to have my family there.

Christmas

We had Christmas with everyone in Colorado this year because Kris's wedding reception was there a few days after Christmas. It was such a blast having everyone together in one place (we missed you Kris and Brenna)! We originally were going to have the kiddos dress up and act out the story while the adults each told their part, but since we were so late we just did the adult part. This will sound cheesy, but the entire drive would have been totally worth it just for this part of our trip. All 22 of us gathered around the family room and took part in the Nativity story. We began by singing "Silent Night", which moved me to tears. The Spirit was immediately brought into the room and I thought that our untrained, weak voices sounded so beautiful. We then each spoke for a few minutes about how we would have felt if we were our assigned person/animal.

Craig conducted:

Dad was Joseph and spoke of how unsure he was. He was poor. He owed taxes and couldn't pay them. He didn't "know" his wife, and yet she was pregnant. He was just very lost.
Mom was Mary and spoke of how being a mother herself and knowing of the love she feels for each of us helped her to relate to Mary. How Mary must have been completely overwhelmed by the love she felt for her son, the Savior of the world.

Marianne was an angel. She told of how she felt when she hears the word "angel", she is reminded of the picture of Christ descending from the heavens surrounded by hosts of angels singing and blaring their horns. She told of how music seems to always invite the spirit in and is such a peaceful way of sharing messages. She imagined if she were an angel she would be eager to notify the simple, commoners about the birth of our Savior though song.

Nick was the shepherd. He told of how he wished he was more like the shepherds in the story. He told of how once they got word of baby Jesus's birth, they immediately left to find him. He related that to him and his mission papers. He said that he had been coming up with every possible excuse to put things off just one or two more months instead of sending things in. He spoke of how he wished he could be as quick to go and serve as the humble shepherds were.
Travis spoke of the wise men. He talked about how they came with the very best gifts they could find to offer the baby Jesus, and how at Christmas time we should offer our very best gifts to him as well.

I was the donkey. I had read a story about the donkey and what his thoughts might have been. In the story the donkey spoke of how he thought he was a "lowly" animal; unable to contribute. The lion was large and in charge, and other animals had food/drink to give. He felt as though he had nothing to contribute, until he realized that, "I carried a MOTHER who carried a KING." And how that was a great contribution.

Kris spoke of the Lamb. He related the lamb to the Lamb of God and reminded us all that we should be meek and humble like the lamb.

Finally, BJ spoke of Baby Jesus. He spoke of how the most important thing in this life is to stay the course and stay near to family. He reminded us all that raising and rearing a family is the most sacred of responsibilities, and that by drawing nearer to our Savior we are ensuring our families spot with Him in the Heavens.

Clint then read the Christmas story found in Luke, and Katherine, Dustin, Zach, and Audrie shared their favorite Christmas memory.


We ended by singing a Christmas song (but I'm drawing a blank as to which one) and then we all headed to bed. I am so glad CRAIG (of all people!!) put this together and hope that it will be a tradition.

The night before filling stocking : )
Christmas morning came early with all these little kiddos excited for their gifts. The first look at the loot!

A few days later we went to the fun bounce house

Kris's Wedding

Kris is married! He and Brenna were sealed in the Salt Lake City Utah temple around noon and we all gathered for pictures in the FREEZING weather shortly after.

The MOST HANDSOME grooms man ever!

BJ and Kat and her 17 week baby bump that you can barely see. Not fair.

After the wedding, we headed over to Macaroni Grill for an amazing luncheon. We ate and ate then ate more. I had the best hot chocolate I've ever had in my entire life and can't wait to go back for more. After a quick trip to the hotel to change into more comfortable clothes, we headed to Provo for a small open house with their friends.

Marianne Nick and I took it upon ourselves to decorate their car. Unfortunately, it was snowing, so our naughty signs on the windows didn't stick. Instead we left little love notes all over the inside of the car and did our best at tying water bottles to the back window wiper. Not the best decor job in the world, but we did our best despite our freezing cold fingers, Nick's bad gas in the car, and Marianne scaring us half to death with her crazy screaming.

Good times all around and Travis and I enjoyed our little mini vacation away from the littles :).