Christmas Day 2009

 The Sharp's joined us for Christmas this year. I was feeling pretty homesick and we were getting kind of lonely doing everything all by ourselves this year. We are very social and are used to lots of friends and family around that we usually have plenty of people to join us in our activities. Being out in Utah and with this new ward we are in, we are lacking in friends and family. What a blessing the Sharp's are to us. Jeff and Matt are very close - like brothers - so we consider them family. We love spending time with them and are so glad they could be with us for a couple days this Christmas.

Getting ready to bless the food

Dinner time. We had a delicious prime rib with yummy sweet potato casserole, Tony's homemade mac and cheese, green beans, Martinelli's and lots of dessert.

Cute kids ready to eat.

You would think that is a lemon in his hand not a rice krispy treat.

Madi... always such a happy face in her pictures

Don't know who took it, but I love this picture of Jillian

Show time. Because we had enough kids this year and my kids miss our tradition of a little show at Grandma's each year, I  decided we would have one, well something like it anyway. Emma wanted to read us the "I Believe" book.

Have you ever seen a cuter star?

Ever seen a cuter sheep?

Our nativity cast this year. Thank you Mikayla and Madison for putting it together for us. They have seen Candice put together a nativity program so they knew they could too... that doesn't sound good.

To close the program, Olivia opened our last "12 days of Christmas book" and read it to us all.

I have pictures of these two together since they were little babies.

Jillian is everyone's friend

Breakfast the next morning. Eggs from our chickens and bacon from Matt's pig.

Jeffrey and Teagan playing video games all morning

Emma and Ella found some icicles under the trampoline

Boy toys. It kind of looks like Matt is about to take out Jeff.

New Year's Eve 2009

Our kids all had other plans for New Year's Eve so Jeff and I decided to go see "Savior of the World" at Temple Square. It was a fun date.


The girls seeing us off. Love this picture of the three of them.

Waiting for the show to start. The Christmas decorations were beautiful inside the conference center.

Temple Square 2009

For so many years I wanted to see Temple Square at Christmas time. Now, I have that opportunity every year and wouldn't miss it. It is beautiful. Can there be a better place to be at Christmas time? As we were entering Temple Square, the nativity story was playing over head with beautiful music and thoughts from President Monson at the end. It was a neat way to listen to the story.

 

Behind the kids are the shepherd's. The light is on the Shepherd's as they were being mentioned in the story. I loved at least a part of the nativity behind the kids with the Christus above them in the background.

It means so much more to come to the Salt Lake Temple with my family since this is the temple Jeff and I were sealed in.
Look how we have been blessed since we were sealed here almost 18 years ago.

Sitting in front of where our story began.

Madi having fun with the camera

Love this cute picture of the girls with the lights behind them.

 

Beautiful

 

Christmas Morning 2009

There is no morning more looked forward to than Christmas morning no matter what age you are.

What the kids saw Christmas morning as they were coming down the stairs.

First peek

Taylor found her present from Santa

Madi and Mikayla opened their present from Kenny. He was so cute, he didn't know what to get them. I think he found the right gift because the girls really liked it.

A date with THE Kenny Ballard

If you look at the very fine print it says, "Transportation not included". Kenny doesn't have his license yet.

 

Gift from mom and dad

When Emma opened this present Jeff wrapped this is what we found written on the box.

 

Who wouldn't want a doll that poops and pees? 

 

 Her first I-pod

 

Jeffrey and his presents

Taylor's cute bunny, Flopsy

Twinzies. Everyone says she is the spitting image of me(I don't see it, she is much prettier). More people say we look alike, and maybe we do, than she and Madi look alike.

 

Madi and her new glasses - non prescription, just for fun

 

My present from Jeff. Starbucks hot chocolate

Christmas Eve 2009

Christmas Eve is always a special night. It is the night where we spend time together as a family relaxing, playing games and eating. Everyone gets to open one present Christmas Eve after winning a round of bingo(or in the case this year...21) and we close the night more reverently by reading of the Savior's birth and a short movie on His birth.

We love doing puzzles at Christmastime

Madi blessing us with her talent and playing beautiful Christmas music on the piano.

                                           Kenny was our special guest for part of the evening.

We all choose what to add to our Christmas Eve feast. It is not usually our healthiest meal.This year it was crab, shrimp pasta, spinach dip, cheese ball and crackers, cookies, fudge and rocky road - oh and some carrots.

Time to open up presents from each other. Taylor got make-up from Mikayla.

Emma got Webkins from Jeffrey

Mikayla got that thing that rubs off hair from Olivia.

Olivia got jewelry from Madison.

Jeffrey got a Wii game from Taylor.

Madi got a $15 gift card for I-Tunes from Emma.

Finally, after a scripture story and the short movie "O Holy Night" the kids are all nestled all snug in their beds in hopes that St. Nicholas soon will be there. It is tradition that they all sleep in the same room Christmas Eve.