Grandpa's Birthday :)

Grandpa has his birthday on Dec 30th and this year all of the kids and their kids, chipped in to get him a cool birthday gift.

We got him the Joseph Smith Papers dvd set. It is a documentary dvd set. He is a big movie buff and already had the book so we figured, hey why not!!

We hoped that he liked it. Maybe we will have to borrow it and watch it one of these days!!

It was a super quick visit with Grandpa since he got sick over the holidays and wasn't feeling too hot. Maybe he could watch these in bed :)

Knitting with Nana!

My mom will be the first to tell you that i am definately NOT a knitter. I have crocheted a few blankets but knitting and i just dont seem to do well together. My girls have asked me to teach them and i tell them to ask Nana when she comes to visit.

This visit, Nana taught Emm and Tori to knit. Emm already knew how to knit from previous visits but this time she got help casting on and off and before long was doing it by herself!! Tori just learned the basics. They both did a great job!!

Tori knitting!!!

(Emm was in the other room playing the piano!!)

The Piano!

For Christmas this year Jason and I asked Emily and Hudson if they wanted to get a keyboard from Jason and I as a joint gift this year. They both said, YES!

So, we picked up this keyboard for a really good price and they both love learning to play it. My friend and our hairdresser, Alicia is teaching them how to play. I just wish they had more time to practice more!!! This summer for sure!

We opted for a keyboard over an actual piano so that when the kids or Jason or I are practicing we can put on headphones and not bother the rest of the house!!!

The budding Beethoven's!!

Nana's Birthday :)

Nana and Papa (aka Deb's parents) were leaving to head back home before Nana's actual birthday (Dec 29th) so we had a cake and gave her gifts to her early!!!

The kids picked out the cake, chocolate of course...

A few months earlier I was trying to think of an idea of what to do for the grandmother's birthdays this year and i thought of making them a blanket. Hudson's baseball coach's wife, Miss Lisa, was making a fleece tie blanket one day at practice and she said it was super easy to do, so i figured, what the heck, lets make them each on of those.

So, off the kiddos and i went to Jo-Ann's Fabric store and picked up some fleece. The kids decided what colors and designs best suited each grandma.

Both got the same colored backs, pink, yellow, white and blue stripes, and then the fronts were...

Purple background with penguins for Nana and for Gram it was pink princesses.

Jason and I cut and tied it and it was easy but after cutting through that much fleece you hand tended to hurt a bit!!!

I think Nana liked hers. It sure was cozy and warm. Should come in handy for those cold British Columbia nights when she is watching one of her reality shows!!! She can be cozy warm and think of her grandkiddos!!!

Emily also wanted to give her an Arizona Desert Dance t-shirt. It is from her dance company.

The kids helping Nana blow out her candles!! "Max, please don't spit too much!!!!!"

Her birthday blanket!!

Her new dance t-shirt!!!

Laminate for Christmas!!!!

Jason and I talked long and hard about getting laminate put in our front room for a long time and this year we figured that since my parents were coming down, along with my little brother, we would put them to work and get it done!! We used some of our Christmas money from Jason's parents and had a blast installing it.

A friend of ours, Kaleb and his dad helped us install it as well. Kaleb is a home reno expert and has a trailer for his truck equipped with saws and all kinds of gadgets so we traded him some kids toys (for his son Braden, who i babysit on Fridays) and our air hockey table. The kids were sad to see that go, but it had its time here in our house.

It was a lot of fun ripping up the carpet. Underneath there was a list written by the contractors who built this house about what was left to be done...umm yeah sure. This house was put together by monkeys in our opinions haha.

We let the kids write on the cement in sharpie markers, maybe one day someone else will read it and get a chuckle out of it!!!

I LOVED the end product!!!!

The carpet gets ripped out...

Uncle Chris writing on the floor...where he slept!!!

Hudson and Emm practicing their cursive, Tori, Jason, my mom (Nana)

Deb, my dad(Papa) and Max!

The signing process...

Getting it all in :)

Auntie Steph the Photographer!!

Steph got a really nice new camera for Christmas and she was in picture taking mode all holiday season. Her camera takes great photos and my family was more than happy to be her guinea pig!!

Deb n JT

Deb and her big little brother Chris goofing around!

Deb's mom and dad.

Our family shot...

Emm and Gram

The meal!!

The kids table!

Uncle Jase and Allison!

The girlies!

The cousins!

If you look closely at the picture behind the kids, you will see an art piece that Jason's parents commissioned an artist to paint. It is of Noah's ark. It is absolutely amazing! It took the artist two years to paint it. For Christmas this year all of the boys got artist prints of this painting. Jason being the number one son, got the number one print etc. We absolutely love it. Apparently the LDS church liked it and is going to put prints in some of the meeting houses. Cool huh???!!

Our kiddos!

Three generations :)

The men!

Christmas day at Gram and Grandpa's.

It was great to see all the family decked out for Christmas. My parents brought Harv down some Sweet Marie chocolate bars from Canada for his birthday on the 30th of December. You can tell by the photo that he and my dad were having some fun!!
The dinner was fabulous and we all had a great time visiting and taking pictures! The kids ended up watching a movie in the theater as the big people visited. Great end to a wonderful day.

Gifts from the Girls

Emily and Tori each made Jason and I gifts for Christmas at school which they wrapped up and gave to us on Christmas morning.

Emily made a stained glass picture made out of tin foil and an image put on a clear piece of plastic that she colored to look like a poinsettia.

Tori made a calendar. For each month there are art work pieces that their class each started to make months before the holiday season.

They were both wonderful gifts which we loved very much!!

Christmas Morning!

Christmas morning at our house this year was great fun!! The kids woke up and we told them that they had a present in the front room...they went in there and saw someone sleeping on the blow up bed and asked who it was and we said why dont you go find out. So they crept up and my brother uncovered his head and said, "Merry Christmas" and the kids all screamed..."It's Uncle Chris!!"
Everyone was spoiled as usual. The kids each got some pretty cool stuff from Santa...Emm got a New Moon chest full of DS games, Hudson got Rockband 2, Tori got a pink DS and Max got a firetruck! Along with many other gifts from grandparents and Jase and I.
We unwrapped all of our gifts, ate some breakfast and then proceeded to put together all those toys that needed assembly. Then everyone got showered and cleaned up to head over to Gram and Grandpa's for gifts and Christmas dinner! Even Cooper got a new doggie bed for Christmas which he seemed to love. He curled up on it and went to sleep :)

The Biggest Surprise of All :)

In the fall my brother Chris asked if he could come and visit for Christmas. He said he had some holiday time he had to use and would love to come but didnt want it to be too crowded since he knew my parents were coming for the holidays.

I told him sure but we decided that we should keep it a surprise from my parents and our kiddos. I had to tell Jase's mom since she was hosting dinner but other than that the surprise went well.

After we hit Sonic, we told my parents that Jason had forgotten something at the office and had to run to get it. My parents assuming that it was a present thought nothing of it!!

Jason went to the airport to pick up Chris, whose plane was a little late but still...it was awesome!

Chris texted me that they were on their way and then half an hour later i was making my Christmas morning wifesaver and i heard a noise at the back slider door.

When i peeked out i saw my brother outside...i pulled back the blinds and then opened the slider door and at the same time said out loud..."Man its amazing what you find in your backyard!!" My parents looked up and saw that it was Chris and were in shock!

The kids were excited as well the next morning.

My parents were beside themselves with how well we kept the secret.

Best present ever...all the family together for the holidays :)

We even made him and my parents a stocking for Christmas this year that they could leave at our house for future visits!!

Christmas PJ's

Every year the kids get to open a pair of Christmas pajamas after we get home from the Temple and Sonic. The ones this year were really cute!! They were all so excited to get to bed so that they could be asleep when 'the big guy' made his visit.

The only sucky part about this year was that we had to give Emm the speach about 'what is real and what is not' it was so sad :( We told her that if she blew the lid on it for any of the others her presents go back!!! So far so good :)

Sonic after the lights!!!

Another tradition Jase and I started a few years back was to stop and have a Holiday Blast at Sonic on our way home after seeing the Temple Lights on Christmas Eve.

This year my parents were in town so they came with us and we also invited Jason's family. Chris and Steph brought their kiddos and we had a fun time eaing ice cream OUTSIDE on Christmas Eve!!!

The kiddos!!

Emm with Nana and Papa!

The brothers! Jase and Chris. Yep can you tell they both just love having their photo taken? haha

Temple Lights on Christmas Eve

It has become a tradition for our family to visit the Mesa Temple on Christma Eve to see the beautiful Christmas lights. If anyone is visiting us they come with us!!

Jason's parents always come with us as well as any visitors they have as well.

This year there was a lot of people...our family, my parents, Jason's parents, Chris and Steph and their kids and Shaun.

The kids with Nana and Papa!!

The cousins :)

Hudson and his buddy Matthew!!

Weenie Roast in December!!

My parents came for Christmas this year. We were all so excited to see them again. On the night of December 21st my parents and I were trying to decide on what to have for dinner and we came up with the thought of having a weiner roast and then the kids could show my parents how to make smores.

Hudson asked if he could help my dad make the fire and together they made a great one!! Hudson was so happy that his Papa let him help!!

The hot dogs were awesome and the smores even better!!!

What a way to spend the holidays in Arizona :)

Helping make the fire!!

The two turkeys!

Roasting the hot dogs!!

Nana and Tori looking for a good spot.

Papa and Max cooking his hot dog!

The crew cookin!!

Yumm!!! Nothing better than a hot dog you cooked yourself over an open fire!!