One More Before Christmas

 Oh boy!  Christmas Eve is tomorrow!  We're excited!  Nick is on his way home and I can't wait to have him all to myself.  Well, ok, I have to share him with little people, but no work and no school for a week and a half!  :)  That is the best Christmas present.

This last week has been snowy: 

 So far, we aren't complaining.  Let it snow!  Come mid-January, I'm pretty sure I'll be singing a different tune.

This little darling decided she was tired and went and put herself down for a nap.  Mom loves that.

And now, Christmas goodness.  My mom hosted her 50-somethingish annual Christmas party.  My kids LOVE to participate in the nativity.  Maren begs for Mary and Ellie begs for angel.  Taking good care of Baby Jesus:

 Lainey with her most favorite person in the whole world.  They are pretty much attached at the hip when family gets together.

Luke 2:19  "Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." 

Everett is a shepherd in the middle (I was shocked he wanted to participate) and Daisy was a shepherd as well, but escaped after about 1.3 minutes.

And then, our ward Christmas party with Santa:

 The little girls didn't want to sit on Santa's lap, and I certainly won't force them.  I don't blame them for wanting nothing to do with a stranger with a big, fake beard that wants me to come sit on his lap.

My baby girls, all spiffed up and Christmas-y looking for Sunday:

Last night we did Temple Square with my parents and sister's family.

Mandatory stop at the Macy's window display:

We can't take a "normal" photo without also taking a "silly" photo.  Whatever it takes.

My people:

 Nice Ellie, nice.

Looking at that photo reminds me of what my mom told me when we first met up.  She was watching our family from afar, but only saw a dad with a bunch of kids.  Then she realized that it was us.  Great.  I blend in with the kids.  Oh well, I really do hope they all outgrow me.

My cute mom and dad with 8 of their 43 grandchildren:

Plus an extra.  :)  Daisy was being a stink, so Dad stepped in.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Looks like Christmas

 I love how kids arrange the nativity.

Everyone wants a good look at the baby.  Well, hello!  Of course!  No shoving, now.

And, this one's for my mom.  And for anyone else who can stand me being a show off:

 Isn't it just darling?  I think so...  Now I just need a bed for Daisy baby to put it on.

Here's some close ups of my sister's mad quilting machine skills:

 Perfect butterfly.

 I love that she rounded the squares.  I think it makes it look more dainty.

And, I love the back too:

 Fun project.  One I can tackle every 10 years or so.

Here's another fun project.  Gingerbread houses.

The kids had their own house, they shared frosting, and had access to all the candy and just went nuts without any input from mom.  It was actually a very enjoyable time for me, surprisingly.  As long as I didn't stress about them eating every other candy, it was a fine time.  Cousins makes it more fun:

 Those be some mighty fine houses.  And some mighty strong frosting.  Check out the gravity defying structures on some of those roofs!

Daisy has been a stinker about naps lately.  Being as the rest of the house is in chaos with the other kids running around, I haven't forced them on her either.  It doesn't give me sanity time or anything.  However, it makes for some sleepy (and sometimes ornery) babe:

Other than those things, we are just biding time for school to go on break, Nick's included (4 more days!).  We've spent some time driving around and looking at Christmas lights and preparing and delivering neighbor gifts.  And with a few inches of snow today, it's definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Sick Baby

 Our weekend looked about like this:

Poor Daisy baby had croup.  Mom and Dad had little sleep.  Having a sick baby makes me sad, but snuggling that sick baby surely does not.

 Pink cheeks on our feverish, sleepy babe.

She's much better now, see:

 Our cool dude.  Seriously, he's awesome.  He gets SO excited about lots of stuff.  Like when Nick was putting up our Christmas lights.  He kept asking and asking Nick to do it, and when he did, he had to watch him do the whole thing and ran to turn on the switch.  Nick told him he could put them up when he is a teenager.  "I can't WAIT until I'm thirteen!"  he says.  He was super excited to go Christmas shopping with dad and knew just what to get for his family.  He is a really good artist and gets so excited over his creations and now writing too.  He'll see something he wants to draw a picture of and will right then run over and grab pencil and paper.  He just can't wait to get it out of his head.  Goodness, he's a cool kid and we sure love having him around.  I'm so grateful we have a boy in the house.

These days I hear a pretty constant "thud thud" on the walls as Maren practices standing on her hands.  Oh, and the couch cushions are usually all over the house:

And, lastly, I'm so excited about this project:

I bought those embroidery squares about 9 years ago.  I figured I'd better get on it and turn them into a quilt before my girls are ages that they don't appreciate Sunbonnet Sue.  I pieced it, my amazingly talented sister quilted it and now I'm working on binding it.  Shhh, don't tell Daisy.  It will be one of her Christmas surprises.