Bubba - 7 months!

Christmas Day

Christmas morning brought the wonderful surprise that Santa had indeed visited!  the girls must have been really good this year, because they were showered with all the things they wanted.  not the least of them being the Barbie Dreamhouse!  there was also a very happy recipient of all things Hello Kitty.  and a baby Princess loving girl who received baby princesses galore!

even Nalu got just what she wanted!

then it was time for Bubba's big surprise.  he was happy to receive his beary own Daddy Bear!

since Christmas fell on a Sunday this year, we were able to attend Sacrament.  and since Tara and Sean spent the night, we got some fun cousin time!

i've got to do a more formal portrait of the kids in their Christmas gear.  i really loved the green and blackwatch plaid, and had a heck of a time coordinating everyone.  so, a more polished photo is in order. 

love this snap of father and son!  my two boys!

Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve we had our traditional family party.  Grandma played Christmas carols and we sang and danced.

a special visitor stopped by and even let Grandpa sit on his lap!

Anna was the only girl brave enough to talk to the big guy. 

 but we were able to coerce all the children into a "santa picture."  everyone was tucked in by 10pm, after a spirited dance off on the wii.  Merry Christmas!

time for Colin's daddy bear

each year, for a child's first Christmas, we take a trip to Build-a-Bear to create a very cuddly little buddy.  each one has a brown little bear with a button in his paw that activates Daddy's voice saying, "hi (insert child's name here) Daddy loves you!"

even though he came to the store, i bet he'll still be surprised on Christmas morning!

a visit with Santa

did you know Bass pro shop let's you take Santa pictures with your own camera for free?  well, when i found that out, we headed straight out. note Colin's rude behavior:

 he just would not let go of the big man's beard!

 and we also got to shoot guns!  what a great holiday outing!

trimming the tree

decorating for Christmas is one of our favorite parts of the season.  the girls get so excited by all the lights and glittering colors. 

 our dad is very necessary to reach our tall tree.  he takes this task very seriously!

 but, the most popular part of our decoating, is carefully placing the pieces of our nativity set.  while we do this, we re-tell the story of the first Christmas.  i'm glad the girls love this so much, it truly sets the right tone for the season.



Christmas is coming!

it's the Sunday before Christmas and the kids are wearing the first of their 2 Christmas ensembles, the red ones!

Christmas program

Anna's class put on a fun and fabulous Christmas program.  she was so excited for the big day!   after weeks of practicing, she was ready to go!

 i loved all the cute choreography to go with some of the classic songs.  i could tell this was an essential part of getting 90 kindergartners to perform.

 Anna's class in all their holiday finery:

 sisters were quite impressed and super excited for their big kindergartner days! (Bubba was not as impressed and expressed is distaste for the low lighting and cheers, throughout!)

Anna's teacher, Mrs. Metz, is the best!  she is so kind and friendly, a perfect kindergarten teacher.  we are so lucky to have her!

Anna takes a shot, or two

Anna is always composing photographs in her mind's eye.  today, i let her compose them for real.  her subject: bubba!

 i even let her do some "mother and child" shots.  it's so rare that i am actually in front of the lens!

it's kind of hard to stop snapping pics of this little cutie, but she obliged me and got in one herself!  my little artist and her baby bro!

night glow!

when i heard there was going to be a "night glow." at the mall, i immediately put it on the calendar.  i love hot air balloons, and so do the girls! Jason thought it sounded weird, but the hot air balloons proved him wrong!

(if the batteries on my little camera aren't charged, we get blurry photos)

 but if you try really hard, you can get a really beautiful shot!  also, after rolling through this gravel, Jason also saw the beauty of a BOB stroller.  hopefully, that just got bumped up the wish list!

father and son, enjoying Daddy's favorite bedtime ritual! following in his sister's footsteps! i'm sure he'll be moving on to videos soon too!

Christmas time is here!

we started the month of right with both our ward party, and Anna's school festival on the same day!

both parties included a special visitor!  Anna was more than ready to fill the big guy in on her Christmas wishes.

 Maddie was pretty silent. Avery and Colin wouldn't even sit on his lap.  i did coax the girls into this cute group shot.

 my little buddy pretty much stayed in the ergo carrier this super cold morning. 

 Anna's school festival was originally the "fall carnival", which was postponed by a high wind advisory.  this time, it was held indoors due to rain.  luck was not on our side.  but we braved the 30 degree weather for the fun!  the girls got their faces painted, won lots of candy, and ate cotton candy.  now that's a carnival!

student of the month

we were excited to find out that Anna was chosen as Student of the Month in her class for November.  our family attended the flag ceremony where she received her award.

of Anna, Mrs. Metz wrote, "Anna is an exceptional student.  she shines as a kind and responsible example to her peers.  she is respectful to others and tries her very best every day.  i simply love being Anna's teacher!"

it makes my heart smile to know Anna is so well behaved when she is at school.  she is setting such a great example to her younger sisters and brother!  well done Anna!

one night in Paris!

last year, the Laurels decided to implement another "travel program" for Personal Progress.  we did this before when we counted our value experiences and projects as "sky miles" an earned a trip to Hawaii.  this years destination: Paris!

i was released in Ausust, but still got to go to Paris with the girls!

what a beautiful and fun evening!  i sure miss all my fun Tuesday nights with the Young Women! 

au revoir et a bientot!