Gavin's #13

Our Santa Baby is a teenager!!

Leonard and I took him out for a birthday dinner at Delicious Steak House and it WAS delicious!

He got another dessert when I made him his requested chocolate cake with chocolate frosting to share with his siblings.  (Macy was asleep and still doesn't eat anything but purees.)

Make a wish!

I love how I've trained Kaleb well.  He's always smiling at the camera, ha ha!

He decided to pool his birthday money from us and both sets of grandparents to get a big gift, but we still wanted to get him something on his birthday.  During a trip to the toy store he chose a new book and the toy store gave him a new Beanie Baby too.

Kaleb gave him some Star Wars merch.

We are fans!

Birthday cards.

He bought himself an electric bass, since he has been learning to play at school this year.  Now we just need to order him some books!

Macy's First Haircut

Macy's hair was growing long just like her sisters' hair, but she loves to rub her head back and forth on the ground doing her happy dance leaving a patch at the back of her head that gets matted.  It was time to even it out a bit.  I love the look on her face here- it says, "What are you doing back there?"

Snip, snip, it's okay sweetheart.

She got a cute little A-line cut.

I think she likes it too!

*Six months later she got her second hair cut.  I don't think Noé or Ali had been to the hair salon by that age yet.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Twelve days before Christmas, our family received this large gift.

Inside we found 12 gifts, one to open each day.

Day 1...

a beautiful nativity.

Day 2...

some new Christmas movies.

Day 3...

a fun puzzle.

Day 4...

some great Christmas books.

Day 5...

some delicious chocolates.

This was actually Gavin's birthday, so he was so excited he was the one to open the gift that day and to have a yummy treat for all of us to share.

Day 6...

some darling ornaments to hang on our tree.

Day 7...

some coloring books and a mega box of crayons.

Day 8...

a Christmas carol book and CD.

Day 9...

indoor snowball fight.

Have you ever played with these?  They feel so squishy cool!

Day 10...

some Santa and Nativity sticker sheets and pages.

Day 11...

two of our favorite Christmas tales!

Day 12...

cookies to decorate.

I'll make another post about these!

It was so fun for the kids to work on this puzzle together.

They were so pleased when they finished it!

A bonus picture of Ali...

because some dear friends gave her this darling Santa hat!

*We were spoiled and had a wonderful time with this gift!

Children's Christmas Choir

We had our annual ward Christmas party.

And the primary kids sang precious Christmas songs.

Can you spot Teague, Hiram, and Ali?

Christmas Mail

I love sending and receiving Christmas cards!  On Boxing Day 2010, I bought ten years' worth of Christmas cards, yes you read that right, TEN years' worth!  They were all so beautiful and the sale was amazing and I had room to store them, so I was quite a happy girl.  I went home that day and sorted them and made a list of which cards I'd send which years.  Fast forward to 2017, I brought that year's cards with me in my suitcase and left the remaining 3 year's worth in India.  Our sea shipment from India got moisture in it and we lost almost everything to mold, including those Christmas cards, sigh.  Boxing Day 2017 I bought enough cards for the next year, then on Boxing Day 2018, I bought two years' worth, so I was back to having enough cards to last until 2020 (and I can't believe I'm now typing this in 2020).  After I mail those cards this year, I may start making photo cards for 2021, we'll see.  But, let's get back to 2019.  I sent these four different styles of cards.

I sent my cards late this year (moving in October can do that to you!).  Writing cards is usually a weekly ordeal for me and I set up shop at the dining room table.  We have lots of extended family and friends from all of the many places we've lived.  I love remembering those near and far.

We had no artwork hung in our family room, so I decided to tape up the cards we had received as part of our Christmas decor (with green painter's tape!).

Our collage had grown on Christmas morning.

And this is how big it grew before it was taken down.

Thank you to all of our loved ones that remember us each year!  If you want a pen-pal for life, send me a Christmas card and I'll send you one back!