ICE CREAM!!!

It's amazing at how a big scoop of ice cream can put smiles on faces! Not to mention the power it has over finishing dinner! Another fact Daniel and I are puzzled about, how is it that it can take Taylin an hour, and sometimes longer, to finish her dinner, but when it comes to ice cream its gone in a matter of minutes! As Taylin told us tonight, "It makes my body feel yummy all over!" Well, there you have it.

Best Buds

The other day I was watching my friends' children, Hannah and Isaac. It just so happens that sometimes this can make my day easier because everyone is more entertained. Today I rarely saw Rayna and Isaac unless they were running by playing make believe animals of some sort. They really are the best of buds, and even by the end of the night they were still the best of buds.

All Decked Out!

Here's Taylin with some of her new Dora attire. The hat not only stayed on for this picture, but the whole day and then some. She was very proud strutting her stuff!

Enjoying New Toys

Here is Rayna enjoying one of her's and Taylin's new toys. She was so cute I had to show you.

The girls also still have favorite toys that will never loose its newness!

It's Christmas!

Christmas morning came very early this year! 6:30am was our wake up call by three little girls, Kaylee, Taylin, and Rayna. It may not sound so early to you, but when our bed time was 1:00am, it was early to the rest of us!

Rayna with her new baby and set from Santa

Taylin with her new Princess Vanity set from Santa

Kyler and Kolton playing the Wii that came from Santa

Rayna opening her stocking

Taylin opening her stocking

We spent the morning opening presents and eating a yummy breakfast, then clean and shoveled more snow (yes, we have a white Christmas!). We had a great big feast for Christmas dinner, with friends and family to enjoy it! We ended the night with the movies, "the Christmas Story, and the Nativity". (If you have never seen the Nativity, its a great Christmas movie!)

Kolton played Santa ClausRayna opening her present

Kaylee and Taylin snugglin

Kyler opening his present

The boys with their new hats from Grandma

The girls enjoying their new chairs.

Grandma opening her present.

Rayna loves her new talking baby.

Jena playing the Wii

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, we all dressed up and went to the Christmas Eve service at church and then came home for my families traditional dinner of Fondue. We have added to this dinner since Daniel has been in the family, crab! So, now it technically is a fondue and crab dinner. It ends up being a longer dinner than most because of waiting for the meat to cook in the fondue and the work of cracking the crab! It makes for good conversations and quality family time. After clean up, we had an Advent time of singing Christmas carols and reading the Luke 2 scripture from the Bible. The kids then all got to open one present before it was off to bed so Santa could come! The girls left cookies and milk for Santa and some carrots for the reindeer! This was Taylin's first year of understanding the idea of Santa! It made it kind of fun.

Sledding!!

My family is here for Christmas and the kids just can't get enough of the snow! We've played in the yard and gone to a place to go sledding. It sure is nice to have older cousins to help out with the little ones! No, tracking up and down the hill for mom and dad! Rayna had a blast sledding and couldn't get enough. Taylin called it quits early, because she was too cold. Everyone took a turn on the sled, even Grandma!