Well, I met my quota on photos on my first blog, 2009-2011. So, here's to 2012 as our story continues!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Missed October
I always forget to get pictures off of our phones! Here are some I missed from October. We went to a friend's (Charlie) birthday party. The kids got to do paper mache and all sorts of fun things!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Christmas Day
It was really special to have Christmas Day on a Sunday! After church, the kids went right back to their tablets! :) Before I got the camera, B was leaning on her hand, too and it was just too funny! :)
Later we had Christmas dinner with everyone! The kids had a great time being downstairs with all their cousins!
The adults had probably an even better time hanging out together upstairs!
After dinner we played a fun new game the Nielsens brought to share
I would have to say, this is probably what our kids enjoy most about going to Grandpa Ned's and Grammy Penny's house!
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog...
Friday, February 10, 2012
Christmas Morning
The nice thing about Christmas morning pictures is, they pretty much speak for themselves! :) I do have to note, however, that Hayden's reaction to his race track was priceless! He was so excited he could hardly contain himself! He was doing a little happy dance!
We got Innotabs for the kids this year and I was prepared to spend most of the morning figuring it out with them... once they had them, though, they acted as though they'd been using them all their lives! It was amazing! They didn't ask for any help at all!
I must say, Christmas morning with kids is the best! :)
Monday, January 9, 2012
Christmas in Bethlehem
This Christmas, Ken's Mom wanted to do something to really bring the Spirit of Christ into the season! She has a friend that told her about a family tradition they have that they call Christmas in Bethlehem. So, we gave it a try; it turned out wonderful! Ken's Dad and brother, Mark, built a bazaar. They put up a wooden front with sections for different booths. Then we draped the tables with rich colored sheets and table cloths. We pulled different decorations from around the house to add to the theme. Ken even found a translating site he used to write the signs (and all the kids' names) in Hebrew . It really turned out amazing! Then we all dressed up in bath robes and sheets to get into character!
Penny prepared all sorts of near-as-could-be-authentic foods. We had all sorts of breads: bagels, pita bread, Inn bread, pita chips, apple struesel bread
Meat and Cheeses: cheddar, hummus, cream cheese, feta
Fruits and Nuts: figs, dates, olives, oranges, grapes, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, bananas, pears
And Jewish Latkes, which are little potato pancakes made with potatoes, onion, and egg.
Mark also made each of the kids a leather pouch to hold their coins in. We all received an invitation calling us to the house of our ancestors to be counted and taxed. We met at the corner of the road and Uncle Mark took everyone by buggy, to the South Gate.
The kids had to pay taxes to Grandpa and they had to pay Grandma for the food they bought from the bazaar. Then we all sat on blankets to eat.
We even had a blind beggar (Layne) asking everyone for alms.
After the feast, we had a program about the Nativity with song and scripture. My favorite part was at the end when Ned and Penny each said something to us. Penny talked about how when she had children or grandchildren, she never thought she could love another child or grandchild as much as the first; but then how Heavenly Father has blessed our hearts to grow with each new family member and we love everyone so much! It was so sweet! Ned echoed Penny's words and expressed his love for us and his happiness in having us all together.
It was such a memorable Christmas! It brought such a wonderful Spirit and meaning I have never felt before!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Temple Square
We were so blessed to be able to visit Temple Square again this year! I really hope we're able to make it into a yearly tradition! This was probably the best part for me this Christmas! We went to Salt Lake City in the afternoon to visit Ken's brother Shane and his family. We had a good visit, then we decided to visit Temple Square. It was so beautiful, even in the day time! We didn't stay long enough for the lights, but it was wonderful, nonetheless!
The best part of Temple Square (if you're not attending the temple) is visiting the Christus. It was so neat when Bailey saw it. She stood in front of Him and reached up towards the statue. Then she said, "It's like He's hugging us." It was a really special moment and I'm so glad she recognized it!
We also took a quick visit to the Conference Center. I always love visiting that building!
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