ChRisTmaS MorNinG

Here is what Santa brought:
for Olivia: DS
Sophie: a baby--she loves this & carries it around everywhere
Sam: a barn full of animals
Luke: a BYU jersey (as of today, Luke is on his 6th straight day wearing it--I told him starting tomorrow he can only wear it once a week)
For the whole family: a wii with guitar hero

On the FiRsT Day of Christmas ...

Decorating cookies for Santa:
Last night we made some sugar cookies to decorate, and saved some for Santa. Sophie is a natural with the rolling pin--she just grabbed it and started rolling out the dough. Sam was having fun with the sprinkles trying to get the layer of sprinkles as thick as he could. Instead of eating her cookie, Sophie dipped her fingers in the bowl of sprinkles and then ate them.

On the SeConD day of Christmas ...

Making gingerbread houses:
We're getting ready for our 4th annual Raven Family Gingerbread House contest. Here we are beginning our design. I'll post our final design once the contest is over--its top secret!

On the ThiRd Day of Christmas ...

A visit with Santa:
Last night we had our ward party. We had a kind of American Idol for our ward with each presidency and the bishop putting on an act. The acts themselves weren't that great but the 3 judges who pretended to be Randy, Paula and Simon were pretty funny. Then of course we braved a long line to see Santa. When we finally got up to him, Sam chickened out and wouldn't even go near him, and, as you can see, Sophie completely freaked out. Only Olivia and Luke got to tell them what they wanted for Christmas. Luke asked for a Wii and Olivia asked for a DS--we'll see if that's what they get.

On the FouRtH Day of Christmas ...

A Box of Sees candies:
It just wouldn't be Christmas without a box of chocolates from Sees Candy. Ever since I was little my Grandma Plank would send my family a box of Sees Candy. Even though she has passed away, the tradition still continues. We found this box of chocolates in the package filled with Christmas presents, sent to us from my mom & dad. Yum!

On the FifTh Day of Christmas ...

Neighbor goodies:
This year we made peppermint marshmallows to add to a can of cocoa for our neighbor gifts. Olivia and Sam helped smash the candy canes. Then we dipped marshmallows in a sauce of powdered sugar and water mixed, then rolled them in the candy cane dust. It was very simple to do but they look extra fancy and festive!

On the SiXtH day of Christmas ...

A "quilted" Nativity:
This is one of my favorite nativities--its by Heartwood Creek. I love it because a lot of the pieces have what looks like patchwork quilts carved into the wood and painted colorfully. The piece with baby Jesus has a quilt covering the manger.

On the SevEnTh Day of Christmas ...

Homemade Christmas ornaments and decorations:
Last night we made these popsicle stick snowman ornaments for the tree. I bought the kit from Pebbles last year after Christmas. The kids had fun painting the sticks white and then glueing on all the extras. The 4th and 5th pictures are wreaths Sam & Olivia made in school--I love when they bring home handmade decorations.

On the EiGhtH Day of Christmas ...

A new handmade nativity:

I love this!--Sam brought this home from preschool. It is made out of a lunchsack and muslin. Now I can add this to my collection of nativities.

On the NinTh Day of Christmas ...

My new Cocoa-latte machine:
I've been wanting one of these for a while so when I saw it on sale at Macey's a couple of weeks ago I had to buy it. All you have to do is pour in your cocoa mix and water and it will mix and heat it up for you. I love how it has the little lever to pull down so the kids can get it themselves without having to lift the whole thing. The only thing I wish it had was a temperature control. We've been using this a lot around here lately, especially since it has gotten so cold!

On the TeNtH Day of Christmas . . .

My Christmas quilt:
Even though it is a bit wonky because I was so sick of it last year I hurried to get it done, I still love this quilt! This was from a class I took at American Quilting. It is a row quilt with each row something different, like snowballs, and poinsettias. My favorite rows are the house one and the snowmen.I just love how Amy designed this and the colors of fabric she used--it is mostly red, green, black & cream.

On the EleVenTh Day of Christmas . . .

Our Official Advent calendar.
I love this calendar because my mom made this for me, and because it is an exact replica of the one I had growing up. It brings back good memories of us four kids fighting over who got to put the ornament up that day. This year, Luke has been the one that puts the ornament up since he is usually the first one awake--and so far, there has been no fighting!

On the TwELfTh Day of Christmas...

I thought I'd post some of the sights and sounds of Christmas around our house--one everyday until Christmas--as a sort of countdown.
I looooove Olivia & Sophie's christmas tree. It is very girly with pink ribbon, pearl necklaces', mini dollhouse furniture, miniature teacups and spoons. I also found some very victorian looking santa heads with pink hats. There is just something about their ornaments that makes me look forward to decorating their tree--unlike the other trees. We all know Olivia is not a girly girl and does not like dolls or anything pink but she's never really said anything until this year. When I was putting up her tree she asked, "How come mine has to be a princess one?" (imagine this in a disgusted tone). Another thing I will always remember is that Sophie kept taking down the mini dollhouse chairs, setting them on the floor and trying to sit on them.

VeLmA

FiRsT sNoW

This was the first snow of the season--in the beginning of November. It has only snowed once and it's already December--but hey, I'm not complaining! Notice Luke in his shorts--my kids would wear shorts all year round if I'd let them!

HaLLoWeEn

The kids had fun trick-or-treating with their cousins, Emma, Ellie & Crew. We enjoyed eating 3 dozen crispy creme doughnuts--yum! Lots of adults commented on Olivia's "Velma" costume--she even won funniest costume at our ward Halloween party.