CHRISTMAS 2014!!!

Christmas Eve! Ahhhhh how I love thee! There is just an air of peace, excitement, anticipation, and most of all gratitude for all that we are blessed with. This year we had our own little 2 bedroom apartment Christmas, just the five of us. While we missed our families terribly, it was kind of nice to just be us on this special day. We had a quiet night at home making pigs in a blanket, watching Christmas Story (of COURSE!), putting the previously wrapped and placed up high away from impatient little finger presents around our little baby Christmas tree, and opening a few presents. Then it was off to bed for visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads.

Rich & I snuck in the living room before the the kids woke up the next day to make sure the kids were good and that Santa actually came... guess what? HE DID!!! They all got just what they asked for. Bailey got a makeup vanity, McKenzie got a fancy art set with a bunch of supplies, and Braxton got Skylanders for his Nintendo DS. When they woke up there was literally a WALL of wrapping paper starting at the ceiling between the Christmas tree and the dining area so there was NO way they could peek. NO idea how Santa pulled that one off!

Three kids with minds blown at the amazingness that is Santa...

After coming down from the Santa high we made an awesome breakfast and got on a sugar high. Crepes for Christmas! Someone thought it would be a great idea to fill theirs with sour patch kids - as if they didn't have enough high fructose corn syrup streaming through their veins from their stocking candy, aka "first breakfast."

FINALLY time to open presents!!! Here are some of my favorite pictures of the kids with some of their favorite gifts! Bug's favorite was her Bailey-Sized Elephant "Ellie", Kenz got Just Dance for the Wii, and B was psyched about his new football! (P.S. the orange leotard was NOT EVER meant to go WITH the brown boots... just sayin...)

Now Mommy & Daddy get to open their present... out of the fridge... wrapped in butcher paper... ohhhhh prime rib baby!!!

The presents, family time, and delicious food made for great memories, but they are just added bonuses to what this day really means. Our brother came to this earth knowing the pain and suffering it would bring. He descended to earth to be our example and our Savior. Without Him and His great sacrifices we would not be able to return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father again after this life. HE is the reason and I am incredibly grateful and humbled by all that He has blessed us with in this life. Merry Christmas!

IT'S DECEMBER, PEOPLE!!!

I love love LOVE this time of year and all of the fun things we get to do in preparation for my very favorite Holiday... Christmas!!! This might definitely be a long post because we had so much fun! You were warned!

This year we started December off at Midwest Rehab for our ward (church congregation) Christmas Party. We made dinner for and shared the evening with all of the residents there. We made friends with a woman named Loretta Maston, who we are excited to come and visit again soon. Bailey, usually very shy with strangers, talked her ear off the whole night! It was a riot and very unlike her. I made the kids pose in their Christmas outfits after dinner. B gave me a goofball look and the girls just had attitude like WHOAH! Good thing they are still cute!

Next was Bailey's Christmas program. Yes, it was actually called a CHRISTMAS PROGRAM and it is PUBLIC SCHOOL! This made my heart happy. I am so tired of "Winter Parties." We aren't celebrating the temperature dropping, people. We are celebrating the BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOR! (okay - I will get off my soap box and continue the post...) Bailey was TERRIFIED to sing in front of all the parents. I managed a couple near melt down pictures before she ditched her friends and ran off the stage crying (15 seconds in). Oh sweet Bailey... better luck next year doll!

 Amanda, Chris and the kiddos got to come play one weekend too! We went to the Zoo Lights! It was a blast! So fun seeing the zoo all lit up at night. Once again I am incredibly grateful that they come to visit so often. I don't know what i would do without my little sister!

Some miscellaneous fun December things... We spent a lot of time feeding and petting the horse that live in a field behind our apartment. The kids even gave them all names.
We had a family trip to Family Dollar (literally LOL) for all of our Christmas decorations and baby tree. All of our Christmas stuff is in the dark whole that is our storage container until we get a house. Sigh... I was pretty fun though buying cute new things for our mini tree : )
One of my favorite December activities... The kids all decided to spend a good chunk of their Christmas money this year buying hats, gloves, and winter coats for kids who did not have their own. We went out shopping and got some great deals to buy way more than we thought we would be able to with their $100 budget. I was so proud of them sacrificing their own gifts for things that other kids really needed this Christmas season.

Another couple of things on our To Do list were bowling and pump it up. Done and Done!

We also got to go to the drive through light display at Our Lady of the Snows Shrine. It was incredible! Someone left a gorgeous poinsettia on our doorstep. I still have no idea who it was but it made me feel loved and brought a smile to my face every time I looked at it all month long! We had a beautiful Christmas program at church the Sunday before! Nothing brings the spirit like hearing testimonies through song and the spoken word of our Savior's birth to get you ready for Christmas day and the real meaning of December 25th! Of course I needed another pic of the kids in their Christmas church clothes.

We had nearly everything on our pre-Christmas To Do list checked off except for our big tradition... PICTURES WITH SANTA!!! Every year since we moved here in 2010 we have gone to Bass Pro Shop to play and talk to the big man! The kids look forward to this fun day every year! With our checklist all checked we were ready for the big day!!!

A Buggie 4th Birthday!!!

Thanksgiving bonus we had Bailey's 4th birthday party that night, a few days early so everyone could party with us! She got spoiled rotten, of course! She made her own cake ("Frozen" blue swirl cake with a crap ton of frosting and sprinkles of course) and the kiddos all helped her decorate it. Parties with family are another thing I really miss! It was so fun having everyone there to celebrate with us.

On her actual birthday we let he pick a handful of super fun activities to do while we were still in Texas. We went to Chikfila for lunch, wore ourselves out like a bunch of kangaroos at Elevate Trampoline Park (think wall to wall trampolines with basketball hoops, dodgeball courts, and wall climbing... yeah it was CRAZY FUN!!!) Papa and Grandma treated everyone to a delicious mexican dinner before we started our long (and sad) drive home. Bailey was EXHAUSTED - in case you couldn't tell from the sobbing pictures at dinner. Saying goodbye is always the WORST but we were so grateful fr the time we got to spend with family especially on Bug's big day!

Once we got home Bug was spoiled even more by Mom & Dad, Grandma & Papa Bowman, The Garbanatis, and Andy & Jenni!

I can't believe my little baby is FOUR!!! She has gotten so big. She is such a sweet and silly little girl. She brightens up any room she walks into. She loves all things girly and gymnastics. We are so grateful to have our little buggie bug! We love you Bailey!!!