Favorites of 2008

Bret's Favorites

• Gavin joining our family
• No lines on the Titan at Six Flags
• Book: Left to Tell
• Restaurant: Blue Goose
• Movie: Dark Knight
• having a daughter win the Mutton Button Championship
• hiking Mount Timp.

Emily's Favorites:

• a healthy, big, and full term baby
• Amazing sisters and mothers who took care of us and moved us in to our home
• Centex buying our house in Arizona as part of our relocation package and not having to sell that on our own in the Phoenix housing market
• Favorite book this year: These Is My Words by Nancy Turner
• Favorite singer: Colby Caillat
• New hobbies: blogging and embroidering

Abby's Favorites:

• reading Harry Potter
• Ms. Horton as her second grade teacher
• going to Six Flags with the Shumways
• Friday Treats
• Friday Field Trips
• Movie: Star Wars
• Girls Night at Aunt Michelle's
• Jordin Sparks concert
• color: White

McKenna's Favorites

• playing soccer on the Ladybug Team
• being the Mutton Button Champion of Texas
• going to Six Flags with the Shumways
• starting Kindergarten
• book: Bad Case of the Strips
• playing webkins
• dogs, dogs and more dogs
• holding Gavin in just his diaper
• Hannah Montana Concert

Zachary's Favorites

• Question asked on a daily basis: "Is this my favorite dinner?"
• Number: 199
• Toy: video games on TV (as of Christmas day)
• Color: green
• How he spends his days with both his sisters now in school: being Gavin's shadow
• Movie: Star Wars

Gavin's Favorites

• bananas
• yogurt melts
• sleeping
• Abby, McKenna, Zachary and Dad
• speedy army crawling
• putting everything and anything in his mouth
• Binky's

Christmas Day

This has got to be one of the best Christmas Day's ever! We had such a wonderful day together. To sum it all up, at the end of the day Abby said to me, "Mom, remember in my letter to Santa how I wished that my family could be happier than ever, well it came true!" I know we all have many cute pictures of our kiddo's on Christmas morning, but I'm just putting up a few of my favorites.

The kids digging in to their stockings

I love the delicate little one finger point of Eden's.

Carrying on the tradition of so many, oranges in stockings, but our oranges have a special meaning to us. My Grandpa Lundgren, who came to America from Sweden when he was 19, got a orange every Christmas morning. But it was a very special treat as it was the only orange he would have for the entire year. It's a good little reminder to us each year of the abundance of blessings in our lives.

Santa gave Abby some make up. ( I don't know what he was thinking!)

I love this sequence of Eden. Bret was trying to give her a present but she wouldn't have anything to do with it. When she finally did take it, it was only to drop it on the ground a few seconds later.

Coming outside to see the surprise from Grandma and Grandpa Daines. I love the first picture of Zachary's excited face when he is supposed to be closing his eyes!

Baby's First Christmas!

Gavin just loved eating all the wrapping and bows.

You'll be seeing these shirts again! 33 days and counting we are taking our family on a Disney Cruise! We're all SO excited, but probably Bret and I the most because this is beyond the kids scope of understanding. Even though we are talking about it all the time, they wont understand till we get there just how amazing it's going to be.

The rest of the day was spent playing games, singing karaoke, watching a movie, eating good food, jumping on the tramp and nerf gun fights. It really was pure heaven and is going down in my books as one of the best Christmas Days ever.

Christmas Eve

We had such a wonderful Christmas Eve. After ice skating everyone came back home for a yummy feast. We acted out the nativity, opened Christmas pajamas, read our last few Christmas books, drank some wassil, set out cookies and milk for Santa and Bret even took off teh glass screne to our fireplace (due to McKenna who was very worried Santa wouldn't be able to get inside.)

Brooke made the kids costumes for the nativity, a huge hit! Cast and crew: a shepherd, baby Jesus, Mary riding on a donkey, a cute little lamb, Joseph, a very wise woman and an angel.

Bret reading to all the kids a Christmas book before bedtime.

And then to work...Bret and Mike spent a couple hours putting together the trampoline for Christmas morning. Thanks guys!

Christmas Eve Day

One of the traditions we've carried over from Bret's childhood is ice skating on Christmas Eve Day. This year it was so fun to have Mike and Brooke here to do it with us. While our mall was no Crown Plaza in Kansas City, it was still a great time ice skating.

All We Want for Chrismtas...

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!

McKenna heard this all the time from just about everyone who saw her smile this month. It has almost been a year sense her surgery and finally this Christmas wish is starting to come true...one of her front teeth are starting to grow. I've gotten so used to this adorable toothless grin, it will be another adjustment to see her with teeth again.

Now as for Abby...she finally received a Christmas wish of loosing a tooth!

She noticed one of her permanent teeth growing in behind her baby tooth and so we took a little trip to the dentist. She was so excited to finally be loosing a tooth. Much to her disappointment the tooth fairy didn't make it that first night. BAD BAD Toothfairy!!! She did however try to make it up to her by leaving two dollars instead of one.

I've officially become...

My mother!

My mom is an amazing woman, so if I even slightly feel like her it's a great thing. One thing about her is that she is a wonderful cook. She loves to feed her family, and feed them well. She is a woman of service, and one of the many ways she serves her family and others is in kitchen with countless hours over sinks, counters, stoves and ovens. I remember hearing sounds coming from the kitchen in the early hours of the morning as a girl, especially around the holidays. When asked what she was doing, she'd just reply "oh, puttering" (her words not mine!)

So tonight (really I should say morning) when I found myself unable to go back to sleep after being up with a sick child what did I do...that's right, I "puttered!" And it didn't dawn on me until I was assembling Tahoe Brunch (our make the day ahead wonderful breakfast casserole) for Christmas morning at 3:30 a.m. that I had become my mother at least in this one aspect.

So Abby, McKenna and any other future daughters I might someday have...25/30 years from now if you find yourself "puttering" around the kitchen in the early hours of the morning, I hope you think of your Grandma Daines and not only what an amazing cook she is, but what an amazing life of love and service she lives, especially to those she holds most dear.

Christmas Eve Eve

Wow, what a Day! In no particular order:

Song downloaded and burned on a CD for Christmas Eve---DONE
Menu planed---DONE
Grocery shopping---DONE
Second trip to the store for things I forgot---TO DO
30 neighbor/friend gifts delivered---DONE
Moon cookies made---DONE (this is our second batch, but Santa needs some too Christmas
Eve, they're his favorite!)
Roll dough made---DONE
Lamb marinated---TO DO
Games played---DONE, more TO DO
Christmas movies watched---TO DO (hopefully tonight)
Kitchen cleaned---DONE, more TO DO I'm sure
4 loads of laundry---DONE (only 1 more to put away)
Medicine given to sick kids---DONE more given later
Reading books with kids---TO DO
Holding, feeding, loving sick baby---NEVER DONE
Clean Refrigerator---DONE
Tickle fight with kids---DONE
Secret Delivery---TO DO
Wrap Presents---TO DO
Christmas cards mailed---DONE (sigh of relief!)

Shepherds Dinner

This is one of our favorite Christmas traditions...and this year was even more special with the addition of one of my favorite childhood memories and traditions. What is a shepherds dinner...we eat food the shepherds would have eaten, dress up like shepherds, and eat on the flour with all the lights turned off except the Tree. My kids LOVE this night and look forward to it all month.

Our menu consists of beef stew, challah bread (Jewish bread) and this year I added something new...latkes!

These latkes were a big hit and one that we'll do every year.

Aren't these the cutest shepherds ever!

During dinner Bret and I talk about the significance of the shepherds. We talk about what their lives were like and how of any people, angels came to announce the birth of the Savior to these humble caretakers. This is the night that we also review our personal gifts that we gave to the Savior from the previous year and decide what we're going to give Him this.

Now as for our add on...when I was growing up every Christmas Eve we listened to an old record of Journey to Bethlehem. I remember when I was little how long this recording seemed to me. We all sat in the family room, again with lights off except the tree, and listened. As grandkids came into the picture the tradition changed into acting out our own nativity. So thanks to my sister Michelle who sent my this very same recording on CD this year we were able to add this into our night. (and what a tender mercy that I got it in the mail the very day we were doing our dinner!) What a flood of memories this brought back. I could almost envision myself sitting on my fathers lap, or one of my brothers. I thought of my Grandma and Grandpa Lundgren who were able to spend every Christmas with us as my Mom is an only child. It never truly felt like Christmas until they arrived. I remembered my Grandpa always sleeping on the flour, saying his back hurt, conveniently freeing up space in the bed for me to sleep with Grandma. I remembered the moon cookies passed around on a platter. Most importantly I remember the feelings of peace I felt sitting in that room full of people I loved. My kids don't have the same love for this recording as I do...but one day I'm sure they will. I loved passing on this childhood treasure with my family.

Who Knew Ice Could Bring So Much Fun?

Wow...who knew? Alarms went off at 6:30 just like any other morning. We ate our oatmeal and were in the process of rinsing out dishes...and then the phone rang. Checked the Frisco ISD website....to find out school was delayed by two hours due to bad weather! My first thought was oh man, we could have all slept in! But then as the giggles under a blanket began I was so happy to have these few unexpected extra hours of fun. The kids bundled up in their coats and went outside to slide on the ice. We came in for some hot chocolate and were just beginning our fist game by the fire when the phone rang again...checked the website...and much to my surprise and delight school was canceled for the whole day!

There wasn't a lot of ice, just enough to create some good sliding fun.

This is a picture of my neighbors roof. Zachary has finally gotten his wish...every day sense the first of November he has asked, "Mom, is it going to snow this night." Now the reason he asks is because one of the first weeks we moved to Texas last February it snowed twice in one week. We were told to really enjoy that because it only happens about once every five years. The poor kid was going to be so disappointed. So while this may not be the snow he was hoping for or the snow he sees at Grandma and Grandpa's, hopefully his desire for some winter magic has been met.

We never had bad weather days in Arizona, (although In August and September they would still have heat warnings!) And growing up in Utah I remember having snow days where school was canceled maybe once or twice...and that's a BIG maybe. It's funny to think that this little amount of snow/ice would cause schools to close. (Bret did say that the roads were really bad and he had to drive down the freeway at 25 miles an hour.) But don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining! In fact I think I was more excited then the kids were. We have big plans for the day! Which include reading Christmas books, reading Harry Potter, watching a movie, maybe making a few goodies, playing some more games. Today just makes me all that more excited for Christmas break!

Family Wedding Dance

At Jeff's wedding Bret's family did a dance/lip sync to Say a Little Prayer For You. I'm not able to post it to the blog, but here is link to my brother-in-law's website if you want to check it out. Click on low resolution one for it to play right away. It turned out really cute and Jeff and Jackie loved it. (My kids, who were so sad not to be there, have watched it about 20 times already.)

www.chadstephenson.com/dance

Sunday Morning Fun with Aunt Brooke

Bret's brother Mike, his wife Brooke and daughter Eden are living with us while they are in the process of moving to Texas. (which really is another story altogether and are having a nightmare of an experience with their moving company.) We are so excited they are here and it's been fun to have them around. Sunday morning I heard giggles after giggles while I was getting ready for church and came out to see this...

And then a few minutes later they got a hold of Zachary...

"Zachary you look great!" I said, to which he responded, "Well, I look girlstyle."

I love the fun and creativity that can come from a few box of hair "stuff."