We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve was busy with all sorts of preparations.

 Last minute pajama alterations.

Caroling.

Wandering around being cute.
We had mounds of presents under the tree before morning. Here's the before:

Here's the after/during:

We had ten kids on Christmas morning and even more grownups. It was lots of fun and chaos.
Aunt Jessica made all the kids cute horses. Thanks Aunt Jess!

Aunt Susan made our family matching jammies. Thanks Aunt Susan!

The kids really enjoyed playing with the cousins and opening presents. Rohan got the stomach flu the next day, and Bruce has it now, but we still had fun.

We are so grateful for all the talent in our family and that we could spend Christmas in Idaho. Thanks Mom and Dad!
We were also able to visit my friends Jeralee and Malynda while we were there.

Jeralee is about to have her sixth child and Malynda is going to teach sculpture at BYU-Idaho.
Ben and Dad went to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for a day. They saw lots of wildlife at an elk refuge there.

We left Idaho for Utah and are now at Grandma Gayle's house until tomorrow.
Savitri thought she had hit the jackpot when Grandma let her play with the napkin ring basket.

While we've been away, our friend Earl has been keeping track of the progress on our new house.

We have a floor! And walls!
Thanks Earl!

Two Families and a Wedding

We spent a few more days with Grandma Gayle this week while Ben was working in Guadalajara, Mexico. We got to see Grandma Billie too.

On Wednesday we headed to Shelley, Idaho. Daniel, one of Ben's brothers, was married on Thursday in the Idaho Falls Temple. It was a busy but wonderful day for the family.
Ben's parents, Bob and Linda, looked great.

Here's Daniel and Becca! Isn't she beautiful!

Here's me and Ben.

 Savitri was adorable in her little red dress.

 Grandma made bow ties for the boys, so all the cousins matched.

My sister-in-law Jessica made a beautiful wedding cake in the wedding colors. I managed to nick it just before the reception, but she saved it. Phew!

After the wedding we started celebrating Christmas in earnest. Ben is busy making chocolate chip cinnamon rolls as I type! It's hard to believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas!!!

Rohan Turns Seven!

This was a big week! Rohan had his seventh birthday.

All he wanted was Magic:The Gathering cards and Legos.
We packaged and delivered all Ben's Christmas candy he made.

Savitri (in the background) was not happy we would not let her up on the table.
She felt better the next day when she got a pair of sunglasses.

I thought maybe she would stop stealing mine if she had her own.
Nope.
And speaking of stolen things,

Bruce did not want to take my coat off.We left Colorado for Utah and we are now staying at Grandma Gayle's house.

Ben is in Mexico on a business trip for a few days. When he comes back we will head to Idaho to spend Christmas with the Butler family.

The Dirt on the House

So I was errant this week and took almost no photos. We went to school, made Christmas treats, ate Chinese food, and pretty much just lived. Even the new house didn't have too much going on.

Here's me walking up to it to check it out. They back filled the dirt up to the edges of the concrete and that was about all. Our front yard looks as though it will be slightly smaller than an international postage stamp, but we should be able to eke out some garden space in the back. Any landscaping ideas or tips you have are welcome!

Lots and Lots of Stuff Going On

So, I know the closer it gets to Christmas the busier it gets, but this week was kind of crazy.
My friend Bonnie came over to help me stage the house, which meant some shopping, some redecorating, and moving lots of things to a storage unit. Oh, and getting rid of a piano. Whew. The house is looking good though, so hopefully it will sell soon.
This is what the new house looks like this week.

We had a play date too. Three girls, four boys, and lots of fun.

Ben started making his delicious Christmas candy. Rohan helped him wrap (and eat) the caramels.

I helped with the Christmas pancake breakfast at church on Saturday. Yummy.

And I chased the kids around trying to get pictures of them before church today.

They kind of held still. Kind of.

Happy Thanksgiving 2012!

We had a great week with the kids mostly off school. Ben had two days off too. We enjoyed his smoked turkey with family and friends. Leonora's family, Kevin's brother and his family, and our neighbors came to share the day with us.

 Savitri and Bruce helped cook.

Savitri helped Katelynn eat her pie when she wasn't looking, too.

 She also tried on some of my Black Friday shopping finds and played a little Thanksgiving football with Rohan. We had lots of Thanksgiving excitement.

They poured the footings for our new house this week. That was pretty exciting as well.