Christmas 2010

We had such a lovely Christmas this year. We decided to keep things more simple rather than trying to do too much (and get overwhelmed in the process). We didn't bake a million cookies and we went out to dinner on Christmas eve! After dinner, we went "light hunting" to see all the fun lights and we came home and sang carols. The next morning the kids opened their presents and Pat and Marc joined us for lunch. The kids had such a great time playing with their toys and we all enjoyed each other's company.

Robison Christmas Party 2010

This year Mary hosted the Robison family Christmas party and we had so much fun. The cousins love Mary's house as it is 2 stories and they love to throw things off the balcony and run up and down the stairs. The kiddos had a great time running a muck in the house while the rest of us enjoyed each other's company. The evening was filled with lots of yummy food, good company and the love of family. We are so thankful that we all live so close to each other that we can get together for these occasions.

Jeff's Company Party 2010

Instead of doing a stuffy holiday party at a fancy restaurant, Jeff's organization has their yearly Christmas party at a bounce house. It's a great party for all and the kids look forward to it every year. We ate pizza at the office and then trecked over to the bounce house place. The kids had a great time bouncing and running around (which was great because it had been raining all week so they had lots of pent up energy). Santa even showed up at the party. James is warming up to him - no crying - yay!

Marisa's Winter Program

Marisa's kindergarten class performed an amazing Christmas program this year. All the kindergarteners dressed up and sang an impressive array of Christmas songs including "Up on the Housetop". In addition to singing, they also learned the ASL version of most songs and signed them to the audience. We topped off the night with a fun party back in her classroom. In one of the pictures, you will see Marisa posing with her teacher, Mrs. Christensen, who was also Maya's teacher. She is a wonderful teacher!

Ward Christmas Party 2010

Here are pictures of the ward Christmas party. A couple of things to note are the pictures of James with the candy canes. His most favorite toy ever is Nana's cane and he was tickled when he discovered the candy canes - like Nana's only just his size. He happily played with those all night long. Something else to note is Jeff playing a wise man in the ward play. It's the first time I've ever seen him in a production (in almost 10 years of marriage) and I thought he made a fabulous wise man.

Christmas Tree 2010

Every year, it is our tradition to head to the tree farm of one of the counselors in our stake presidency. We have a great time visiting with him and his children while the kids tromp through the farm looking for the perfect tree. It's amazing how the trees all start looking alike after a while, but we have to go through every one searching for the one we'll take home. While searching for the perfect tree, they also love to find the perfect "Charlie Brown" tree - the smallest and scrawniest one in the lot.

James and Jamba Juice

Okay, so we love to take pictures of James! He's not at the age where he doesn't like to have his picture taken, so he is a fun subject. Last Saturday, Jeff brought home Jamba Juice for breakfast - what a fun treat. James is no stranger to Jamba, he knows exactly what their cups look like. When he saw the cups, he kept repeating "more" and signing the sign for "more". He sure had fun sucking down his smoothie. Thanks, Jeff!

James and Sunglasses

James has taken to wearing sunglasses - he doesn't seem to care that they belong to his big sister and they are pink. He wants so much to be just like his big sisters who are both really sweet to him.

Maya's field trip to Capitol

Maya's class has been learning about government, so they took a field trip to the capitol. Kudos to Jeff, he called our local assembly man's office and arranged a VIP tour for the class (he was also on field trip duty that day). The kids got to ride light rail to the capitol (which they loved) and once there, they had a picnic and toured the building. They even got to sit in the senate chambers and listen to the carolers singing in the rotunda. What a great way for them to see government in action!

Thanksgiving 2010

Rachel hosted Thanksgiving at the farm this year and we had such a great time. She and Jordan did a great job decorating and thinking of every detail to make the day fun for all. The kids had a great time playing out in the yard together, roasting marshmellows at the firepit and decorating sugar cookies. We feasted on the great food and the great company of our family. We are so lucky to have all of us living so close together that we can get together and have no emtpy chairs. Thanks Rachel and Jordan!

Jeff and Marisa Snoopy Museum 2010

Jeff took Marisa to the Snoopy Museum where they took an art class. Their teacher, a cartoon artist, taught them really neat tricks to help inspire and improve their artwork. When asked what Marisa's favorite flower was, she replied, "a dandelion" (she picks these "flowers", of which there are many in our yard, and brings them to her mom who puts them in a vase on the table). Their teacher told a story about a dandelion and drew her a lovely picture. They had a fun day learning and exporing at the museum!