Christmas Day

And the party continues...

Looks like Santa came!

This year Christmas Day was on a Sunday, so after seeing what was in our stockings and eating a delicious breakfast, we got ready and went to church for a very nice Christmas program and sacrament meeting.

Then we came back home, put our jammies back on, and opened the rest of our presents!

When Grandma and Grandpa arrived, we ate a quick lunch and then watched Grandma and Grandpa open all of their presents!

Here's a happy kitty with his catnip fish later in the afternoon:

Elder Thompson called around 3:00 in the afternoon and we had a fantastic chat with him for about an hour. He sounded so good!  And the next time we talk to him will be in person at the airport!  Only 7 more weeks, yay!!  We finished up our Christmas Day with another yummy meal, and a movie "Captain America."  Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Michelle left the next morning.  It's been a super fun holiday break!

Christmas Eve

Here's how the day went down:

Yummy sugar cookies!  This year we ended up with about 15 Christmas camels, thanks to Dad, and not nearly enough reindeer for Mom.  But, they were delicious!

I had to improvise a reindeer with pretzel sticks!

Happy kitty and puppy got to come in and get warm:

Dad showed us his best Charlie Brown dance moves:

After eating a yummy Christmas Eve dinner of balsamic glazed pork roast, potatoes, salads, scones, and of course slush and poison apples, we were ready for the evening's festivities!

Let the talent show begin!  Clint showed us the items that he handcrafted in his Tech class last tri, very cool:

Aunt Michelle taught us a little bit about the poinsettia:

Dad demonstrated his "rattlesnake eggs."

Kori impressed us with her planking skills:

I didn't get my picture taken, but my talent was pouring water from large containers into small containers without spilling a drop, and yes, I'm well known for that talent in our family!  Our Christmas Eve book this year was "Penny's Christmas Jar Miracle," and after some dessert, new jammies, and the Christmas story from Luke 2, it was time for these kids to hit the sack!  Or at least, stay up and watch movies downstairs...

Sadie Hawkins Dance

What fun!  Kori wanted photo booth style pictures for her Sadie Hawkins date, and my talented friend Eileen was kind enough to take them.  I love how they turned out, especially with their bright colored t-shirts, and Eileen's adorable background.  Such a great group of kids too!

Here's Kori and her date, Jayson, and the rest of the couples:

Some more group shots, that's a lot of teenagers in Eileen's little studio!

And just for Kori, the "stalker" picture:

Can You Smell The Gingerbread?

mmmmm.... gingerbread houses!

This looks like serious business.  Ah, here's a smile!

Yep, we're a pretty creative bunch.  Aren't they cute??