Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! We hope you all have a splendid Christmas filled with lots of family, love and fun filled times as you remember our Savior at this wonderful time of the year!

Visitors from Tennessee!!

One week after Thanksgiving my parents came to visit! They stayed for 5 of the most frigid days we've this Winter and it was fabulous to have them here! My kids thought so too!

Playing games with Gramps.

  

The day after they arrived we decorated the tree! Nina quickly strung the lights and then we got to decorating!

Jack just chilled why we decorated. Sweet boy!

After we finished decorating we got to have Christmas! Nina and Gramps sent packages before they came, we wrapped them and then got to enjoy opening them! It was fun and they were so generous! Thank you for all of the wonderful gifts!

My cute dad

Nina and Loreli.

haha she is totally Shea's girl.

That night Shea and I went to a company Christmas party! Hooray for dates!

Loreli before church. She's so sweet.

We did lots of other fun things while Nina and Gramps were here! We went to the doughnut shop, strolled around Lander, got some steals at the local thrift store, played toys, sewed stockings (my mom cut and sewed 12!), watched new shows, ate yummy popcorn, made cinnamon ornaments and painted them! It was such great fun and we hope they will come for another visit soon!

Look who redid the stockings...

It was Shea. Seriously that boy is compulsive when it comes to sewing and craftiness. Let me tell you he's got problems. Of course I lie and the above description really defines me, Katy. I am guilty of constant craftiness and I love it. So I made stockings last year that I decided I didn't love this year. I am not sure I love these new ones, but this is it. These are the ones we will use forever. Maybe.

I made the tags by printing on some fabric cut out the shape I wanted, added an eyelet and viola. Done. I cannot promise that I won't change those since it was a quick solution to the no name problem. Here's to vowing to not change the stockings for at least...another year.

Thanksgiving Fun

Thanksgiving was spent in Star Valley this year.  Much fun was had by all, except those few who got the 24 hour flu and had to miss from the middle of thanksgiving dinner till about that time the next day.  Seriously this is like the worst 24 period of the year to be fluish.  Thanksgiving and no pie???!!! Seriously?! It is difficult for me to adequately express my.... gaaaahhhrg!  So let's move on.

The morning of, we went into the wild in hunt for the elusive Christmas tree. 

We were better prepared with Jack than we were the first time we took Loreli tree hunting.  No mitten boots for this guy.  You know the hardest part about finding the perfect Christmas tree??

They are always hiding on top of another tree.  There are a couple more 18 foot stumps in the South Pass this year because of our ventures. 

And lets not forget that favorite Thanksgiving tradition, the pinata.  Right...

Then there was an exchange of personalized white elephant gifts.