Temple Trip

Joel, Alanna, and I went to the Seattle Temple today. We decided to catch the 4:50 AM ferry in Bremerton which was crazy since we didn't go to bed until about 11:00 last night. We slept on the ferry and made it to the temple for the 6:30 session. It was wonderful to be in the temple together. I really enjoyed being with Alanna as this was the first time we had done a session together. We wanted to have breakfast after in the cafeteria but it wasn't open yet so we had breakfast before catching the ferry back home.

We actually got out of the car for the ferry ride back to Bremerton. It was cold but not raining so we went outside and took some pictures with the space needle behind us.

Battle of the Gingerbread Houses

We had a competition between the boys and the girls making gingerbread houses. We started doing this the first Christmas after Joel and I were married. It has been so much fun. The boys decided this year that they were going to see how much candy they could attach to their house. It turned out good and FULL of candy. Shortly after pictures were taken one of their sides fell off their house and the eve of one side of the roof collapsed. The kids look forward to breaking the gingerbread houses and eating them on New Year's Eve.

Bathtime with Grandma

Grandma was giving Mary a bath in the sink last night when Sammy decided that he wanted to get in as well. So, Grandma put him in the other side of the sink and the two of them had great fun. Sammy dumped water on Mary trying to help her get washed. Spring walked into the kitchen to see them and said, "I wish I was Mary or Sammy." She thought it would be fun to get in the sink also. Grandma was about to get Sammy out of the sink when he filled up his cup, looked at Grandma with that twinkle in his eye, and threw the full cup of water on grandma. What a way to say thanks! This morning when Sammy woke up he immediately asked Grandma if he could get in the sink again. She told him he could tonight again!

Sledding

Thomas and Spring went sledding in the woods behind Grandma's house with Dad, Brandon, and Heather. They had a great time even though they were cold. When they got home Thomas was so tired. He just wanted to lay down for a while and rest until dinner. What a fun time they were able to have.

sledding

More Snow

We got a lot more snow yesterday again. Now, this is not normal for around here but Spring and Thomas were very excited. Mom and Dad live at the top of a big hill so it makes it really difficult to get up or down the hill when it is snowing. We stayed at the house all day. Aunt Alanna got the kids in the hot tub again while it was still snowing. Later Grandma went out to put chemicals in the hot tub so Thomas and Spring seized the opportunity to throw snowballs at her. Later they played soccer in the snow and Spring was in shorts! It was a fun day especially since we don't get the opportunity to play in snow very often.

more snow

Waterfront Park

waterfront park

Joel and I took the kids to the waterfront park that is down the hill from my parent's house. My mom's office is located across the street as well. It was so fun to let the kids play and have fun outside. Then we went to visit Grandma for a while which the kids love. Thomas and Spring know right where Mike keeps the M&M's too. Thomas did some shredding for grandma and earned a quarter! Then we went back to the park and walked along the shore. Thomas practiced skipping rocks while Sammy and Spring just threw handfuls of rocks into the ocean. We even walked out onto the pier and dock. It was so much fun. I am always amazed at how beautiful it is around here. I remember going to the waterfront park quite often the year I lived here before graduating from High School. I enjoyed sharing that memory with my family. I am sure we will go again before we leave!

Let it snow

Spring got her wish Christmas day. She was really hoping for it to snow while we are up here in Washington. She and Alanna were relaxing in the hot tub when it started to snow. We told her that it wouldn't stick but we were sure wrong. By the time they woke up from their naps the ground was covered in snow. We all bundled up (best we could considering we are from CA and don't really have snow apparel) and headed to the backyard. Aunt Alanna helped them make a snowman and then a huge snowball fight ensued. We even got Grandpa in on the fight...in fact it was everyone against grandpa. I am so happy she got her wish. She was certain it was going to snow and next time we won't doubt her!

Christmas Morning

Thomas and Spring woke up at 5:15 in the morning and as soon as Sammy and Mary heard them up they also woke up. We all headed downstairs, youngest to oldest, by 5:30. It is always so fun to see the excitement in their eyes and hear their squeals as they see that Santa came. The highlight of their stockings were their spinning toothbrushes. They have been wanting them for months now so they were so glad that Santa had remembered. Santa gave Grandma a rubber snake which was the highlight of her morning and her reaction gave everyone a great laugh. It was a wonderful morning as we all enjoyed the time together and shared our gifts with one another. As wonderful as all this was, my favorite part of the morning was the time together and watching our children be grateful for the simple things they received. I am so grateful we were able to be together on Christmas morning. We sure missed Matt and Kim though. We look forward to the next time we will see them.

Silly Teeth

Alanna bought Thomas, Spring, and Sammy suckers that were silly teeth. Sammy wasn't so sure about it but he decided to share with Mary and she went to town. She really enjoyed it! Aunts are so wonderful!

Christmas Eve Nativity

We acted out the nativity for FHE on Christmas Eve. Thomas, Spring, and Sammy were so excited to do this. It was really cute to watch them. Thomas was Joseph, Spring was Mary, Sammy and Alanna were shepherds, I was the angel, and Joel was the narrator. It is so wonderful to remind ourselves of the humble birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I know he came to earth as a babe and spent his life in the service of all those around him. Just as I know this, I know he will come again.

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Following the nativity the kids opened the traditional one gift...new pj's! Then they were treated to getting into the hot tub with Uncle Brandon before going to bed.


We all slept in the same room for Christmas Eve which is something I always did with my siblings growing up. It was Joel, me, Thomas,Spring, Sammy, Aunt Alanna, Uncle Brandon, and Aunt Heather. It was one full room...but fun. It made it quite interesting when I had to get up in the middle of the night to go into the other room and get Mary!!!

Sunday before Christmas

The kids were so excited to wear their new Christmas clothes to church on Sunday. We had fun going to church with my family and the kids loved to visit a new primary so they could be sung to in sharing time. They even got to sing in Sacrament Meeting with the primary.
After church the kids napped while we made cookies. For dinner the kids had a tea party with Grandma and Aunt Alanna. They LOVED that and then we all got in the spa to help them relax and be ready for bed. It is so great to put them in the spa in the evening because they come out so relaxed that they go right to sleep...well almost right to sleep!

Christmas with the Biggs

Emily flew in from Utah and we were able to pick her up at the airport Friday morning. The kids loved being able to spend all day with her. She even took the kids to get ice cream! Then Grandma and Grandpa Biggs, Aunt Tammy, and Uncle Ty came over for dinner and to open presents with each other. It was a very fun evening. The kids were so excited to give them the mugs they had made for everyone...they wanted to do that more than open their own presents. After opening wonderful presents the kids played games while Joel and I packed up the Thule with presents for our trip to Washington. The next morning we got up at 4 AM and started our drive to Washington for Christmas.

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Christmas Parties & Ice Cream

I was able to help with Thomas' class Christmas Party again today. Spring came with me which made her day. Thomas is so cute with her when she comes in and wants to let her do everything with him. It makes me so happy to see how protective and caring he is with her. It helps redeem them for the times they just pick at each other and want exactly the opposite of what the other wants. :)

Spring was even able to make a candy cane ornament with Thomas' group. Thomas' friends, Dawson and Chloe, thought it was cool for Spring to be there too. They talked to her and let her play the games with them and helped her feel so special. She was all smiles. I am so grateful for the opportunities I have to help in Thomas' class. He always gets the biggest smile on his face when he sees me walk in the door. Today, as Spring and I were leaving, he came up to me to give me a hug and said, "Mom, you're the best. Thanks for coming in again today." That is what it is all about! I don't look forward to the day when it is no longer cool for me to come to school to help!

Last night we took the kids to get ice cream cones. Sammy decided he was going to share his with Mary. It started out with him holding it for her to lick and the next thing we knew he was washing his hands at the sink and Mary had the rest of the cone. They were both happy. I guess Sammy felt bad that we didn't get Mary her own cone so he decided to share!

Mary's on the Move

Mary is really cruising now and she thinks she is hot stuff...as you can see from her expression. She is so fast and quiet that I find myself losing her quite often. In fact, the other day I was standing at the door into the garage talking to Joel and then I came inside and let the door close. To my horror, Mary started screaming because her hand was stuck in the door. I felt so bad and her hand had a good bruise on it...but she quickly calmed down and wanted to get down and start playing more.

Sammy and Mary

I just love to watch her and Sammy play together. They are so funny together. Mary loves to be with him and he talks to her in such a high pitched voice with his head tilted to the side. It is so cute. I love how much they love each other.

Happy Birthday, Thomas!

As hard as it is for us to believe, Thomas turned 7 today. He woke me up at 5:00 am to tell me he was already 7 because he turned 7 at 4:49 am. He also keeps telling us how he only has one more year until he gets to be baptized. He was so excited for all the fun things he had going on today. We made pancakes for breakfast which really isn't that big of a deal because we make them multiple times a week. He thought it was cool that I made him pancakes shaped like a "T" and Sammy and Spring some "S" pancakes. He loved wearing his new outfit from grandma & grandpa to school and he got to buy hot lunch, courtesy of Grandma! He took cookies to share with his class at lunchtime. He told me he had a lot left over so he shared them with the lunchroom people and the yard duties. When he came home he opened his presents and played outside with them until it was really dark. Then he had his dinner of choice, cheese stuffed shells and french bread. The other day when he told me what he wanted for his dinner he asked, "Mom, can I not have vegetables since it's my party?" He was so excited today when we told him he didn't have to have vegetables tonight! Then he gave the lesson for FHE and then we had his brownies and ice-cream for dessert. He was so patient as Sammy and Spring helped blow out all his candles too.

Thomas' 7th birthday

We are so blessed to have Thomas in our family. He is an example to us in obedience and his strong desire to serve and help others. He shares the gospel by not only the way he lives but also by bearing his simple testimony. He enjoys life and has a love of learning. I appreciate all he does to help me with the younger kids. He sincerely tries to look for ways to make other's lives easier. Happy Birthday, Thomas. We love you!

Sugar Cookies

I love this time of year to bake and make fun things with the kids. Today, Spring and I made sugar cookies and baked them so they would be ready to decorate this evening when Thomas came home from school. Spring wanted to wear my apron so I borrowed Joel's. Spring is really growing up. She can be so funny sometimes in the things she says and does.

Sugar Cookies

We all had fun decorating the cookies...Mary loved licking the beater from the frosting and then eating a cookie. Sammy would decorate a little and then take a bite, decorate a little more, take another bite. Needless to say, we only gave him 2 cookies to work on! When we were finished we took plates of cookies around to all the neighbors.

Revenge is Sweet!

The last few days Mary has started to "attack" Sammy at different times. Sammy thinks it is funny so that is good. We can't say he doesn't deserve it after all he does and has done to Mary. It is so cute to watch the two of them together. I am sure we are in for years of laughter and joy with all of our children!

Gingerbread Houses and Friends

gingerbread houses

We had our good friends, the Herrins, over tonight. We shared dinner, FHE, and making gingerbread houses. Spring and I made the gingerbread houses earlier today so we could decorate them this evening. They had a great time. It ended up being the girls, Spring & Maci, decorating one house and the boys, Thomas, Brock, & Rhet decorating the other. Sammy and Ty just moved around the table eating all the candy. The Herrins took the boys' house home with them and we kept the girls' gingerbread house. We had great fun this evening. We are so grateful for Lisa and Steve. They are wonderful friends. I have never met anyone before Lisa that was so much like myself. We have so much in common and we really enjoy each other's company. Steve and Joel are great friends as well. They always joke about how much Lisa and I are alike in so many ways. Our kids get along really well together also. What fun to share an evening with great friends.

Weekend with Mary

Thomas, Spring, and Sammy spent the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Biggs. They had a great time baking Christmas goodies and playing games. It was so strange for Joel and I to only have Mary at home. We felt like we had so much extra time and getting ready for church was a breeze. We were also able to get all of our Christmas shopping finished. We were very glad to have them all come back home, though. It just doesn't feel right when we are not all together.

Joel had so much time on his hands that he decided it would be fun to use his tools to help Mary eat her crackers! It really was fun to spend so much one on one time with our little Mary. She was rather lost without her brothers and sister though. She would crawl around the house looking for them. When we got her up from naps she would quickly look all around as if looking to see if they returned. She was rather somber, but we enjoyed the time to be with her and play with her. She was a trooper too, with all the shopping we did.

Playing in the Rain

It has been raining most of the day today and the kids were getting restless. Spring asked this afternoon if she could jump in the puddles and I thought it was a great idea.
She and Sammy went out back to play in the water. They had great fun...and it didn't take them long to find the mud to play in as well.
Mary wanted to join them...but I wouldn't let her so she just watched from inside.
Thomas' complaint when I picked him up from school was that they had to stay inside for all his recesses and could only watch a movie for PE!

Family Home Evening

I realized last night how much the kids learn from FHE even though sometimes you wonder. I don't think it is just the lessons we have that are important for them to learn from, but also the spirit of Family Home Evening. Spring had the lesson and she worked hard all day getting ready to teach us about the birth of Jesus Christ. (We needed an extra week to get all the big words down on the 6th Article of Faith). She wanted Daddy to help her prepare her lesson. She took a break from her preparations to go over and visit Wendy, our neighbor. The kids love Wendy. They love to visit with her and she is so kind to them. In fact, the kids invited her to church a couple weeks ago and she came. During that sacrament meeting they talked a little about FHE and family scripture study. She leaned over to me and told me she knew all about that because the kids always tell her about what they had a lesson on and who was in charge of what, etc. Anyway, after Spring's visit yesterday she came home with a cake mix and frosting because Wendy had bought that for her at the store so the kids could make it for their FHE treats. The kids were excited and I was humbled at the example our children are in sharing the gospel simply by the way they live. Thomas made the cake all by himself and then he and Spring frosted it together. Before having their slices for treats, they cut 2 big pieces and ran them over to Jeff and Wendy. I think we need to invite them to come over for FHE next week.

Anyway, just before we started our lesson for FHE we got a call from Mom telling us that my sister, Kim, was going in for surgery right then because they found out she had an ectopic pregnancy that had ruptured. My heart went out to her and I was rather distracted. Joel explained to the kids what was going on with their Aunt Kim. They were very solemn and then Spring said, "I think we should write her some letters and send them to her." I was so impressed by her compassion and love. We enjoyed Spring's wonderful lesson, then went to the table to write letters to Kim and Matt.

I am so grateful for Family Home Evening. I know it is an inspired program as it allows us to share in spiritual experiences as a family and help each other recognize and feel the promptings of the Holy Ghost. I am grateful for our children for their example of kindness, compassion, and service. How blessed we are as members of the church.

Festival of Lights

We went to the Festival of Lights Parade in town tonight. Unfortunately, Joel had to work and we sure missed having him with us. I took the kids though and it was great fun. It was really nice to have something to pass the evening with Dad at work. We got there early so we could get good seats. I packed dinner for us and we ate that while we were waiting. Thomas, Spring, and Sammy loved playing tag and rolling down the grassy hill behind where we were sitting. We also had fun reading Christmas stories while we were waiting. As soon as it got dark the parade started. It was so much fun and there were so many cars and floats decorated with a lot of lights. Sammy was in awe and would excitedly point at everything. He especially loved the horses and the dogs he saw! Mary slept through most of it.

festival of lights

After it was over we went to the house that is all decorated so the kids could see Santa. Sammy wouldn't come within 20 feet of him. It was quite comical to see him try to avoid Santa while still trying to see the train that was going around the yard. They enjoyed cookies with Santa and then we came home for some hot cocoa, scriptures, stories, and bedtime. They were so tired. It was such a wonderful evening. The only thing that would have made it better is if Joel could have been there with us!

Lighting up the Sky

We love to drive around looking at Christmas lights during the holiday season. This is a family tradition from when I was little and we continue with our children today. It is so fun to get in the car (the kids love to bring a blanket to wrap up in), listen to Christmas music on the radio, and see all the beautiful lights. It is wonderful to hear the squeals of delight as they each notice a house with lights and other fun decorations. There is a home a few blocks from our house that has spectacular Christmas lights. Rumor has it he spends months getting all the lights set up. The kids love to go see the lights each year, in fact we often go multiple times. On the weekends Santa and Mrs. Clause come to see the kids and they serve hot chocolate and cookies. It truly is magical.