December Wrap-Up

A great Christmas and a some crazy weather...

The Sunday after Christmas high winds caused this tree to come down in our backyard, taking all the power lines with it. You can't tell from the picture, but if fell at a 45 degree angle sparing our house of any major damage. The power was out for about 7 hours.

We had tons of snow a week before Christmas, but by the time Christmas came, most of it had melted away. It was in the high 50's for a couple days the week of Christmas.

Ry, Ireland, Cale, and Ethan on Christmas Eve. Caleb obviously not happy about having a picture taken.

Below, taken at the Campbells Christmas Eve dinner.

We went to some friends on Christmas Eve, and then had 3 families over on Christmas day.
It was so nice to spend our last Christmas in New York with some great friends.

Gingerbread Houses

A couple days ago, I bought a gingerbread house kit for the kids to make...they had a great time and made a big mess. Today I caught Caleb having a little taste...

He didn't bite the candy off, he just sucked on it for a bit...yum.

Here's another gingerbread house that I whipped up. If any of you believed that one, I have a few more tall tales to tell. My cute friend, Niki Lee, sent me this from Williams Sonoma. It puts ours to shame.

Christmas festivities...

Couldn't resist posting these...

Hmmm...wonder who he picked this up from?? Notice the picture in the magazine.

Yep, you are caught!

Just so dang cute!

Someone woke him up from his 5:00pm snooze on the couch. Love the hair.

Ethan HAD to have these.

Christmas Tree

As per Lorenne's request...here is a picture of our Christmas tree. Caleb has had his way with it, so it's already a little mangled, but oh well. Notice the lack of ornaments on the bottom 3rd? He's also eaten whatever candy canes he could reach--wrapper and all.

Stokoe Farms

Every year that we have lived here, we go to Stokoe Farms the day after Thanksgiving. At Stokoe Farms you can pick and cut down your own Christmas tree, slide down the big slide, peruse the country store, and have free hot chocolate and cookies. But the best thing about going the day after Thanksgiving is Santa, Mrs. Claus, and an elf parachute down out of an airplane over the crowd.

Santa came flying down so fast I was sure he was going to wipe out. I was getting ready to reassure my kids that he'd be ok after they peeled him off the ground.

Ireland and Ryan on the slide. They went down about 50 times.

It was soooo cold! I think the temperature was 20 degrees!

Definite hat and gloves weather. Where's that baby's gloves!?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. Maybe 2nd to Christmas. Who doesn't love to eat way too much, watch movies (or football), be with family or friends, and wake up to 3 more days of holiday weekend?

The Circus is in town...

As we were walking out the door for church this morning, Scott got paged and had to go in to the hospital. So it was just me and the kids at sacrament meeting. I was prepared. I had several packs of smarties, toy cars, crayons, etc... Caleb is always difficult at church, but today he was bordering on crazy zoo animalish. Maybe it was the 4 packs of smarties that I kept feeding him to keep him quiet? Anyhow, he managed to wiggle his way out to the aisle and bee line it to the front several times. So I got quite a bit of exercise chasing him and bringing him back to our seats. Just when I thought he was worn out, he took off to the front again, went up the stairs, and was just a few steps away from the podium before I caught him. As I carried him down the stairs, I tripped over Ryan (who unbeknownst to me had followed me up to the front) caught myself on the sacrament table (knocking a tray over spilling water), and sent Ryan sprawling down the stairs where he landed face first and his toy transformer went flying, landed, and made the sound, "I am Optimus Prime". I'm sure this all wasn't in the least bit distracting. The bishop got up to talk afterwards and said, "We'd like to congratulate Brother Hacking for making it all the way up to the front. Not many kids make it this far. I'm certain he will go far in life."

Funny things kids say...

Today we had our first snowfall of the season! The kids were pretty excited. Ryan says, "I just want to get a snowball and throw it at Ethan's bum".

Later...Ryan goes into the bathroom to do his business and a few (like 2) minutes later I go in to help him pull up his pants and he says, "Did you miss me?"

Right before Ethan went to play outside in the snow I was helping him find his gloves and he says, "You look good!"---Why thank you! So nice of him to compliment his mom! Then he figures out that he said it wrong and corrects himself, "I mean you are a good looker, you always find things."

Christmas pictures...

Is it just me or is it nearly impossible to get everyone to look at the camera and smile?

Once we get the kids to pay attention, the parents are not.

Just a natural smile...that's all I ask.

Tagged...

Tagged by Lorenne...
Here are the rules:
Answer the following questions with one word only. Then pass it on to others.
1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Where is your significant other? Work
3. Your hair color? Blonde
4. Your mother? Connected
5. Your father? Heaven
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night? Strange
8. Your dream/goal? Great
9. The room you're in? Study
10. Your hobby? Shopping
11. Your fear? Death
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Utah
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. What you're not? Sad
15. One of your wish-list items? Beach
16. The last thing you did? Store
17. Where you grew up? Utah
18. What are you wearing? Khakis
19. Your TV? Cartoons
20. Your pet? Never
21. Your computer? Time
22. Your mood? Happy
23. Missing someone? Dad
24. Your car? Armada
25. Something you're not wearing? Sandals
26. Favorite store? Banana
27. Your summer? Short
28. Love someone? Family
29. Favorite color? Navy
30. When was the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Church
32. Music? Buble
I pass this on to:
Heather R.
Kristin
Steph

Halloween...

Caleb the fireman--Ethan, Ryan and Caleb have all worn it.

Ryan the policeman. I dressed him up for preschool yesterday and he was the only one dressed up. Guess I didn't read the note from the preschool that said the kids should not wear their costumes? Apparently some of the kids get scared by some of the costumes...big babies.

Ireland wanted to be a "singer" for Halloween. After searching high and low, we found an American Idol contestant costume. (??)

Ethan as Obi wan Kenobi. He's the best-looking Obi I've seen!

Pumpkins

Here's 3 of our pumpkins and their pumpkins. (Lovely carving work wouldn't you say?--so elaborate)

Proud Mama and Papa!

I went to parent-teacher conference this week and met with Ethan's teacher who gushed and gushed about what a great kid Ethan is. She said he is always smiling, kind, smart, respectful, and on and on. She said, "Ethan just has an amazing soul". Yes he does. He is one of a kind. Scott and I are so lucky to have him! To top it off, today at his last soccer game of the season, Ethan scored 4 out of the 5 goals! His team won 5 to 1. He's a keeper!

Fall festivities...

We took the kids to a hay ride/pumpkin patch last week.

Ethan, Caleb, and Ryan

There were huge corn stalk covered Tee-pees there that you could walk through and see hundreds of lit, carved pumpkins and glow in the dark skeletons, which may explain the crazy kids who just came out...

Here is a typical family photo...one in four looking at the camera

A pumpkin or a hippity hop ball?

White Bean Chili

I found this recipe on "Kitchen Cafe" blog. It is GREAT! My least favorite food is chili--my mom and sisters can attest to this--but this is so good and no kidney beans! Scott loves it and the kids will eat it. Here is the recipe...

Creamy White Chili

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips. Makes about 6 servings.

A few pictures of the weekend...

Come What May, And Love It

General Conference for our church was last weekend. It was so great as usual. It's hard to pick a favorite talk but I have to say Joseph B. Worthlin's talk, entitled "Come What May, And Love It", was my favorite. To read the full transcript go to LDS.org, click on General Conference 178th Session, scroll down until you find it. So worth reading! Here are a few quotes from it...

"If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of greatest happiness....Over the years I have learned a few things that have helped me through times of testing and trial. I would like to share them with you...Learn to laugh...The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable...Seek for the Eternal...Learning to endure times of disappointment, suffering, and sorrow is part of our on-the-job training. These experiences, while often difficult to bear at the time, are precisely the kinds of experiences that stretch our understanding, build our character, and increase our compassion for others...The Principal of Compensation...The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss...Trust in the Father and the Son...The Lord Jesus Christ is our partner, helper, and advocate. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to be successful. If we do our part, He will step in. He who descended below all things will come to our aid. He will comfort and uphold us. He will strengthen us in our weakness and fortify us in our distress. He will make weak things become strong."

Ok, so that is half of the talk, but the rest is just as good.

Pillow addiction...

I may have a few too many pillows in our family room...what do you think? I have to say, it is an inherited disorder. My mom has about 50 pillows in her house and so does my older sister. Much too tempting for a 3 year old.

First day of Preschool

This handsome boy went to preschool for the first time yesterday and loved it. He got out of the car and didn't even look back (where's the love?).

Happy Birthday ETHAN!

Ethan is 6 years old today! He is the sweetest kid ever! We love him to pieces! He is easy going and so lovable! He is so smart and tenderhearted. Love you Ethan!

Ethan just after he was born. He was a handsome kid from the start.

Little Santa...Ethan at 1 year old.

Little cowboy--1 1/2 years old

Ethan at 2 years old, Ireland (4)

Little eskimo boy. Ethan at 4 years old.

The Pirate Ethan--4 years old

Ethan at 5 years old (Ryan, 2)

A picture of Ethan today--6 years old!