We had a wonderful Christmas this year. It was a bit different as we were able to travel to Idaho and spend the Holidays with family. My sweet Sister Elly was married on the 21st of December. It was so wonderful to be in the temple with her and her new husband Garen. He is a terrific guy and we a glad to add him to our family. I don't have pics of the wedding yet, but hopefully I can add them soon. We were able to see all of my (Beccas) family and most of them stayed for Christmas, which was really fun Christmas morning. We also got to visit with Jeffs Mom and Calvin and Brent and Gaylene came up from Boise as well. It was nice to spend some time with them and Jackie enjoyed playing games with everyone.
Our King Alyssa. This costume has been at my parents house for many years, and is still a favorite.
These two cousins are so cute together. They both look forward to seeing each other and have a great time together. Christmas morning Hannah was not feeling well, but I wanted to get a shot of them together in their matching PJ's from Grandma, what a trooper. Grandma and Grandpa got everyone matching PJs, the adult women matched, the adult men, the girls matched and the boys matched. We should have got a picture of everyone together, but Christmas morning was a hard time to gather everyone together. It was fun seeing everyone walking around in matching PJ's on Christmas morning.
The Newly Weds! Such a cute couple. My kids have always had a special fondness for their Aunt Elly, and now they have shared that fondness with their new Uncle Garen. If Alyssa is in the same room as Garen, she is usually on his lap, and she will bypass Elly to get there (which is huge). We love you guys!
Dallin got an MP3 player and a remote control car for Christmas. He loves to sing and has a good voice. He has almost memorized "Eye of a Tiger" and it is really fun to watch him sing it with passion.
Two of my awesome Bros. I loved seeing all of my family together in my parents home, it was wonderful.
Matt and Susanna on Christmas morning!
Grandma and Grandpa Jensen came over for our traditional Breakfast (grilled cheese, orange slices, and hard boiled eggs). I think they enjoyed watching everyone on Christmas morning.
Grandma is getting a good shot. She is a such a good Mom and great Grandma. Grandma and Grandpa had a busy, busy holiday. Not only did they have a wedding on Dec. 21st and all of their children and grandchildren there for Christmas, they also did a cousins camp in between those two huge events. They took their grandchildren age 8-12 on cousins camp to the cabin. They had so much fun, swimming, sledding, making a graham cracker train, playing games, watching movies (until the wee hours of the night), sleeping with cousins, eating yummy food, and hanging out with a fun Grandma and Grandpa for a couple of days. Those memories will last with them and I am so grateful to my parents in helping our kids have a great relationship with them and with their cousins.
On Christmas evening we headed up to Jeffs Moms house. Brent and Gaylene were there and we enjoyed many games, delicious home cooked food, and hours of visiting together. The kids like sleeping at Grandmas house because she has glow-in-the-dark stars on her ceiling. Grandma also watched the kids earlier in the week so Jeff and I could go to the temple when Elly recieved her endowment and the next day during the wedding. We were so grateful for her and Calvins service to us and our kids and we the assurance that our kids were safe so we could enjoy the peace of the temple and be there with our family.
Brea made many bracelets at Grandmas house and got really fast at it. She enjoyed sharing them with friends and family. What a fun Christmas spent with family. We had great roads both coming and going, and feel blessed from a wonderful year and look forward to 2014.
Time for goodbyes. Thanks family for a wonderful Christmas this year!
Back at home....Dallin had a great idea! He really wanted a punching bag, and we thought it would be a good thing. Jeff looked for some before Christmas and they either seemed too cheaply made or too heavy duty for an 8 year old and his bedroom (which is where we wanted to keep it). Dallin thought of just putting a bunch of pillows/blankets in a garbage bag and wrapping it in duct tape. So for about $5 (the cost of the duct tape) Dallin and Jeff made this really strong punching bag, and hung it in his room. He has used it for hours and it has been a lot of fun. I am glad that my children have huge imaginations and can come up with creative play. I hope that they never lose that. That is one of my fears of electronics, losing that imagination that they all have so strongly right now.
The Hair Cut. Dallin has been styling this long hair for a couple of months now. He refused to cut it and we have tolerated it. Then, on Sunday morning I was trying to bathe all the kids. Dallin did not want to bathe, so I told him he could have a hair cut instead. He thought about it and came down to tell me he wanted to cut his hair. He was really excited because Dad was already at the church for meetings, and we would be going to church without him. He wanted to see his Dads face, from the stand. He was pretty sure that Dad would smile big when he saw Dallin. So the before.....
and after! It was a big difference. He looks great. When we got to church Dad was walking around shaking hand and visiting with members of our ward. He shook our hands and noticed Dallins haircut. He smiled and told him how good he looked!
Not to leave out our darling girls. They have had a lot fun on this break, all three of them enjoy playing with dolls. They can play on their own just fine, using their imaginations to talk each doll character, or they can play together. They are growing up so fast and I keep telling them to stop. It is fun to see them in each of their stages and see their growth. I love being a Mom and am glad that I am able to stay home and spend my days with these guys. Although it isn't always bliss and I am not a perfect Mother. There is more yelling than I would like, but there are small moments of peacefulness when everyone is getting along and that is what I try to hold on to.
