Christmas Highlights

Here are a few highlights of our Christmas activities this year....

The train set... this takes weeks to set up! I actually helped John make a huge mountain out of paper-mache. It was a long and messy project! But it looked good!

Tanner helping dad!

The finished product...
We had 2 great train open houses. Lots of people came and all the little boys (and big boys!) enjoyed the eye spy game.

Tanner wanted to make gingerbread houses so bad! So one night I pulled out some kits I had bought a few years ago at Costco... I thought they would still be good... (a little problem I have, I don't really like expiration dates... the kids think I try to kill them all the time!) The candy was still good, but the gingerbread was disgusting, it stunk so bad!!!

While I went to buy another kit, they made sugar cookies.

We went to 3 stores and finally found a gingerbread house kit! they had one left...

Christmas Eve

It's a tradition to go out to breakfast... we went to Jamm's. It was so yummy!

the pot of bread is so good!!!

We told the kids we had plans after breakfast, but didn't tell them where we were going... Mitchell guessed it. John had called the Las Vegas Rescue Mission and asked if we could help serve a meal there. They needed help at lunch time. So we served lunch and helped them prep all the desserts for dinner. We were so impressed with all the local stores that donate their day old desserts to the shelter. We saw lot's of things from Costco, Sam's club, Albertsons and Starbucks. They looked so good. It was a great way to spend Christmas Eve day! We were all humbled as we watched the homeless people come get their hot dog lunch.

Don't the hairnets look great!

Tanner was a little tired!

Ashley loves her brothers!

Watch out... John has a knife!

Christmas Eve night

Another tradition is Christmas Eve dinner with the Lords. It was so nice. We had our traditional poppers, steak, crab legs and English trifle.

The kids opening their poppers...

Yummy crab legs...

John and Keri's dad...

Keri and her mom taking pictures : )

Our crowns from the poppers...

We did the nativity, but I didn't take any pictures, I will have to get some from Keri.
Brock wanted to be baby Jesus : )

Mitchell chillin'

Ashley and Scotty arrived in time for dessert.

We watched Christmas Vacation...

We went home and opened our Christmas pajamas...

Christmas morning and Ashley's Birthday

My birthday girl! I can't believe she is 20!

Ashley got a camera.

Tanner got a flip camera... he is working on a train movie... it's great! I will post it when it's done.

Mitchell got lots of clothes...

Tanner loves to wrap Mitchell's present so he can't open it... he had tons of rubber bands on one layer... the next layer was glued shut... he got to the last box and there was nothing inside! Tanner ran to his room and got the real present. It was pretty funny...

John spoiled me!

I got a John a fire pit.

Christmas night...

Scott and Jenn and the kids came over. It was so fun.

Ashley feeding Jack...

Jenn and Afton...

Birthday time...

Ashley got some Tom's shoes, some boots and some other little things...

baby Jack... he's getting so big!

Afton was quite the character... she loves to stand on our stools, she has no fear! Then she started jumping off the stool to Mitchell on the couch. It was so funny!

Look at this face...

Happy birthday to Ashley!!

If you made it through this very long post you are a true friend! Thanks for listening! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!