*Dave*Leslie* *Andrew*Ashley*Hailey*Katie*Nathan*: December 2016

The Christmas Season is wonderful. I love everything about Christmas. I love the activities, the parties, preparing presents and even the Christmas music and movies. I most love the extra time as a family and the powerful feeling of the Spirit testifying to me that Jesus is our Savior.

These kids sure know how to look great! Our collection of pictures with this same Santa, each in a different Christmas frame, are lined up across the entertainment center all month. The first picture is from 2006 when Andrew was just 3 months old and now we are so lucky to have 5 beautiful, healthy, unique, incredible kids. Each one has different strengths and weaknesses. Each is precious and important, more than they can understand. I don't mother them perfectly, I make so many mistakes. But, I do try and I do love them so very much. I only wish they'd stay little a little longer.

December 1st Tubby Time

Ashley has such a great love for animals. It's pretty great that she can finally have her own dog.

Andrew, Ashley and Dave ski day!

We used Nana's nativity costumes for all the primary kids to dress up in during the Ward Christmas party. A small group of us adults helped all the kids get a costume slipped on and then sent them on stage. The kids all had fun being on stage in costume and singing a few Christmas songs. Nate was a Shepard but he did not want to go on stage.

We stayed to help clean up the party and when we were all done I remembered to get a picture, but by then I could only get one, cute Ashley.

Home from the Ward Christmas Party. We all had a fun time.

Andrew had already changed to PJs, and looks half asleep here but, he was at the party too!

After church picture. Decorating and redecorating the tree.

Dave and I went skiing on a Monday morning on our own. Kim watched our little ones at home to make that possible. It was freezing cold but really fun.

Kim tried Charlie's glasses on Nate. So funny and kind of sad too.

Bedtime. Every once in a while Andrew likes to read a book to Nathan at bedtime. These sweet boys mean so much to me.

Ashley made a little stack of papers for both Dave and left them in our cars so we'd find them one morning.

Here's my set. She loves to write sweet notes and give them as surprises. She has a sweet heart!

A Jazz game for Andrew and Dave

Decorating our Gingerbread House

And then immediately destroying it.

Andrew and Ashley are lucky ski kids! They get to go skiing with Dave most Saturdays and have the best time.

Ashley's teacher assigns monthly book reports. Each one is different. This was her November report that needed to be in a poster form. She worked really hard on the writing and pictures.

A little late-over. Andrew had Landon H and Ashley had Ellie W

After church. I love cute Christmas color clothing

For a Family Night activity we drove over to Christmas Street in Sugarhouse and also to the Sugarhouse street that displays the Bible Christmas Story too. The kids liked the fun decorations of Christmas Street so much that we looped around a few times. They took turns standing with their heads out of the sun roof. Ashley and Hailey even got out and walked the loop one time and asked me to a picture taken of them on every one of the 30+ lawns.

Our ward shares our church building with the 1st ward. Every December their ward primary has a short live nativity on the front lawn of the church. We've never gone until this year. It was cold but, we bundled up and had fun watching.

The flash was so bright it was REALLY hard for them to keep their eyes open and smile at the same time.

After preschool for Katie. She gets home and changes right into cozy pajamas.

One of Ashley's best friends is Liam Clements. His family moved away after first grade for his mom's dental schooling. They will come back at the end of 4th grade, so they're about half way through. They were in town for Christmas and so Ashley had Liam over two times to play. Here's Liam pulling four Prices around on the Twister Pad.

Nerf War with Nathan

I love Ashley's acting!

Dave and I went skiing with just Ashley and Lizzie in a blizzard. We didn't last long but we had fun.

We usually have the kids take turns going to the Jazz games but, looking through these pictures I'm seeing that somehow Andrew got to go a lot. For this game they were sitting in the regular seats that are Papa and Nana's and then during half time a man in the gift shop gave them his awesome seats since he was leaving.