Christmas 2010

Christmas is always such a fun time when you have little ones in your home. The much anticipated day arrived at our house with a bang! I had told the kids on Christmas Eve that they couldn't come upstairs to see if Santa had found us before 7 am. I have had sleeping issues lately where I wake up around 5-5:30 and then can't go back to sleep, so I was up and showered before they ever came upstairs.
Santa definitely found us this year and he was really good to us! Here are the kids going through their stockings and checking out what each other received, Christmas morning.

More going through gifts

Here are some favorites.. a RC motorcycle for Jace

Baby Alive for Baylie, and it was a good thing Santa brought extra diapers for this doll as Baylie was feeding her every time we turned around!

Kenna got these boots as well as the news that she would start driver's ed in January!

Here's Ali practicing the hula hoop....... she's a pro already!

Jace and his 'buzz lightyear wings' and his guitar

Emily headed to the garage to try out the rip stick Santa had brought her!

I got the turkey in the oven fairly early on Christmas morning so we had a big lunch instead of dinner. Here is Chris carving the bird. It was delicious, if I do say so myself!

Jace at the dinner table. He doesn't like to eat any foods other than breakfast foods. Pancakes, french toast sticks, cereal and this was true on Christmas as well. Here he is with his plate of french toast sticks, he's such a crazy kid!

Here are the other kids ready to eat a yummy turkey meal!

Chris and I supervising Lindsay and Kenna in the kitchen as they washed the dishes after dinner!

Washing dishes, such great sister bonding time!

We had an absolutely wonderful Christmas spent together. We are grateful for this time of year when we can reflect on our blessings and the birth of our Savior. Yep, life is good!

Christmas Eve traditions

Christmas Eve has been a good day at our house. We took the kids to see the movie 'yogi bear.' And as evening approached, we had our traditional dinner of hoagie sandwiches, egg nog, little smokies, crackers and dip, etc. After dinner, we found the kids 'tracking Santa' on the computer. Jace was so into it, he sat near the computer all evening, as we watched a movie, he kept us informed as to Santa's whereabouts. We had our traditional opening of Christmas Eve jammies. Here the kids are with theirs

Tearing into the packages...........

Looking around to see what every one else's look like............. I do have to admit that the kids got also either slippers or a robe, except Baylie. My poor little girl was so sad, she had tears. I hurriedly ran out to the store to grab her some slippers. In my own defense, I had looked and couldn't find any her size that would match her new jammies. I really didn't think it would be that big of a deal, boy was I wrong!

Here are the kids showing off their new jammies. (I'm not into the whole matchy, matchy jammies, I just like to find ones that they'll like and want to wear again)

We concluded the evening with Chris reading from Luke 2, the story of Christ's birth and why we even celebrate Christmas.

Again this year, they are all having a 'slumber party' in Lindsay's room. I think they do that so they'll all wake up together and we won't have any late sleepers. Anyone that knows Baylie, knows she has been known to sleep until noon, if we let her!

Pre School Christmas program

The last day of pre school this week, we were meeting at an assisted living center for a program that the kids were going to put on for the residents. Jace had been really excited all morning, singing his songs and he wanted to wear his sweater, since Mrs. Natalie told them to look nice. As we arrived at Parkwood Meadows, I could tell Jace wasn't too excited anymore. I don't think he realized the program wasn't going to be at Mrs. Natalie's house.
At the beginning as the kids were lining up, Jace looked over for me to snap a picture. Here they are getting ready to sing 'jingle bells' which is why he is holding bells. As they started to sing, he wouldn't look over at me and continued facing away from me for the entire program. Notice all the other kids singing and Jace isn't?

Even as they sat down to help Mrs. Natalie read a story to the residents, he still wouldn't look at me, little booger!

He is at least smiling in this one, but still not looking at me. He didn't sing or help with the story. I know how he will act at these things, I'm still wondering why I bother to drag him out to them!

Because he's so cute, that's why - even if he won't sing or look at me to take pictures!

Root family Christmas

This past weekend, we met my entire family for the annual Root family Christmas party. We met at Kara's house in Rexburg. It was a fun filled day full of....
Sledding at the St. Anthony sand dunes.
Here is Ali on her way down the hill. Me, Chris, Baylie and Jace on our way up the hill

Chris and Baylie

Kenna sitting on top getting ready to head down

Chris and I stopped for quick pic

Lindsay, Ali, and Kyton waiting for Anjela to shove them down the hill

Jace, just finished coming down on his saucer

Ali, hopping on my lap for a ride down with mom. Laura, Kara, Haley, Brett, Gavin and Emily are also in the picture.

All the girls that were at this hill stopped for a 'girls photo.' Missing were Kacie and mom.

Story time with grandma. My mom loves to read and for the past few years, has brought some cute kid stories to read to the grand kids.

Dad is enjoying watching mom read to the kids.

Sibling photo. We had such a fun time taking these. We were all laughing, Laura to the point of tears. As David would say, "I can't possibly be any more handsome!"

Food!!! Here Laura is preparing her 'famous spinach salad.'

Brett made the most wonderful prime rib. Here he is carving the meat. We decided it was as good as any prime rib we've had in a restaurant. Nicely done Brett! Kara, the proud wife with Kenna, Emily and Haley waiting to eat!

SANTA came!!

Santa brought gifts for each of us there. Here is Lindsay accepting her gift, an itunes gift card.

Even Chris got to sit on the 'big man's' lap

All my cute kids with Santa.

Family skits~

Here are me and Kenna, trying to sell our donkeys who are Emily, Lindsay and Ali

Singing, "Away in a manger"

David, pretending to 'sled in his snow boots'

Anjela, dancing around in her 'green boots' Their skit was funny, they were the Roots in boots

Baylie is helping mom with her skit and something funny must have been said by the look on moms face.

We also do a gift exchange. Here are some of the kids during theirsAt the end of the evening, we stopped to pose for a Root family photo. We got pretty lucky and I think everyone is looking at the camera. I love that Nate is pointing the nerf gun Santa gave him at the camera.

It was such a fun day and it's a fun tradition. We started doing this about 4 years ago. We don't always get together for Christmas so we plan a weekend beforehand for everyone to be together to celebrate this season and enjoy each other. We definitely have a lot of laughs and fun when we get together. Thanks Kara and Brett for opening your home for a day full of chaos!

Superhero friends

Jace has a cute little friend in the neighborhood and he is always asking if he can play with Tyler. They get along great and are so cute .
These pictures are from earlier this year when Jace was playing at Tyler's house. They got all dressed up in superhero costumes and wanted to show off their muscles. Luckily Tyler's mom thought it was cute too and snapped a couple pictures.
I think Jace is wondering if he's flexing properly or just watching Tyler because his face is so funny! And a different pose, flex hard boys!

I love that Jace has a good little friend in the neighborhood and can hardly wait until they are a little older to see what adventures lie ahead!