December Randoms

As I go back & look through my December pictures, it blows my mind that I still managed to have a huge blog post of random pictures.  How am I still (somewhat) sane?

 

Eddie arrived on December 1st!  Caleb, Taylor & Rylee were so excited.

I love these two.  How is it possible that watching them get bigger makes me happy & sad at the exact same time?

These ladies had a blast one day fixing each others hair.

Eddie played with some of Casey's old He-Man toys.  Skelator was in big trouble.  Caleb loved it.

Again...love these two...love sleeping pictures.

At the beginning of the month we went to Temple Square.  It was fun.  But Lexi's fingers got so cold by the end of night that she kept grabbing her fingers saying 'ouch'.  It was sad.

Family picture!!  I wish that Luke was looking - but we can't win every time.

Luke in a box.  It's just cute.

Forts are fantastic.  Lanterns make them even better!

Caleb (aka Michelangelo) strikes again with his mad art skills!

 I stopped at Kent's one morning after getting off work at 7 AM and they had adorable reindeer doughnuts!

 Snow time!  I thought that the kids would have a blast pulling Luke & Alexa in their sleds.  Caleb had fun, but Taylor & Rylee ended up having a major meltdown trying to pull Luke.  Don't worry, I didn't help them.  I was to busy getting it all on video!

  I turned 35.  Casey did a great job with my presents!!  He even bought me a camouflage shirt....I think that was more for him than for me though.

Besties forever!!

Different besties forever!! (and yes...that is a swimsuit over Alexa's clothes)

 Gingerbread house time!  The kids each got to make their own tree.  They loved making it 'snow'.

I was in charge of the red & white house, & Casey was in charge of the multi color house.  Everyone helped and it was a lot of fun.

Our kids love story time.  They also love their dad!

Luke riding a broom.  Again...just cute!

Casey randomly started doing push-ups the other morning.  Luke & Alexa decided to join him.

Caleb asked me one evening, "Do you think Taylor would let me use her makeup kit on Lexi?"  I told him to ask her.  She was adorable and said, "Yes! That's a good idea."  I wonder if Caleb has found his calling in life?  ;)

 

Christmas Day

On Christmas Eve the kids got to open their Christmas pajamas!  They all looked adorable.  Caleb has figured it out...he said, "Every Christmas Eve you let us open a present and it is always pajamas."

Santa was a busy man!  They kids were so excited when the came up the stairs Christmas morning.  They are such good kids.  They patiently sat there while Casey & I got our cameras ready & got Luke & Alexa out of their cribs.

Luke is in love with his car garage that Santa left for him.  The older kids like it too!

Caleb's new puppy, Oreo, got a brand new costume!  Captain America!  It was just sitting on top of Caleb's Christmas gifts, and he wanted to dress up Oreo before he opened any gifts.

Alexa got a darling princess castle.  The princesses come on horses and they gallop down the roadways.  I think it is called the Klippity Klop Castle.

Caleb had asked for some dinosaurs for Christmas and I think that Luke loved them more than Caleb did.

Santa was the man this year!  Caleb, Taylor & Rylee all got their very own Kindle fire!

See Taylor?  See Taylor's fragrance spray?  5 days later...that spray is almost gone.  She has LOVED it.  Sprayed it all over herself, me, Casey, stuffed animals - pretty much everything smells fantastic at our house right about now.

Brad, Mona, Shelby, Malissa & MaKayla came over for Christmas breakfast.  Brad was so excited to eat.  I must make a mean crepe.

Casey & I had a scare on Christmas Eve.  We had ordered Caleb an ant farm for Christmas and I had ordered some ants.  Well - the shipping details said that I wouldn't get them until the first week of January, so I hadn't checked the mail box for a couple of days.  On our way to Colby's for Christmas Eve, I hurried to check the mail and low and behold - we had ants.  Who knows how long they had been there.  I ran into the house & opened the package and they were dead.  Like crunchy in the package dead.  I was so bummed.  BUT - when we got back from dinner that night, they were ALIVE!  It was a Christmas Miracle.  Apparently they were just in hibernation mode because they were so cold.

We got the girls LaLaLoopsy color me dolls.  There is a commercial on a show that we have recorded that has these dolls and EVERY time we see that commercial they say in unison, "I want that!"  Wish granted my lovely ladies!

We stayed in our pajamas all day.  Ate yummy food.  Had family come and visit.  Watched movies.  And played with our toys.  They kindles were a big hit.

Rylee apparently had a really rough day and fell asleep on the couch around 6 that night.

The kids got sleeping bags from Brad & Mona for Christmas, so they got to have a camp out in the front room on Christmas night.  Merry Christmas to all & to all a good night!



Freeze Family Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve day was crazy.  I started working a graveyard shift at the Crystal Inn (probably not the best decision...but it is just my chapter in life at this time I guess) - and I had to work until 7 that morning.  So by 9 am I had made a cake, a salad and did some prep work for Trifle & frosting for Christmas Cookies.  I then had to take a nap.  So I slept from 10:30-2:30.

 

Before we headed to Colby & Tamara's house for dinner we had to get Santa's cookies finished.  They kids had a lot of fun.  We went through a few sprinkles :) 

I know that Santa got the best looking cookies from our house this year!

We were almost 20 minutes late to dinner.  I HATE being late.  Better late than dead I guess!  Look at Lexi & MaKayla's baby blue eyes!!  I love them!  MaKayla had her hair in the tiniest pig tails and looked like little Cindy Loo Who.

These 3 stayed in McKenna's room pretty much the entire evening.  It confused McKenna pretty good because I had them dressed the same.  I think they look adorable - but it really messes people up (myself included sometimes).

It appears that Lexi has Brad wrapped around her little finger.  Good girl!  Caleb LOVES his cousins.

 We watched a beautiful movie about the Savior's birth and then Tamara played some Christmas music on the piano.  Their whole family can sing really well!

Dinner was delicious and Tamara's table settings were so cute!  Matching plates, tablecloths, candy canes on the kids plates & Hershey Kisses & Hugs for the table runner.  Luke & Alexa ate a million of those :)

 MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Anderson Christmas Party

I have discovered this year that I have a deep emotional attachment to family traditions.  I can't decide if it is a good thing or a bad thing.  BUT - this tradition (go figure) is one of the best!  The kids were so excited to get ready to go to Papa Don's & Grammy's Christmas party.  They FINALLY were going to get a present!

These girls were adorable.  They love their Grammy.  I love the way that Rylee sits.  I wonder if she will sit that way when she is older? I love that Taylor's smile just radiated joy the whole night.  I love the 3 musketeers in the bottom picture.  It only took 3-ish years for them to all get along.  When Eva comes over now - the girls don't want her to leave!

It appears that Lexi is working on wrapping herself around Uncle Dylan & Jordon's fingers.  With her big blue eyes, petite little features and spunky personality, who wouldn't love this little girl?!  Luke was just happy to be there....that is until my parents busted out an awesome roller coaster.  Everyone wanted a turn, and if it wasn't Luke's turn, he was having a mental breakdown.  It was a CRAZY 15 minutes. 

Everyone did what they could to get a piece of this little Jack Jack cuteness.  He is the sweetest little boy ever!

Oh. My. Goodness.  Blake gave Taylor a makeup kit.  I don't think I have ever seen her so excited.  Her smile in the top picture cracks me up.  After Angela applied makeup to her, I told her to smile and she couldn't show her teeth because then you couldn't see her lipstick!  Angela is always so nice & helps the girls with their toys.  Papa Don was even a good sport (for about 30 seconds) and let Taylor put some makeup on him. 

Caleb's excitement was infectious.  He couldn't believe that we had to eat dinner before we could open presents!  He got an awesome remote control rattlesnake from Grammy & Papa Don and some 'How to Draw' books from Eva.  He got the candy filled candy canes and said, "Look mom!  If you put them together they make a heart."

We gave Blake the game Pie Face.  I loved it.  I hope that he did.  Caleb wanted to play - and we were all wondering how he would react if he go smacked with the whipped cream.  He surprised us all - because he loved it.  It got him 3 times!  I told him that he was winning.  The next morning at breakfast he was smiling & I said, "What are you smiling about?"  he said, "I can't believe that I was the champion at pie face."

I love my parents.  I bet that they crash hard after we all leave.  Angela made adorable cupcakes.  I can't even imagine what Caleb's little mind is thinking as he stares at my mom's nativity.  Such a sweet moment.



MERRY CHRISTMAS!!