Christmas Fun...

We had lots of extra fun this Christmas season!

The girls had fun making up roles and playing pretend with the tree ornaments. Endless creativity!

 The Mondrut family invited us over for a gingerbread making activity and the kids really went to town using lots of candy...mostly just in the yard of the gingerbread house. Hahahaha.

For our Christmas party with our homeschool co-op, we went to a retirement home across the street from the church where we meet and sang two nice Christmas songs for the residents. The kids also made cards and passed them out to the nice people in the audience.

At our annual ward Christmas party, they had the primary children dress up as angels and gather around a little reenactment by a child Joseph and  a child Mary and a baby doll Jesus and sing some Christmas songs. It was lovely. I love my three angels!

Santa always comes at the end of the party, but Betsey was a little shy and unsure about him. I managed to gather that she asked him for a SKATE BOARD! Whhhhaaaatttt? I didn't even know she knew what one was! Why would she want one!? Crazy girl.

We had our annual friend party at the Keim's house with the Asher, Anderson, Davis, Hoang crew. After dinner, the kids went upstairs to watch a movie in Kelly and Danny's room while we played a fun game downstairs. Actually, it was really fun. I think it is called Celebrity and we had lots of laughs together over some of the "celebrities" (anyone we all know) that were chosen.

Kel, Adam, Sand, Jenn and Ede being all festive!

Someone spoiled us with fancy cupcakes in all flavors. Ruby didn't mind that a bit.

Ede, Leish, Sand and Jenn.

Leisha was sweet to hold Leo, and Zella was very interested in the baby.

Betsey was thrilled with her Disney Princess sticker (thicker) book. She dug right in...right away!

Zella got a cape from Bets and was pretty taken with it.

We had some fun as a church group of girls ages 8-12 making cute homemade tree ornaments for a family that had recently come to the mainland from America Samoa. We took them over with lights and helped decorate the tree.

I love the Christmas season! We are so blessed to have so many people to celebrate with!! Here is the Christmas card we sent out this year. I love this shot of my FOUR beautiful children!

Halloween...

I am not a big fan of Halloween. I know! I'm a minority! Here are my cons:

1. Candy overload that starts everyone's immune systems on a path of destruction leading to months of perpetual sickies.
2. Dressing up. I mean, who am I going to be? Rosanne Barr? The girl from Hairspray? Ursula from The Little Mermaid? Right. Not that exciting. I'm sure as heck not going to put buns on my head and wear all white and pretend I can pull off Princess Leia. It's just not right. So there's that.
3. It isn't just one night anymore...in fact, we got dressed up for co-op, piano, trunk or treat, a fantastic party by our friends the Wilcox's and actual Halloween...AND we skipped a party we were invited to on November first because we just didn't have any dress up left in us. No more! I'm not exaggerrating, these were FIVE events on different days from each other all of which required makeup for the girls, colored hair spray and what, when we get home at 10pm crashing from a sugar binge we have to BATHE the kids, wash and DRY their hair or they'll slime around in hair dye colors and mascara all night. AWFUL. Such a chore. Please can we just go trick-or-treating one year like the good ol' days?

That said, I do like getting excited with the kids about their costumes. Ruby wanted to be Little Red Riding Hood and I made her a cap and the rest was pretty simple, just wore a black dress under with tights and a basket in hand. Alice wanted to be a Ninja until I had a friend selling off her old homemade costumes and I bought a black cape which led Alice to want to be a Vampire. Easier! So she was super cute wearing all black and lots of makeup. Betsey wanted to be a butterfly, a unicorn or a mermaid depending on what day it was, but I saw a deal on a mermaid costume and went for it. she was happy as long as she had makeup on. For all my girls that is always all that really matters.

I went to Target and found this $5 solution to my costume woes. Yesssssss. I always wear kitty ears, paint whiskers on my face and go as a kitty wearing all black with a scarf hanging out of my pants as a tail. So this is kind of the same idea, only I'm a devil and it's still easy and not too bah humbuggy.

Chris, the holiday decorator, is Mr. Fancy Pants again...the girls just love the decorating!

Mermaid with two black eyes. Listen people...this isn't about looking like a Mermaid its about doing whatever makes Betsey happiest...once four times per year. She wanted some black hair spray like Alice and some blue eyeshadow. Sigh. She looks a little Monster High-ish, right? I don't even know what Monster High is.

"Rainbow Hair."

All three are princesses to me.

Well maybe Alice isn't because she is really working her mean face here and I'm convinced.

Okay...I'm terrified.

Leo missed out on most of the fun, staying home with babysitters or mommy...here he was off to bed, but we threw on his hat for a quick pic.

All four of my babies.

Little Rylan in his homemade lion costume that totally matched the one I bought that my friend made...two little lion's at co-op!

Capitol Tour: Olympia

Ruby and Alice went with the homeschool co-op students on a fieldtrip to our state's capitol. I stayed home with my friend's little one in trade for her taking the older kids. YAY for not hauling Leo around...rather, YAY that the girls got to go, because I wouldn't have attempted it with Leo!

I guess they asked who had been taking piano the longest and allowed that person, Ruby, to play a piece on this very old, historic piano. 

The kids took a silly picture on the capitol steps. They are great kid, good friends and we are excited for another year of co-op!

Honk!

The girls were in another production by Puyallup Children's Theater. It was a musical called, HONK, and is a spin off of the story The Ugly Duckling. It was entertaining for sure and I fell in love with the ugly duckling. He was so cute! This was Ruby's third show and Alice's first. Alice isn't very performey, so she really just wanted to go along with the experience and have a really small part. As it was, she had like four little lines and she was on stage a bunch singing with groups. She was sheepish and uncomfortable at times, but she made my mama heart proud and she did a good job! Ruby is a good performer, and is more at home in the bright lights. She had a bigger part this time and I thought she did a great job and it was so fun to see her on stage more!

The cousins made it down for the show...Emma, Sarah, Hailey and Bets. The cousins came with Oma, who brought little treat bags and homemade popcorn snacks in individual bags for the kids. So thoughtful!

There's Ru on the far right of this shot.

Alice is sitting on the right...so cute!

Alice, taking it very seriously!

Alice again...that is the to die for ugly duckling on the far right of the bench. 

My camera wasn't ready for this shot, but Alice was on and off so fast! She's so cute!!

Alice hiding...

Ruby back on stage, right under a light so she's seriously glowing as she performs! I didn't get many pics of Ru on stage. I wasn't supposed to take pics during the show for no reason (they weren't even selling pics by a professional, so I thought it was dumb...I mean I wasn't using a flash!), so it must have been less obvious to do so when Alice happened to be on stage. I don't remember.

I loooooove that face of Alice's. This is the "I can't believe I'm doing this but I'm so glad I am" face. 

A few shots of the cast at the end...when we were allowed to take pics!

I got Ru to move closer to Alice.

Happy little performers!

Ruby and Alice with their fans. Chris went on a different night from me so that I could leave Leo home.

Oma also bought flowers for the actresses. So sweet!