Getting Ready...

life really speeds up in december, for the good!  someday i will learn to not do/ or say no to myself on all the fun things i like to make and traditions i want to see thru.  it is also major office and tax work going ons, as well as girls camp (december? don't ask), primary, and lot's of eq and church things.  so one of my new years resolutions, is to try harder...a lot harder to really think ahead and not let the pressure get to me (let's be honest, I try to pack way too much into a day or trip!:) all in all, it went pretty smoothly this year, but there's room for improvement:)... so glad ben is around this time of year!!

we decorated gingerbread men and the kids got to put up the tree this year.  i let it go and let them have fun with it!:)

ellee gave lots of recitals while emerson was practicing for hers.  she would sing 'santa claus is coming. ho, ho, ho, ho, ho'.  she loved the 'kiss-am' lights and trees too.

lot's of parties that we couldn't say no to:)  here is the annual party with tuft's and company.  we also went swimming with ben's old friend from college, juliette and her family.  so fun to see people you only see about once a year!

we buried tc:(.  around thanksgiving she started looking sick.  after a week, i felt so bad, i let her in the garage and she could barely put her head up and wouldn't eat.  ben wanted to try and save her, and i felt like her death would be on my head if we didn't take her into the vet.  after a day of work on her, they ended up euthanizing her anyway due to kidney failure. she was a good old cat! a few tears may have been shed...

emerson's preschool program and dinner

no explanation needed

retrieving some barnwood from the old much place that we own with brad.  the plan is to eventually burn these buildings, so i wanted a bit of this stuff.

making nativity sets for our teachers!

the wounded soldier

here we have elsa, the ice queen.  this was what she dressed up in and wore over and over until she got her new dress up for christmas.  she especially loved the frozen 12 days of christmas from g&g mc! she is vacuuming the stairs to earn money for her sibling gift.

scooping poop.  it's a regular job in the winter for some reason.  he also worked hard to earn money for the sibling gift exchange.  he got emerson some new, pink shoes and a frozen wand.

the site of the accident.  bridon went to do a service project with grandpa.  he said he was good help until it got dark then climbed up in a tree and fell out.  poor guy.  we cut his hair and super-glued it back together.

and the new/old stockings.  a new cuff and trim so that we can tell who's is who's!