What a wonderful Holiday Season we had! It is a time of our life that I wish could stand still, for a little bit longer.... There is something special about having a newborn baby for the Christmas season, it is a feeling in your home that you almost can not describe unless you have experienced it for yourself. After having Marcus in October I knew I enjoyed having a little baby during the holiday season, after having Olivia a little closer to the season, I knew that there was no doubt that I wanted another holiday baby. I do realize when Payton gets older he may not think that it is cool to have his birthday that close to Christmas, but for now it is a memory that will forever be remembered of how special our Christmas of 2009 was. We were all ready for the holiday so there wasn't a lot of running around and being stressed out. We were home getting to know our newest member of our family, having our family find new things that we loved about each other, and enjoying what the true meaning of Christmas is! It is a time of my life that can't be put into words, but will always be close to my heart of a very memorable moment of my life!
Christmas Eve
We have started doing something new for Christmas the last little bit that works for every ones schedules during the busy holiday season. We have started to celebrate Christmas with Carson's family a couple of days before Christmas and then Jaime and her family comes up for Christmas Eve so we celebrate Christmas with my family then. So by the time Christmas day comes we are able to just spend the day together as our little family and then our parents are able to come and see what the kids got on Christmas Eve.
Onto our Christmas Eve celebration....
During the day all the boys enjoyed sledding on the man made hill that my dad built for them in their back yard and then Carson and Jayson took the boys sledding down a bigger hill. I think they all really enjoyed themselves, and luckily for us it made them tired so they quickly went to sleep when it was time(not that they slept long, but they went to sleep fast!).
At night all of us and my Grandma Carlson and Grandpa Rhodes had a yummy dinner at my parents house and then we opened presents. We had so much fun and the kids really enjoyed spending time with their cousins as usual. My parents gave us a camp chef, I'm so excited to make salsa next fall!!!
Great Grandma Carlson and PaytonMy Grandma Carlson gave all 4 boys a potato gun for Christmas. What you do is such a piece of the potato out with this gun and then shoot it. It was hit item, they loved going out in the freezing cold shooting their guns!
Great Grandpa Rhodes and PaytonOur best Christmas present!
Once we got done at my parents home we went to our house to start our families traditions. Under this years circumstances we never made cookies for Santa, but since we got so many yummy treats from friends and neighbors we figured we were set. The boys were in charge of getting Santa's plate ready. I think they figured that no one else would leave anything for Santa so we better give him plenty of drinks and cookies! He was set (for the whole year!)!!
This year we got a letter from Santa and inside was a special key to put on our front door since we do not have a fireplace. It was perfect, no longer are there any questions about how Santa gets in! This is the little message that was hooked to the key, "Take this magic key tonight, and hang it on your door so tight. Santa's on his way to you in is sleigh, with presents too! He'll tiptoe in not missing a house. Jolly old guy, quite as a mouse. Whisper magic and joy in each child's year, come to deliver some holiday cheer!
We then went outside and throw out our "Reindeer Glitter", so Rudolph knows just where to land. And then this year we started a new tradition of also throwing out "Magic Grinch Dust". It had this little note attached to it, "Don't let the Grinch steal your Christmas, you must be on your guard. Before retiring on Christmas Eve, sprinkle this dust in your yard. The Grinch will see this magic dust, and know you've taken great care, to protect your home and family and keep Christmas joy in the air."
I love doing those fun things with the kids. I love seeing the magic of believing in their eyes!
Last but not least we have to have the traditional picture of the kids in their jammies!
Our cute little helper! He loves to be right next to me, so he was asleep while Carson and were up getting everything ready for Christmas, but he was very close to me!
Christmas Morning.....
Christmas Morning.....
On Christmas Eve Carson made a bed on the floor for the kids in our room so we had a big camp out in our room. Marcus was having a hard time sleeping a good portion of the night so he finally went back to sleep around 5-6 am and then didn't wake the rest of us up until 8:01. Yes that is right we didn't get up on Christmas morning until 8 int he morning!!! I love this picture because Carson and I went out first to get the cameras going and make sure Santa came and then we have the kids come out. Well Pada-Roo was asleep, but I guess Alec didn't want to leave him out, so he made sure to bring him out as well!
The boys this year had a rough time deciding what they wanted for Christmas. Marcus at first wanted a real 4 wheeler and a real bunny, which neither was going to happen and the Alec wanted a real motorcycle which also is not going to happen!! So as it got closer Marcus changed his mind to wanting an MP3 player and Madden Wii game. Alec never really decided what he wanted, so it was both hard and easy on what to do for him.Marcus enjoyed getting his Plasma Car (which was a huge surprise for ALL three of them), his MP3 player, his Wii games, Yahtzee (he is a Yahtzee lover!). Alec enjoyed his Plasma Car, Wii games, his Ben 10 toys, and he thought it was pretty cool that he got a letter from Santa telling him that he will get in the mail his Lego set that he wanted!
Olivia pretty much wanted everything that she saw on TV. She was so funny, every time there was a commercial with a toy on it she would say that she wanted it! But she was very happy with what she got. She loves her "pink" plasma car, her tinker bell, and her bead set! She also thinks it is fun to bathe with her mermaid barbie that she got. Little Payton got the obvious things for Christmas, diapers, wipes, lotions, wipes, etc. And Santa couldn't forget Hudson! He got dog food, a few little toys that he loves, and a little soft bed.
Payton looking so cute in his 1st Christmas clothes
After having our yummy breakfast casserole my family came over to see what the kids got. We had fun riding Plasma cars in the basement. I wish I would have got pictures of my parents riding them because it was very funny! The boys also enjoyed playing the Wii with Uncle Ry. Also Carson's family came over and visited as well. Marcus made sure to get a few games of Yahtzee in before they left!
It was such a wonderful day, full of resting and family time! Later on that night me and the oldest three enjoyed building our Gingerbread house together. Carson got a very sparkly gingerbread house for us to put together. The kids thought it was tons of fun and they even thought the treats were good as well!!
Our Festive House! I love our house looks during the holidays! I love all the lights that lite up our family room. I love how happy the kids are with their own special trees. I also love how there our countless hours spent in the boys room playing with the little people nativity and train set.
We really enjoyed the kids vacation also. Carson was able to go with Marcus, Alec, and Olivia to his Grandpa Allen's house for a family get together one day. Another day we went to my Grandma Carlson's for a family get together and then went down to Jaime's house to see all of the fun things that they got for Christmas (my kids would live there if they could!). One of the days my family watched the three oldest while Carson took me and Payton to our 2 week checkup, we also were able to enjoy a little lunch date. And then on another day my family watched Payton while we took the other three to lunch and Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was a very cute movie, but part of the cuteness was watching Olivia dance along with all of the girl chipmunks (it was very cute and funny, she has quite the moves!).
We had a wonderful time bringing in the New Year. So much fun that we didn't get any pictures!!! Everyone went to my parents house (minus Ry) and had a wonderful dinner that my mom made for all of us. I love how much thought and work she puts into it!! And then the 4 boys, Jaime, Carson, and Jayson had Wii Soccer game tournament. It got quite tense when it was Carson and Jayson playing each other!!! But the winner was Jackson! We also watched very nervously for Travis Pastrana to jump for a world record car jump across the water. Of course he made it, but we were nervous for him! We toasted to the new year at 11 so Carson and I could take home the 2 little ones. During our toast Alec toasted to wanting to be a better Super Hero this year, oh man I love that kid!!! The boys had fun sleeping over with Jackson and Austin. My mom slept downstairs with them, but at some point Alec and Ausitn went upstairs to sleep with my dad! The next morning Carson, Jayson, and their friends went and played basketball and then my parents took the boys out to my grandpa Rhodes' house to shoot targets with my dad's new bb gun. At night Carson made us a yummy dinner for New Yearss day, what a great daddy we have!!!
Olivia pretty much wanted everything that she saw on TV. She was so funny, every time there was a commercial with a toy on it she would say that she wanted it! But she was very happy with what she got. She loves her "pink" plasma car, her tinker bell, and her bead set! She also thinks it is fun to bathe with her mermaid barbie that she got. Little Payton got the obvious things for Christmas, diapers, wipes, lotions, wipes, etc. And Santa couldn't forget Hudson! He got dog food, a few little toys that he loves, and a little soft bed.
Payton looking so cute in his 1st Christmas clothes
After having our yummy breakfast casserole my family came over to see what the kids got. We had fun riding Plasma cars in the basement. I wish I would have got pictures of my parents riding them because it was very funny! The boys also enjoyed playing the Wii with Uncle Ry. Also Carson's family came over and visited as well. Marcus made sure to get a few games of Yahtzee in before they left!
It was such a wonderful day, full of resting and family time! Later on that night me and the oldest three enjoyed building our Gingerbread house together. Carson got a very sparkly gingerbread house for us to put together. The kids thought it was tons of fun and they even thought the treats were good as well!!
Our Festive House! I love our house looks during the holidays! I love all the lights that lite up our family room. I love how happy the kids are with their own special trees. I also love how there our countless hours spent in the boys room playing with the little people nativity and train set.
We really enjoyed the kids vacation also. Carson was able to go with Marcus, Alec, and Olivia to his Grandpa Allen's house for a family get together one day. Another day we went to my Grandma Carlson's for a family get together and then went down to Jaime's house to see all of the fun things that they got for Christmas (my kids would live there if they could!). One of the days my family watched the three oldest while Carson took me and Payton to our 2 week checkup, we also were able to enjoy a little lunch date. And then on another day my family watched Payton while we took the other three to lunch and Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was a very cute movie, but part of the cuteness was watching Olivia dance along with all of the girl chipmunks (it was very cute and funny, she has quite the moves!).
We had a wonderful time bringing in the New Year. So much fun that we didn't get any pictures!!! Everyone went to my parents house (minus Ry) and had a wonderful dinner that my mom made for all of us. I love how much thought and work she puts into it!! And then the 4 boys, Jaime, Carson, and Jayson had Wii Soccer game tournament. It got quite tense when it was Carson and Jayson playing each other!!! But the winner was Jackson! We also watched very nervously for Travis Pastrana to jump for a world record car jump across the water. Of course he made it, but we were nervous for him! We toasted to the new year at 11 so Carson and I could take home the 2 little ones. During our toast Alec toasted to wanting to be a better Super Hero this year, oh man I love that kid!!! The boys had fun sleeping over with Jackson and Austin. My mom slept downstairs with them, but at some point Alec and Ausitn went upstairs to sleep with my dad! The next morning Carson, Jayson, and their friends went and played basketball and then my parents took the boys out to my grandpa Rhodes' house to shoot targets with my dad's new bb gun. At night Carson made us a yummy dinner for New Yearss day, what a great daddy we have!!!
We had a wonderful holiday season! It is different from past years because usually Carson has no time to take off work and this year he was just home. There is still a sense of peace in our home since Carson lost is job. Obviously we would perfer him to have a job, but for now we are thinking we are pretty lucky to have a Big Daddy home with us. He is a great dad taking care of us and playing with the kids. We just feel very blessed to have the Gospel in our lives that helps us feel peace in our situation right now, we know that we are going to be taken care of! This was a holiday season that we were able to witness the greatest gift giving during the season. We are so grateful for all the many acts of kindness that our family has recieved this past month. We have so many great friends and family that are willing to show so much compassion and love to us. I can't wait to be in a better situation so that I can one day be the giver to someone like we have so many times witnessed this season. It brings many tears to our eyes to know that we are thought of and loved so much!
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