Christmas 2015

Christmas this year was a wonderful, special thing. There is something about having kids in the home at Christmas time that makes everything more fun and enjoyable.

Peter still obviously hates Santa- but it is a classic picture I am sure he will appreciate when he is older...or at least his wife will appreciate it. He might be too scarred to see the beauty of it.

We made a little sign for our fireplace with Peter's footprints. 

The other little sign says "Families are Forever". It was a sign Kristina made for her Grandma when she was 13 years old. 

We made tons and tons of sugar cookies- and we did this more than once :)

I wanted to capture Peter's face when he first wakes up and first sees us.  He is always smiley and happy to see us. He is looking away because the flash on the camera is so bright. 

There are sooo  many beautiful cardinals that hang around our yard. These two cardinals are right in front of our home by our basketball hoop. 

The other day we were eating oatmeal, and Peter wanted his faster than anyone could spoon it to him. Aaron just handed him the bowl...well, and the rest is history.  He kept his face in the bowl for a solid 2  minutes. He was in HEAVEN! 

To celebrate on Christmas Eve, we had a Bethlehem Supper. We dressed in bathrobes, head coverings, etc. We turned off all of the flashy lights from the Christmas Trees (yes we had two), we turned off all of the Christmas Lights decorating the rooms and had a quiet dinner of  food that they would have eaten 2000 years ago in Bethlehem when Christ was born. 

I did some research and we saw that chicken was common, so we made garbanzo bean, leek, and chicken stew with flat bread, and fruits and vegetables. We ate it all with our hands.  It was a very different, quiet way to think about our Savior. 

15 weeks pregnant with our little BOY!!!!

Trying to help Peter learn to walk...but he is not really interested. 

Peter got his first hair cut! He was such a champ. I thought he was going to hate the clippers, but he was actually amazing, and sat relatively still for a 1 year old.  I didn't take an after picture, but look up to other pics of him, because those were all taken after the haircut. 

Christmas

25 Days of Christ

Last year was our first Christmas with Peter.  I think that is what started me wanting to have a way to celebrate Christmas that really focused on CHRIST and not on the superficial things like presents or a delicious meal.  

I found a website called 25daysofchrist.com .  This is amazing!  For the 25 days in December preceding Chrismas, you put one ornament on the tree per day.  Each ornament is shaped like something and it is supposed to represent a story from Christ's life. I fell in love with this idea because it focused on Christ's life, rather than on just his birth.  

Last year when I discovered this wonderful tradition, they were already sold out!  I started brainstorming on ways to make my own.  I asked Aaron to go and cut down a tree, which he was all to happy to do to test out his new chainsaw.  

Then, he cut about 28 little slices.  We made a few extra in case I messed up painting them.  

I got out my super classy painting supplies from Walmart.   

 I spent the morning painting 25 ornaments. I know I am no Picasso, but the meaning behind each one is special.  

Then, you need a handsome husband to drill holes in them. 

I then did a layer of Mod Podge, and tied a gold ribbon through the hole. 

This is what the finished product will look like.  Each day we will get out an ornament that represents an experience or story from the Savior's life.  We will read the scriptures that go along with it, and watch a video on lds.org that goes with the story.

This is how we are having a Christ-Centered Christmas!

 I did my 25 days a little bit different from the website where I got this idea.  

My 25 Days

Christ's Birth 

The Three Wise Men

Christ’s Baptism

Fishers of Men

Sermon on the Mount

Martha and Mary

Feeding the 5000

Walking on Water, Stilling the Storm

Help Thou My Unbelief

10 Lepers

Take Up Thy Bed

Raising Lazarus from the Dead

Healing the Blind Men

The Good Samaritan

The Parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, the Prodigal Son

The Unjust Servant, The Woman Sinner: Stories on Forgiveness

Triumphal Entry and Cleansing the Temple

The Last Supper

Gethsemane

Christ’s Betrayal, Crucifixion, and Burial

Resurrection

Christ’s Appearance to the Nephites

The Road to Emmaus

Christ’s Ministry Among the Nephites

Christ’s Ascension into Heaven

Peter turned 1!

I have been almost in tears for a month waiting for this little boy to turn ONE! My baby is 

growing up, and I can't stop him! 

9 Teeth

19 Pounds

Favorite toy: Anything with wheels

1 Word (dada)

Favorite Person: Mom (he is kinda crazy about me)

Loves Animals and animal kisses

Not interested at ALL in walking

The LIGHT and JOY of our lives.

September 2015

I just can't get over this picture. I think this picture sums up Aaron and me pretty well.... :)

Aaron had a work picnic with Expedia on Saturday. They had a tractor ride, corn maze, carnival games, blow up toys, etc. Fun way to spend the day!  

This was getting ready for church a couple of weeks ago. I saw Dad was wearing a purple tie, so Peter needed to coordinate. 

Peter is obsessed with opening up the kitchen drawers and pulling stuff out.  This happens AT LEAST 5 times a day, but usually more like 15,  When I took this picture I just saw him from behind, and I hadn't seen him from the front.  Imagine my surprise when he turns around....

and has a canning ring in his mouth. Oh silly kid. 

Later I was in the living room and heard someone in the kitchen...but of course. Peter.  He loves to help Mom with dishes. 

My two man hunks.

10.5 months old! 17.4 pounds. 

And this is after I got Aaron to settle down. :)

You Reap What You Sow

About February of this year, someone asked me if I could take a whole year and learn anything I wanted, what would I learn. I answered that I would learn how to garden and how to can so I could preserve what I was able to grow. 

And that's exactly what I did this summer. 

I have always wanted to learn how to garden, and now I have 40 acres, so I could have as big of a garden as I wanted.  I checked out a few books at the library and read all about how to start seeds, when to start them, which plants should be next to other plants and far away from others, etc.

We started our seeds in mid February for a Family Home Evening activity. We put them in little egg cartons, and made a mini indoor greenhouse to protect them from the cold and the cats.  We watered them and put them in the sun, and watched the magic happen!

Aaron kept saying, "I think you don't realize how big this garden is going to be with how many seeds you are planting. " Or, "I really don't think we need 70 tomato plants." And I would respond with, "I want a year supply of Spaghetti and Pizza sauce." I wanted a TON...

And, you reap what you sow!  I got a ton. At least it was more than enough for our little family.  I had never used a pressure canner before, so I had to keep calling my friend and Relief Society President from church asking her silly questions.  

I take Peter out to the garden with me to pick vegetables. He stands by the 5 gallon bucket, and would grab a bell pepper, take a bite, put it back, and grab another. He did that with at least 7-8 peppers, and he would do this EVERY time we went out to the garden. Once he even did it with a jalapeno. No worries though, this kid is used to spice from inside the womb. He was a champ.

But could I get mad at this face?!?! No...

Blackberry jam from our wild blackberries.

I caught Peter in a box of peaches doing the exact same thing that he does with bell peppers and tomatoes. Grab one, take a bite, put it back, grab another....

Caught red-handed!

Here Aaron is cutting our first watermelon of the season. We ate TONS of watermelon all summer, which is one of my favorite fruits.  Gardening saved us a ton of money this summer. We will surely be doing it again next summer because there is nothing quite so wonderful as planting a seed, helping it to grow, and then getting to eat the "fruits of your labors".  I really learned this summer that you reap what you sow!