Christmas Day

 Christmas Day!  Well, what can be said.  We had a good time.  The kids all got some nice presents.  Emily - a bike, Rachel - a skateboard, Ben - Ski and Golf fun.  Sarah - ummm...she got a bunch of less expensive stuff.  Dave - a big car ramp and a scooter.  One of the super fun things about this year was that my mom and dad have been staying in their motor home in our drive way.  :)  So, they came in and enjoyed Christmas morning with us.  I haven't had a Christmas morning with my parents for a long time.  It was great.

 The kids were very good at helping Dave open his presents.  LOL.

 We got these kid kayaks.  We can't wait to use them in the spring...but for now they sit in our garage waiting for their day to come.  :)  Dave and Sarah enjoyed pretending.  Dave was a bit dangerous with the paddles though. 

 Grandpa is one of Dave's new best friends.  He took to shaking Grandpa's hand while they were here and learned how to say Grandpa...which made my Dad very happy. :)

 After staying in our jammies all day we decided it was time for some outdoor fun.  O.K. Ben decided it was time...he wanted to try out some of his new ski clothes  So, the Baxter family snowball fight began.  They had some good fun out there beating each other down.  I hid...ummm...I mean, I protected Dave. :) And took some pics. 

 Dad and Emily made a pretty good team.  Rachel and Ben teamed up...and Sarah floated back and forth. 

 It was a great day.  I am always glad for the memories.  Having a family is pure joy sometimes.  I am very humbled and grateful to have the privelage of raising these kids.  :)   Merry Christmas to all.  :) 

Christmas Eve with the Stalker Family

I love the laid back attitude of my family.  We shared Christmas Eve with fun at the bowling ally, dinner and gifts.  It was perfect and low stress.  I love how each of the families I have contribute a different thing to my life that makes me happy.  Thanks to the wonderful Stalker/Snowden clan for making my Christmas Eve just right.

Festival of Trees 2014

The tradition of Festival of Trees continues for our families.  Thankfully, my wonderful sister, Sandi, got me hooked on this.  It's a fun excuse to get the kids out of school for the day and just have a good time.  This year was even funner.   Emily's 2nd grade made a tree for the festival...which turned out adorable and sold for over $1,000 at auction.  Go 2nd grade.  

We also had the chance to watch Ben and Rachel perform with the school choir again.  Then, of course, the kids went to the craft area and made fun ornaments and little things while the big girls walked around and saw the trees. 

Can't wait for next year.  :)

Giggling and Joyful Children = Trouble

Hmmm.  Dave and Sarah were just giggling like crazy.  Having a wonderful time.  I was sitting innocently in some other part of the house...just thinking about how fun it is when they play.  Then I wanted to see them in action.  So, I rounded the corner just in time to seeing them throwing clean laundry down the stairs and laughing as they went. 

Sigh...But, I know one day I will laugh about it so I snapped a picture to remind me.  :)

Temple Square 2014

 It's rare that we don't make the effort to get to Temple Square for Christmas.  This year was the best though.  We went early because the kids sang with the Eaglecrest School Choir at the Joseph Smith building.  The concert ended around 4:30 and we headed over to Temple Square just in time to see the lights go on.  Unlike the last several years when it has been pretty busy...the square was nearly empty.  It was so awesome.  We wandered around slowly and just really enjoyed our time there.  Grandma and Grandpa Stalker were with us. 

 We had such a fun time all around.  Rachel and Ben did a great job with the choir.  It was quite the time commitment.  They practiced after school once a week for an hour and a half, starting in September. 

 It was a good experience for them and us.  I watched them perform several times through December and loved it every time.

 Lots of pics have to be taken at temple square.  Ben gets an A++++ for the perfect photo bomb in this one.  HAHA.  Nate and I just wanted a nice little pic of the two of us.  Sheesh.  LOL.

I loved this picture of the girls...Sarah gazing up at Jesus is just a perfect reminder of the awe I feel for my Savior and all he has done and does for us.  Fun times at Temple Square.  So thankful for these memories. 

Christmas Choir and Temple Square

This year Rachel and Ben participated in the Eaglecrest school choir.  Starting in September they stayed after school every Wednesday to practice for an hour and a half.  The culmination was 4 performances at the beginning of December.  This was so fun. 

The first performance was at the Joseph Smith building.  Nate was able to get out of work a bit early and meet us there.  The Stalker Grandparents happened to be in SLC that day as well, hanging out with Lance and Melissa.  So, all of them showed up too.  It was really fun to watch the kids perform. 

Afterwards, we took advantage of being on Temple Square and went ahead and enjoyed the lights with Grandma and Grandpa.  This was awesome.  Usually we have been there when it is very busy.  Maybe because it was early in December and early in the afternoon...it was still a little light when we started...we had the whole place practically to ourselves.  We enjoyed wandering around temple square in the unseasonably warm weather and no crowds.  LOVED it.  I am planning to go for the same scenario next year. :)

Ben managed this photo bomb at the perfect moment.  Nate and I never get a moments peace...even for a picture.  LOL.

I love how Sarah is gazing up at Jesus in this photo op...and then Dave is screaming his little heart out in the next.  HAHA.  Overall, it was such a great night and a perfect start to our Holiday Season.  :)