LET IT SNOW!!!!

Yesterday afternoon it go really cold and we had a surprise snow storm! At first I thought we would just get a little so the boys went out just so they could be in it.

Timmy, Ian, Scott, Brevin, Matthew, and Davis

It started to stick almost right away!

It was good packing snow so Matthew didn't waste any time building a little snowman!

Bethany lasted about five seconds! I got her all bundled up, she ran around to the front of the house and then right back inside. Too cold!

Then after it snowed more they decided they would play a football game in the snow.
Then it kept snowing and snowing so the boys decided to build forts. Since we hardly ever get snow up here I let the kids play outside well after dark.

Bethany did go back out again after I found Scott's old snow pants from when we lived in Utah.

The weather people said it was only supposed to snow in the mountains and then when it did snow in the valley they said it would melt and be gone in the morning. WRONG AGAIN!! I told my kids if it wasn't gone I would take them sledding. So this morning bright and early they were all begging to go. So I bundled them all up and we went over to the church for a few hours of fun. By the time we left it had started to melt.

Matthew

Scott

Timmy

All of the boys were getting really brave and running and jumping on the sleds to go down the hill. I almost told them about the jumps we used to make as kids to sled off of but decided a hospital trip wasn't something I wanted to do today! Bethany came sledding for the first part but I had forgotten my camera. She had a great time with the boys but she got cold and decided to go with Grandma and Sam to take Grandpa to his physical therapy.
I was glad that it snowed while the kids were out of school. If we get any snow up here they cancel school and then we have to make it up later. So this was the best time for it to snow. The kids were able to be home and enjoy it! Hooray for snowy days!!!

Merry Christmas!

We had a fabulous Christmas and I hope all of our friends and family did too. Our kids were able to think a little bit outside themselves this year and help us do the twelve days of Christmas! It was really fun and even though we were caught I really think it brought the spirit of Christmas into our home. All of our kids were totally surprised with the gifts they got especially Scott. I don't think he ever thought in a million years his parents would give in to what he really wanted.
Here are some of the highlights!

Sam got a ball popper

And a new truck!

Bethany got a fabulous new kitchen

And a lovely new purse(she already has four but what girl doesn't need another purse?)

Timmy got a dragon castle

But was really excited about the spongebob golf balls in his stocking!

The boys also got the new Super Mario Bros. Wii game.

Matthew got a new baseball bat and glove.

Scott got a B.B.Gun, he couldn't believe it either!
And yes we've had the "Don't shoot your eye out!" visit!!

Timmy got an air hogs rocket from Scott and every time Timmy would launch it Sam would giggle and squeal. He loved it. All of these toys and his favorite thing to do is watch the other kids play with theirs! Go figure!!

Merry Christmas!!

Gingerbread Men....Sortof

I forgot a post in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. How could I have missed all of the gingerbread house and cookie making pictures?

You probably can't see it in the picture but Matthew had a garden and a fence and the finishing touch was the teddy graham man falling off the roof after decorating!

Timmy had a great time but after he tasted the candy he refused to put any "hot" things on there. I think he was talking about the red hots and the spice drops.

First, Matthew and Timmy made a gingerbread houses at school. Then Matthew went to a party and decorated gingerbread men. He loved it! We usually do houses every year but Matthew liked the cookies so much that we decided to do those instead. It wasn't real gingerbread either because after we left the party Matthew licked everything off the top and told me I could eat the cookie because he didn't like it very much. We made sugar cookie men instead so the kids would actually eat the cookie. It was a lot of fun and instead of a big heap of a house after we got done they actually ate the cookie instead of just all of the candy on top. It was great and I'm thinking it will be sugar men every year from now on!

Sam really enjoyed watching and eating!

Bethany loved it all!

Timmy really enjoyed the eating!

Matthew was a very serious decorator!

Scott was unavailable for a photo. He did end up decorating one but much later and ate it before I was able to take a picture!!

Christmas Eve Traditions

We have many traditions in our family that we love to do on Christmas Eve. We have a big dinner (this usually makes up for the cooking that doesn't take place during Thanksgiving!!). The kids open up one present-always pajamas! One of Bethany's pajamas came with a skirt. After she got it on she wouldn't put on the other part of her pajamas and refused to take the skirt off!
We have the kids act out the nativity story while someone reads out of the Bible. Then we light candles and sing Christmas carols. After the singing my mom always reads us a new book that she found that year about Christmas. It is the perfect way to start the celebration of the birth of our Savior. I love it and always find myself not wanting it to end!

All of the kids waiting for the story to begin.

Ian was Joseph and Bethany was Mary.

Brevin was the Star, Scott was a Shepherd and Sam was his sheep.
Timmy, Matthew, and Davis, were the Wisemen.

They all did a great job and made it really fun to watch!

Scott's 10!!

Scott has now joined the world of double digits!! He is feeling very grown up and tells me all the time it won't be long until he is a teenager. My kids are growing up way too fast. I wish they would slow down! Scott's birthday ended up being on a Friday so we had a few friends over for pizza, games, and a movie. It was a little bit calmer than Matthew's party but not much. They played the candy bar game.
The cat and mouse game.
We had cake and ice cream.And opened presents. Like any boy Scott loves Nerf Guns and Legos. He is very creative with some of his lego inventions. It's always fun to see what he'll build next. He loves science and also enjoys reading. Although I don't think he would tell his friends that. They might think it isn't cool. I was proud of him this summer, he worked hard mowing lawns and reffing soccer games to earn enough money to buy his very own X-Box Elite. He earned his Bear award in scouts and is excited to be with his dad in weblos. Scott is a very responsible kid and he always amazes me with his understanding of gospel principles. We love him and hope he has a great year being 10!!

Thanksgiving Weekend

This was one of the best Thanksgivings I can remember. We started off the celebration with Timmy and Ian's preschool feast. Don't they make cute Pilgrims?
Jon and Jen came up from Utah to celebrate with us and I'm really glad they did. One day was spent at the park. Then we went up to see the high school where the movie Twilight was filmed. The day before Thanksgiving we hiked up to Wahclella Falls. We hardly spent any time in the kitchen and as we were coming back down from the falls I was feeling so grateful for that. Thanksgiving to me isn't about the food but about being with family and having a great time. It will be a great memory with everyone being happy instead of crying at me in the kitchen.

Me and my cute kids at the falls.

Grandma Lay with all the grandkids!

Since we didn't spend any time in the kitchen we went out to dinner. Everyone ordered what they wanted and nobody complained! Timmy got a hamburger, Matthew got a hot dog, and everyone else got the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. After dinner we all went to the movie. When the movie was over we all needed a little activity so we went and played dodge ball at the church. And let me tell you Lay family dodge ball is viscous, although fun in the end. After dodge ball we went home and had a turkey breast with rolls, some of our favorite appetizers and pies of course! It was definitely the perfect Thanksgiving day!

Happy Birthday Seven Year Old!

Matthew is now seven years old and he is so excited because it's only one more year before he turns eight! He is counting the days. Matthew told me a few days before his seventh birthday that we needed to start looking for goggles. When I asked why he said,"So water doesn't get in my eyes when I'm baptized!" I can't get the image out of my mind and every time I think about it I have to giggle!
He had a great birthday and it was his party year...I usually only let my kids have a friend party every other year. So this was his year. We had a fabulous time with fourteen...yes FOURTEEN six and seven year olds in our house! That's not even including Matthew's cousins or siblings! I have to say it was fun but I'm glad that crazy two hours of my life is over!
At the party we played a balloon game and then a silly string target game. We had a darth vader pinata that broke in half so quick that I couldn't even get pictures of it.
We made light saber hot dogs and played the game "my bird is dirty what color is yours?". One person would go around the circle with a little cup of water and ask the question and if they guessed the color the water would get dumped on their heads. I couldn't believe the colors that these kids were coming up with! It was really fun.
We of course opened presents and had cake and ice cream. Matthew is so fun that he makes friends very quickly. At first he wanted to invited 30 kids and I said no way! He is my happy kid that gets along well with everyone and is very loving. When he would open his presents he would say,"WOW Scott, look what WE got!" He is good at math and loves art. He is very creative and always thinking of others! We love his sweet personality! Happy Birthday Matthew!