Christmas Morning and New Years week

Christmas morning did not disappoint! Brad and Jessica were ringing the door bell, ready to get started a couple minutes before 7:00. The kids had been up for a while before that, but Hannie kept them in the basement until 7:00. Everyone was so excited! This is how Ella spent most of Christmas morning. Pretty girl! Grant with his stocking and drum! Landon and Addie got an art box from Santa. They have really enjoyed it!! Landon dumping his stocking. Umbrellas are always a hit! This toy phone was Addie's FAVORITE gift!! Landon's special mug, he LOVES it! Addie's mug, she likes it too! Addie with the doll Nana and Grampy got for her. Landon opening his pogo sick from Nana and Grampy. Steven with the Messiah Series by Bruce R. McConkie. His favorite gift (he only got one other, and it was slippers, that he likes too) Trying out the pogo. Grant opening his gifts. Searching through the goodies!!My kids LOVED James this visit. I made James suffer through me taking pictures of him and the kids (when I remembered to pull out my camera!)Then the day after Christmas, mom and dad had a game for the kids to play. On Christmas day, as people were opening gifts, dad would take a piece of their wrapping paper, and add it to a round gift he had, making a HUGE ball. The kids then played a game where you would try to unwrap as much of the gift as they could before the person sitting next to them would roll a 1 on a die. When a 1 was rolled, then they'd have to pass the ball to their neighbor, and they'd roll the die to get a 1, then pass again. It was fun, the kids were having a blast and you could really feel the suspension build as they all tried to tear open that ball of paper as fast as they could to get the gift inside. Porter ended up getting the gift, but luckily for everyone else, Nana and Grampy had a little gift for the other kids too.And just to get it over with, I'm going to throw New Years into this post too! Steven had to work the week between Christmas and New Years, so we came back home on Monday morning. My friend Miranda came up on Monday night, and stayed until Thursday evening. My mom, Amanda and her kids, along with my two brothers, and one of their friends were all here on Tuesday. Brad and James left on Wednesday, and my Dad, Casey and Hannah came on Thursday. It was a BUSY crowded week. My house isn't as big as my parents, so they got a hotel room for my mom and dad. It was so fun to have everyone here!! We took the kids swimming at the hotel, played a game of dodge ball at the church (so fun!) with some people in our ward, had a little birthday party for Grant (I was happy I got to use my table runner finally!), had lots of slumber parties with the cousins (the picture below is the top bunk, Porter was on the bottom bunk alone, because he was the first one asleep and then the other kids decided to all jump on the top) and we had a girls craft night where we made bags (I didn't get mine done, but Mom, Amanda, and Miranda all did. I guess that's what happens when you only have one sewing machine and a nursing baby!) I forgot to take pictures of the finished bags and dodge ball.And we painted my living room and down stairs bathroom! Beware of anyone thinking of coming to visit, I might put you to work! And I obviously don't care if it's a holiday or not. We rang in the new year by painting. I forgot to take a before picture, but here's some pictures I took when Steven got our new furniture. Two walls were ragged and two were just a solid tan.And the after pictures.I wasn't sure about the color. In fact, the first night I was really regretting it. I've since gotten used to it. It's better than the 6 year old chipped and Spackled paint we had before, that's for sure. I just need to recover the pillows on the couch to tie the yellow and blue (of the chair) in together. I was glad we were able to get it done though!!

WHEW!! That was a long post! Tomorrow I'll hopefully post about Ella's blessing, then I'll be all caught up!