Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve the kids get to open one present.  These had their new p.j.'s so we could take them with us to the Christmas Eve party!  Growing up I remember we got to choose one present.  We could even open one from our siblings because there were so many of us!  

We have done this nativity for ever!  I love it!  I remember wanting to be an angel or the star or Mary.  My Grandpa would always read from Luke 2 as we acted out the story.  I'm so glad our kids get to do the same now!  Camden was a shepherd and Blake was Joseph this year.  Thanks for the great party Aunt Sharon!

What a cute Joseph and Mary!

A Visit with Grandpa and Grandma Crawford

We visited half way at an outdoor airplane museum.  We didn't realize it would be so snowy but the boys fully loved it!  They ran through the snow, made snow angels, a snow man and saw cool planes!  We also went to Camden's new favorite pizza place and played games.  We always have fun when we get together with Will's dad and Kelly.  Thanks for the fun! 

Running and running in the snow!

A double snow angel! (The bottom one looks extremely cold...he did not want his jacket!)

What cute boys!

The Stealth and the Fam.

The first snowman of the year.

Blake with his Dracula Teeth and new tractor!

Camden's new Remote Control Car!

The next morning Camden woke up bright and early ready to test the charged up car! BURR!

Will had a great time with Camden's new car chasing the kids on the trampoline! (I tried to post a video but it didn't work!) They were laughing so hard!

Moving Boxes

Well, Christmas is almost here which means our move is almost here! We are moving 4 days after Christmas! We have been packing, singing Christmas Carols, packing, wrapping presents, packing, writing Christmas cards, packing, and packing some more. 

Here is Blake helping me pack. He did his whole closet full of toys. 

He wanted a box for every toy. (We'll go through a ton of boxes with this little helper!)

Here are our most prized possessions to take with us on our move.  

We decided not to tape them up yet though!!!

We are excited for our new adventure to Utah!  We have been checking the weather daily remembering that this is a really cold time to move!!  

Here is a great picture we found on a biking web site.  We will definitely have to put a bike trainer in our basement so Will can still have some good rides over the winter!!

Hello  winter!!  Here we come!!!

A Visit at Nana and Dandy's House

We love visiting my Grandparents house.  The kids always ring the giant bell out front then are greeted with warm hugs and kisses from my grandparents.

Grandpa greeted them and picked Blake up flipping him upside down!  They definitely don't seem as old as they are!  Looks like Camden was waiting for his turn to be flipped!  Luckily he just got a hug!! :0)

After visiting inside for a while, eating m&m's, coloring, and playing with the cars, we always visit the animals outside (the deer, the turtle, and the bears).  The boys always love their back yard.  I love it because it reminds me of the cabin ... I guess it's all the animals!

Everytime we're there the kids ask for icecream.  They know Nana always has homemade icecream in the freezer!  Yum yum!

One of Grandma and Grandpa's famous saying is, 

"You scream, I scream, we all scream for icecream!"

Their front yard looks amazing always too.  There are always flowers and the grass is extra green right now.  The boys enjoyed it by rolling all around on it!!

I took another picture of my grandparents together but promised not to post it!  So it looked great with my grandparents as happy as ever.  We love to visit them and can't wait to visit when we're in town.

Camden's School Party

Today was Camden's Christmas party and last day of school.  They decorated an icecream cone Christmas tree and exchanged books.  He will miss his friends at Norris.

Camden and Blake decorating their trees.

The boys book exchange

Happy Anniversary!!!

"Love is not about finding someone you can live with. It's about finding someone you can't live without."

Today is our 14th anniversary.  I am so happy Will and I found each other!  I can't imagine life without him.  It is amazing to think of how quickly we married after we met.  We have always felt we have known each other forever.  We met in August of 1994, got engaged in September and Married in December.  I know without a doubt that we were supposed to meet and to be sealed for time and all eternity.  It's awesome to think about the fact that we are still best friends and love each other more than ever.  I am so thankful for my awesome hubby!!!!  He is the best!!!!

Happy Anniversary Will!!  I love you!!!

Here we are on our first date at Leo Carrillo!! I couldn't believe my mom took our picture at the time, but now I'm actually glad she did!!!! Thanks Mom - it's fun to see us in the 90's.

Oh Christmas Tree! Oh Christmas Tree!

I love looking for a Christmas tree! Every year we search the Christmas tree lots for our tree. We enjoy picking up trees, checking out the size, smelling them and twirling them around to check them out.  We look for the tallest tree and the smallest tree on the lot.  Some years we even search high and low for a "Charley Brown" tree to buy.  Occasionally there's a lot with a bonfire to get warm.  LOVE IT!!!  Usually we do end up going back to the cheapest lot to buy our tree, but always search high and low first.  This year Will found the best deal on the radio!  He bought an $18 gift certificate for a Christmas tree on 'your radio store'.  It was good for a $50 tree at a really cool lot!  They had the bonfire, passed out candy canes, and helped put the tree on the car!  There was also a fake snow hill to sled on and a fake ice skating rink to try.  Although they had the cool entertainment, we only took the candy canes and the tree.  

What handsome boys!

The tallest tree!

The smallest tree.

Playing in the "forest".

Happy boys with candy canes.

Strapping the tree down.

Unloading the tree at home.

After cutting off the bottom of the tree a little the boys wanted this to be their own tree in their room.

As for more tradition, after it is all situated in the house, Daddy puts on the lights while we rummage through and reminisce over all the ornaments.  We decorate the tree all together and Will gets to put the star on at the very end.  We turn off all the lights in the house (except for the Christmas tree lights of course) and then sing "Oh Christmas Tree!" and other Christmas songs.  Due to all the fun festivities, I forgot to take a picture of the final product, so I will have to post that next time!!!  

Gingerbread Men

We decorated Gingerbread men for preschool today.  

Here's Blake and Nixon eating lunch by Goldie.

Are they done yet?

Blake

Nixon

Kaylee

The group...we missed Breyson.

We had fun this Christmas making treats for others too.  We got together with Aunt Lisa and the kids to make a ton of treats.  The kids love decorating the sugar cookies and eating them of course!

The Christmas Parade

We had a great time at the Christmas Parade.  We went with my parents and some of the cousins.  It was amazing there were so many people out.  We had to park far far away and it was crowded everywhere!  The kids had a great time.  We ate pizza and had hot chocolate and suckers from grandma (that even the people walking by enjoyed!) while watched the show.  I think the favorites were some fancy cars and the skatepark as we left!  (We actually left before they saw Santa)  It was a fun night!

Fog Delays

I love fog delays.  A fog delay is called when it is just too foggy outside to safely drive to school. You get to go to school usually 2 hours late.  Growing up it was the best waking up, getting ready for school and finding out we got to stay home for 2 hours!!  We would have hot Cream of Wheat for breakfast or warm cinnamon rolls!  Something warm and toasty!  Last year we introduced Camden to Cream of Wheat and it was not a hit.  So, we enjoy a bowl of hot oatmeal!  Yesterday and today were the first fog delays of the year for us.  Camden is loving it too.  He gets so excited to check the news when he wakes up to find out he gets to stay home for a couple of hours.  He then loves getting to school a little early so he can play in the fog!  Here is a picture taken yesterday outside our front door...some of the fog had drifted away by the time I took it though.

A few of my favorite fog stories are about fog in Turlock and here at home:  In Turlock we tried to go to the mall to shop for Christmas.  My Dad had to drive with his head out the window to look for the lines on the road as we drove on the freeway!  Another in Turlock when John and I got lost trying to go to Seminary early in the morning, and when we tried to get to school we ended up in front of a cow pasture with cows staring at us!!!!!  At home we were chased by some kids after leaving a gift on some one's door step.  Luckily we could hide in the fog but when it was time to find my parents in the car...we couldn't find them!  We ran around the neighborhood and finally met up with each other!  Lastly, when Will and I met he couldn't believe we ever had fog delays.  He came to visit me once and had to also drive with his head out the window to see the lines on the road...all the way through Tehachapi  and into town! True Love!!  He then understood why we had fog delays.  (By the way, he grew up with "Black Flag" days where you could not play outside during recess because of the smog!)  Now, we will be leaving fog delays and smog delays for snow delays!!  Aren't delays fun!

Lights! Lights! Lights!

Here is the lighting crew putting up our Christmas lights! 

Daddy's little helper held the string of lights for him.

Daddy's other helper, first on the roof!  He helped with getting the bulbs just right.

All the boys up on top.  

They also had to check out the chimney to see how Santa magically comes down our little metal cylindrical one.  

Back down they come.