The first snow and Jared loses a tooth

This last week has been a good mix of vacation and getting back into school.  Jared went back to school on Tuesday and so did Alan.  Lauren doesn't go back until tomorrow.  It was fun to have her home all week to play with Brad and me.  On Monday we just did some cleaning up around here...and some playing.  We cleaned up Jared, Lauren, and Brad's room and rearranged some things.  All of their stuffed animals got a new home...so of course that is the first thing they got back out to play with.

This isn't even close to all of them...maybe half.  These are the ones that they play with the most often.  I think they told me that they were sitting in the middle of a wrestling ring (I don't know where they have seen one of those before.) and all the animals are the spectators.  It looks like right now they are either cheering on a skunk or scorpion.  A few days later they had a good part of the animals in the front room and they were playing church.  The bishop was a shark and the primary president was the scorpion.  They said the nursery was getting a little rowdy, but it looked like the scorpion was going to be able to keep it under control.

Grandma and Grandpa reminded us of the fun tradition of sleeping in the living room with the tree.  Our tree is still up (but hopefully coming down this week), so on Thursday night Jared, Lauren, and Brad slept in our front room with the tree lights on.  I have a hard time sleeping comfortably even on my bed right now and I think Alan just wanted to keep me company.  They looked like they were having a fun little slumber party.

Friday morning we called the dentist to make an appointment for Jared.  His other front tooth had an abcess at the top of it...a result of chipping it when he was 20 months old and then smashing it hard again when he was almost 4.  I'm not sure how long it had been there.  I noticed it the week before Christmas (I don't look that close in his mouth very often) and it wasn't bothering Jared so he didn't complain about.  It needed to come out.  We tried wiggling it out for about a week, but it wasn't ready.  (It still had a really long root attached.)  When we called for the appointment to have it removed they said how soon can you get here.  So Friday Jared got his other front tooth out.  He is pretty cute with his double gap now.  The x-rays they took showed his teeth are still coming in straight, but they are still pretty far up, so he may have his gap for awhile.  At least now he is at the age where losing teeth is normal...unlike when he got his other one pulled 2 years ago...it was January 2 years ago...crazy!  We haven't taken a picture of him and his gap yet (where you can really see it) but here are a couple of him on the way out the door to have it removed.

Saturday morning we finally woke up to snow.  We've had a couple of light dustings, but nothing that really stuck or amounted to anything.  We maybe got an inch of snow, but it was good for snowmen and snowballs.  We even tried to toboggan a little.

Jared made the snowman all by himself.  Yesterday we also went to the builder workshop at Home Depot, I went to a baby shower, we all went down to the church while I practiced organ (they played basketball in the gym), Alan went to Winco, and I did a little sewing.

A couple of other things that happened this week...I went to the doctor (I go weekly now), Lauren Brad and I took Jared's violin to his class on Thursday for show and tell (it was supposed to be a Christmas surprise that they took).   He told them lots of good things about it.  Mrs Porter (his teacher) has children who play the violin and cello.  She helped him and they probably spent 5-10 min talking about the violin with his class.  Monday night for Family Home Evening we ran out of time for a game, so we made plenty of time for it on Tuesday.  Alan, Jared, and I played ticket to ride and Alan, Lauren, Brad, and I played candyland....at the same time...chutes and ladders was also played sometime during the week...maybe that night too.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year!

This last week we've been having lots of fun.  Monday we spent most of the day playing with our new Christmas toys.  That night we did go check out some lights that we've been wanting to see in Spanish Fork.  Maybe I should say I've been wanting to see since I had to practically drag everyone else out the door.  Although once we were there they loved it.  It was a drive through lights display with different animated lights.  (like the speedway lights in Portland)

Tuesday we got ready and drove out to Grandma and Grandpa Atherton's  house.  We were there until Thursday afternoon.  Spending our days building a house (Alan),

 

and watching the building,

sliding down dirt hills,

walking skating and sliding on the frozen pond,

feeding horses,

sledding down an almost snowy hill,

and building ice cities.

  We also made sugar cookies, ate a delicious turkey dinner, and other fun things inside.


Friday we spent the day recovering and cleaning up around here....After we watched the BYU win it's bowl game against Tulsa.  We also went swimming that night. It's been a while since we've made it to the pool with our off and on sicknesses and other business.

Saturday we went to a noon years eve count down party at the shops at the Riverwoods.  It was sponsored by radio disney.  They counted down to the noon hour and let balloons and beach balls fall from the ceiling and kids tried to catch them.

  It was super crowded and pretty crazy, but we managed to leave with 2 beach balls and an orange balloon (Brad's favorite color) along with some other disney fun stuff.

We came home from that and made some yummy meatballs to take over to Jeff and Elizabeth's house for a fun New Years Eve party.  They invited several of their neighbors over too.  Of course we forgot to take any pictures until we'd worn out all the other guests and eaten half the food.  Although I'm not sure it looks like we've even put a dent in it.

We had a great time.

December Pictures

Here are a few pictures to show some of the fun things we did in December.

The first weekend had lots of fun things going on.  Friday night we went and walked around the Riverwoods.  They had tons of lights, Santa, and we got to go on a carriage ride too.  Then Saturday morning our ward had a Christmas breakfast.  Of course Santa was there...(the 2 pictures of our family both turned out blurry).  

That night we went and froze at the Provo City Christmas parade and lights on ceremony.  We did have lots of fun seeing everything even if it was in the teens.

This picture is Brad in his 1 horse open sleigh.  I am always amazed at the small boxes he can fit himself into.  Jared originally made it for his doll, but I think Brad used it more.  I think Brad even got Jeff to give him a ride in it...flying type.

I'm not sure why we have beds that take up so much space for our kids...we get by on much smaller.

They were ready to sleep like that too.  We had to persuade them to take their pillows and blankets back to their real beds...and they weren't very happy about it.

This is how our Christmas tree looked...the first time it was decorated.  It got redecorated several times throughout the month.

Jared learned about Christmas in different countries and how they celebrate.  He got to make a ginger bread (grahm cracker) house for one day.

Here are a few pictures of a cake Alan and I made to take to Wendy's house the week before Christmas.

Lauren, Jared, and Alan spent a week passing around something yucky...luckily Brad and I never got it.  We some how made it to Temple Square that week to see the lights.

 

Christmas Eve we had Santa pancakes for breakfast.

For about a week we had a baby in a basket on our table.  Jared did it by himself and I thought it was a cute little nativity, but I had to move it to make cinnamon and orange breads.  In the picture you can also see the plate of cookie dough truffles that Jared and Lauren had all ready for Santa at 9:30 in the morning.

Jeff and Elizabeth came over after dinner...they wanted to see our costumes...I'm not sure if they wanted to wear them too, but they did.  Even if they weren't the right size.

Christmas morning we got to look in our stockings and then get ready for church.  I tried to get a picture of the kids before church in the bow ties and dress that Grandma Atherton made.

and that attempt may be better then the attempt after.

After church (our wards got to meet together) Jeff and Elizabeth came over for breakfast...which was really like brunch since it was lunch time.

Alan and Brad wore their finest Christmas attire.  Brad is in his candy cane shirt and with his green pants when you ask him he'll say he is Christmas.  I told Alan we would call him John Arbuckle the rest of the day....after I stopped laughing.

Then finally we were able to open presents.  (Jared thought he might die.)

We had a great Christmas!!! We are also grateful for the season and the month that we have devoted to remembering the birth, sacrifice, and all other blessings that come from our Savior.