Gifts of Christmas

A WII! Thanks, Mom & Dad! We are now officially off of the "lame" list.

Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma Bird for the Nerf Dart Tag. It's a hit, but I'm finding ammo everywhere in my house!
Lizzie hugged this gift even before she opened it! Little did she know that it was the baby doll that she had been requesting. Thank you, Carter!

This is the other side of Lizzie we all know and love. Now, to give her credit, she had been with me at the store when I decided to purchase this gift for Emma, and she had gotten to play with it as she sat in the cart. Lizzie loved it so much, I thought it'd be a great gift for both of the girls. Lizzie had other plans. When Emma unwrapped it, Lizzie's elephant memory kicked in to high gear, and she KNEW it had to be hers. Hence, tears were shed this joyous morning. The picture was taken towards the end of the tug-o-war. Lizzie had given one last forceful tug and fallen to the floor. By the way, the toy is a Barbie cash register. I do have to say one thing about it that cracked me up. As you ring up your purchases, your credit card actually has a limit of $1000. The register tells you, "You have reached your limit. Please complete your transaction." What a great lesson to learn!

Emma really wanted a baby who laughed and cried. Santa really came through for her. Thanks, Santa!

I want to send a big "Thank you" to everyone else who contributed to our fun Christmas morning. We had a marvelous day. My greatest gift was spending time with my wonderful husband and fun kids. Another gift came a few days earlier...a gift of the true meaning of Christmas. Steve had met a man in our church who headed a non-profit organization and invited our family to help feed 1 of 90 families in the Naperville area. The Saturday before Christmas, Steve took some of the kids to the grocery store where he bought cartloads of food. He then got to take it to a warehouse for storage and organization. On December 20th, we as a family got to pull food from the shelves in this warehouse for a family of 6, choose toys for the children, have them wrapped, and then take the items to their home. My children helped walk the food and gifts in to this home and met the recipients of this good will. This home had no kitchen table and the dinner that was being prepared fit in a 6" frying pan. What a marvelous experience for us! I love that my family could be a part of this service project from the beginning to the end. I hope it affected them as much as it has me. This humbling evening set the tone for my Christmas this year, and I hope to be able to do it again next year.

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we had some fun friends over to enjoy some yummy food, listen to some talented kids sing and play instruments, and participate in a memorable nativity. Here is the group photo of the talented actors.Because we had 2 beautiful girls who wanted to be Mary, we decided to add in the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth. Steve was the narrator. Emma threw such a fit, that her sweet friend, Hailey, allowed her to be Mary with Carter as Joseph.

The cute Thompson boys were the 3 wise men--a perfect fit!

After the first presidency's Christmas devotional, we all loved the idea of President Eyring's to include Samuel the Lamanite in the story. Here are the wicked Nephites. Aren't they intimidating?
Here they are throwing marshmallows at Samuel.

We had a wonderful time. Deborah Hatchett and her mother, Helen, were able to join us, which was a treat. The kids had a great time with new audiences to impress. Thank you for sharing this fun Holiday with us! We hope everyone had a merry Christmas!

Bubble wrap

We received a package with bubble wrap and my Emma was SO excited! I had to capture this simple pleasure on tape.

Tye-Dye Snowmen

Apparrently in FamilyFun Magazine, there was a cute craft featured on how to tye-dye pumpkin t-shirts for Halloween. A few weeks ago, I saw a friend of mine wearing a snowman shirt that had been tye-dyed, and the creative juices started to flow. I asked a friend of mine (who'd made the pumpkin shirts) for some tips and she offered to allow me to do it with her. Today was the day! They turned out so adorable!!!! My kids wouldn't take them off. Emma even asked me to wash it tonight so that she can wear it tomorrow. I guess you can call it a definite success.

SNOW DAY!

What a weekend for Chicago weather! Well, last Thursday night, we received a freezing ice storm. In fact, this tree pictured above shows the ice. This picture was not taken in Naperville, but in Normal, IL, a few hours south of us; however, it shows the beauty and the results of our storm. Friday, school was cancelled. I was thrilled to be able to sleep in until 7:15 (after a 5:15 mass call from the school principal); however, the boys were disappointed. They knew they were missing a day full of fun, parties, friends, and not much work. Needless to say, they created their own fun in the backyard. For the first time, I was able to let the four oldest play on their own for over 15 minutes in the snow. In fact, they were out for 2 hours. Evan explained that it was so cold that he started getting a bloody nose, but it froze and stopped. That is pretty amazing stuff for a 9 year old boy.:)

Evan also discovered that the snow was so icy, that he could crawl across without leaving any impressions or fall through. I love discovering with Evan.

Emma had a blast making snow angels, sledding, throwing snowballs, and just walking around on the snow. I had to feature this picture because of her sitting stance. This is how I have sat on the floor my whole life (especially when I change diapers), and now I have a daughter sitting like me. It hurts my family and my husband to watch me sit like this, but it's so much more comfortable. I find it funny that Emma sits like me. I only hope she doesn't end up knock-kneed like her mother. Sorry, Emma!

Isn't Lizzie just adorable!? She's one of the cutest snow babies I've ever seen! She cried as I carried her back in the house, but her boots kept falling off and her toes were FREEZING!

The boys fought over who got to take Lizzie down on the sled for her first ride. Precious!

Braxton had the best aim for the snow balls, but was also the best companion for Lizzie down the hill in our backyard. He's my big, friendly giant.

Friends in Harmony

This summer I was invited to be a part of a very talented group of women called Friends in Harmony. It is a choral group comprised of women who are all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is in its 15th year! I have had a marvelous time singing with these choice women around the city of Naperville. They are all beautiful, talented, and fun. I feel humbled and grateful for the chance to be a part of them. Singing such great Christmas music for the elderly and sick truly brought the spirit of Christmas into my life this year. Thanks, sisters! Merry Christmas!

Carter's snowman

We received our first big snow last week. It was nice and wet and perfect for a snowman. Carter built one all by himself. Emma, Lizzie, and I went out to admire his work and make a snow angel or two. The impressive thing is that Frosty is still standing a week later waving to our neighbors. His carrot nose has been eaten by rabbits, but the radish eyes are still watching the snowflakes fall and cars drive by. :) Emma insisted we make a snow kitten. We did, but it's hard to tell in the picture...and in real life. My creativity only goes so far, I guess. Nevertheless, it's looking like a winter wonderland around Chicago. Gorgeous! I love all of the lights reflecting off of the snow. Despite the cold, it warms my soul!

FAMILY

A few days after Thanksgiving, my sister and her family dropped in to join the party for a few short moments. My parents had already left, but I promised I would take a picture since all ten of their grandchildren were together under one roof. We are missing the youngest, Max, who was napping, but have the others. Mom & Dad, this is for you.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It's all about getting together with family and friends, sharing some good food, and focusing on our many blessings. This year, we had the privilege of hosting my parents and my brother's family. We had a full house, but it was one full of laughter and energy. It's always fun when grandparents, cool uncles, beautiful aunts, and fun cousins come. Despite the brisk, freezing air, the kids played outside a bit. We also found some fun indoors when we went to see the movie Bolt and played at Airtastic, an indoor bounce/slide/playground facility. What a blast! We are so lucky to have family willing to travel to see us. We love them and can't wait to see them again!

My parents, Kurt & Marie Alleman,... two of my greatest examples and blessings.

My brother Wade, and his wife, Stephanie...an instant party.

Emma and Kaelene got matching shirts and tiaras for the special day. Aren't the darling?! Thanks Stephanie!
Here's the group of kids ready for a movie! It was cute, but they definitely enjoyed it more than the adults.

Lizzie and my dad. This week she solidified saying the word, "Papa" and now looks for the phone or the laptop (for skype) when I mention his name. So cute!!!My dad was such a great sport going outside in the cold and playing with the kids while Steve, my mom, and I worked in the kitchen. By the way, my boys want another chance to compete at PIG and HORSE. :)

WICKED

Months ago, Steve and I decided to take the boys to see Wicked before it leaves Chicago. It is one of their (as well as one of ours--who are we kidding) Christmas presents. We kept it a secret until we were passing by the Oriental Theater. Amazingly enough, they guessed the surprise in response to the question, "What is something you've been wanting to do in downtown Chicago for a very long time?" Yea! We had a marvelous day! The boys chose Potbelly's for lunch. We saw the windows at Macy's while being entertained by a terrific paint-bucket drum line. And then the finale...the play, "WICKED." I loved sneaking in glances at their faces during the impressive musical scenes and watching them figure out the connections to different parts of the Wizard of Oz storyline. This was my 4th time seeing this play, and I could see it four more times without tiring of it. I am so thankful for this marvelous day and I hope the boys remember it for a very long time--they'd better.

Pinewood Derby

Our Pinewood Derby was held in November this year (normally it's in January). Last year, Evan took 2nd overall. Well, his turn was definitely over as his car really struggled. Braxton, on the other hand, had quite a bit of success. He even won a heat or two. Both cars looked phenomenal. Steve has figured one thing out...paint jobs get awards, too. I think Braxton has received the award for the shiniest car for 3 years in a row. He deserves it!

Naperville's Riverwalk

November 4th came with a day off of school for the boys. I got to attend parent-teacher conferences in the morning. We then ventured over to pick up Emma from preschool where she showed off her brothers to her teacher. After lunch, I had to get us out to enjoy this gorgeous weather, so we headed down to the riverwalk for some fun at the park, feeding the ducks, a stop at the local bookstore, and an ice cream stop. Despite the complaints of thirst and tired feet, we had a lovely day.

I have to explain this picture below. For those of you who don't know Evan, he's a funny kid. I have to tell him to stop reading encyclopedias multiple times a day. We've also banned the phrase, "Did you know...." He can't get enough information about anything and everything, especially animals. Well, while we were strolling down the path, he was explaining to me that if a goose ever tries to attack you, you just raise your arms up in order to increase your size and they'll be intimidated by you. He was not being attacked at this point by anything, but I think it was all preliminary--just making sure nothing tried to question his superiority. :)

Evan, you crack me up!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! What a great day! Each child got to parade around their schools and have fun with everyone dressed up. It's so fun to see all of the different costumes. I love the creative, surprising ones. Braxton was invited to trick-or-treat with a good friend of his, so that made his day. The other boys stuck together while Emma and her friend Megan trailed along. Lizzie was basically carried between houses, since her little legs don't run as fast as the big kids'. We LOVED trick-or-treating this year because it was so warm! We have never been able to go out without coats, hats, and gloves. What a treat for us!

The girls were so cute encouraging Lizzie to continue walking. She kept wanting to stop and eat the candy out of her pumpkin. Who doesn't?

Emma's preschool class after the parade.
The carved pumpkins. This was a feat. We did these for FHE the Monday prior to Halloween. Steve helped gut the pumpkins while the kids chose or drew what they wanted and I carved. From left to right, they are Evan's, Emma's, Carter's, and Braxton's. I saw a special on DIY saying that if you carve your pumpkins early, you can keep them looking good and mildew-free by keeping them hydrated, so I bathed these pumpkins in water 3 times last week trying to keep the battle ax from drooping and the skeleton's face from crumbling. It worked!

Emma's Halloween Party

Last year, one of Emma's good friends had a very fun Halloween party. She talked about it for days! This year, she wanted to have it at her house so I crazily acquiesced. We had a wonderful time! For lunch, we had hot dogs (that dressed up as octopus), tater tots, popcorn, string cheese, and apples. We played tons of games, decorated cookies, danced, and laughed. It's so much fun to dress up and pretend you're a princess. Lizzie even tried to get in on the fun!

The Monster Mash

Relay games

Eyeballs on spoons

Picture perfect!

Isn't it amazing that every girl came dressed as a different princess? What is funny is that at Emma's birthday party, every girl (same group) came dressed in a sleeping beauty dress. It made for marvelous pictures! Aren't they darling? Emma is so lucky to have such fun friends who love to have fun!