Christmas Day & trying baby food for the first time

Christmas morning picture!  I forgot to mention the night before the kids opened one present from a sibling (we stopped doing Christmas jammies the night before because some people like to sleep in old shirts or their underwear.) Matthew is holding the present he received.  Also, all the kids (besides the baby) sleep downstairs.  Rob tucked them in, so I'm not sure if they slept in Michael's room, or the main room.

Zachary immediately put on his BYU hat from Santa, and was thrilled to find, not the two candy canes he asked for, but 4 candy canes!  And some tools, cuz he loves helping dad.

Makayla was thrilled that Santa brought her exactly what she asked for (maybe she makes the most reasonable requests?)  A beanie boo and a sticker-by-number book.  She wanted a picture with last year's beanie boo and this years.  She decided she's going to ask for one every year for Christmas.

Emma was a happy baby on Christmas.  She loved all the excitement.

What are sippy cups?

The twins got new scooters (the wheels light up! you know, incase you are riding in the dark?)

Christopher and Michael were thrilled Santa brought them laser tag!  What's funny is Michael happened to have alot of money right before Christmas and bought Christopher a really nice present (maybe he was hoping he'd share?)  And Christopher was trying to think of a nice present Michael would like (instead of the usual dollar store item).  Christopher told me "what about laser tag?"  We said "oh, it's too expensive" and showed him some examples online.  He chose something else and they laughed that morning.

Our brown bear, brown bear book needed to be replaced, so Santa brought Emma a new one.  Doesn't she look like a present with that bow on her head!

She also got baby spoons (we were down to 3 rough baby sized ones) and baby food and sippy cups

Emma's first taste of rice cereal was hilarious!

I don't know about this...

Are you sure we are supposed to eat this?

She didn't mind it mixed with fruit, or, per her pediatrician's recommendation at her 4 month check up, to stir in some peanut butter!  When the other kids were babies it was recommended to not give peanut butter until they were a year old because they could develop an allergy.  Now they suggest to give them peanut butter while they are young so that they don't develop an allergy to it. Also, when Christopher was a baby, you could have their carseats facing forward once they were a year old.  Then, when Makayla was a baby they changed the age to 2 years (we turned her around when the twins were born, when she was 21 months old, since we moved her to the back seat.)  Now they recommend they stay rearfacing until they are 4 years old!  We aren't switching Zachary back, but Emma will probably be closer to 3 when we change her.  (our carseat goes to 35 lbs rearfacing)

Christmas Eve

Our shepherds don't look very happy, but they were talking all week about using staffs. Particularly, arguing over who got Rob's hiking scout one, and who would use a wrapping paper roll.

Makayla was excited to be Mary, and for Emma to be baby Jesus.

With the head covering, now.

Christmas Eve fancy hot chocolate tradition!  We actually did Christmas Eve a little differently this year.  First of all, the weather was beautiful.  Secondly, we weren't planning on seeing any family.  In the morning, we went to the dollar store and bought a bunch of the chocolate covered cookies that we tim tam slam with warm milk.  Then we taped prewritten instructions of how to eat them, and delivered some to random strangers in the mobile home park that used to be part of our old ward.  Then we brought some to our old neighbors and friends in Provo.  We stopped and chatted with some of our old neighbors, which was really fun.  Some of them gave us Christmas goodies too!  We saw the Harris' train town and just enjoyed the morning.  Then we went home and had lunch.  Then kids delivered some cookies to our new (ha, we've lived here 2 years!) neighborhood and watched the Polar Express, while I made the Cardamon Christmas bread pictured below (My first time making it!  My grandma always made it for us when I was little.)  It has different steps than normal yeast bread, and a different texture than you'd expect. Mmmmm.  I made an orange glaze, which isn't traditional, but it's ok to give traditions your own flair, right?!  Somewhere in there Rob and I wrapped presents. Then we had crepes for dinner (a big hit!), acted out the nativity, had our hot chocolate, then watched It's a wonderful life.  (We always forget how long a movie it is!)  Then we put the kids to bed and put the final touches on Christmas.

Ward Christmas Party and Seeing Santa

Emma looked very festive at our ward party.

As did Zachary....Oh wait, he just got into the props at the photo booth.

As did Makayla

Makayla singing with the primary kids.

Matthew and Joseph, Zachary snuck in, and Michael is hiding in the back.

Christopher is one of the wisemen.

Close up.

Makayla talking to Santa

Matthew is 4

Michael took Zachary up this year.

He wanted Santa to bring him a candy cane! 

Michael still got a picture with Santa (Even Christopher sat on Santa's lap, but after we had left. He missed us driving him home and had to walk.)

Joseph was excited to see Santa too.  We didn't get a picture with Emma with Santa because the kids started running around, so we took them home. 

Pre-Christmas

I LOVE having so many stockings hanging up!  With the new carpet and getting our decorations up late, we didn't get everything up for over the fireplace.

At Rob's work party that we hosted at our house, there were some good gifts!

Makayla and Rob made Makayla's train for the Polar Express parade.  (I like helping the kids with their day-to-day homework and reading and I like Rob helping them with projects like this.)

This has a funny story.  The twins' church teacher texted me saying that when they asked the kids what they want Santa to bring them for Christmas, Joseph said 'A new family!"  She laughed and asked why.  He said because he wants a family that will buy him a cougar tail at the BYU games (this is a long maple bar doughnut).  They left this on our doorstep one night.

Cute Emma in her Christmas dress.

Zachary all ready and handsome for church.

Makayla, Rob, Zachary, Emma by the Christmas tree.  Note: we didn't put our presents to the kids out until Christmas Eve, even though I think presents are part of the decoration.  The reason is, I knew Zachary and maybe the twins would rip the wrapping paper.  This happened to these presents that Rob's parents brought over. And candy that the kids gave to each other.

Makayla by the tree.

We tried to recreate a picture of Michael holding Makayla (with that snowman on the tree).  Here is Joseph.

Zachary and Emma wearing the same clothes as the Michael and Makayla picture.

So many pictures trying to get just the right look.

I don't know that we could get one that looks exactly the same, but we got some funny faces.

Matthew wanted a turn.

December

It was time for new carpet.  yes, I know this picture is not about carpet.  This was our reward for getting the house ready.  Rob pulled up all the old carpet, the kids helped pulled staples, and I swept up the mess.  So we took the kids to Cafe Rio for their first time.  Rob and I got pork salads.  The older boys split steak nachos, and the little kids got free kids quesadillas. 

The little kids were still hungry, so they ate bite off Rob and my salad.  I pointed out that I would be making the same thing at home next week for Rob's work party.  Spoiler alert- they didn't eat food I made at the party. (except maybe Joseph, he doesn't mind mixing foods and is our least picky kid)

Rob finished the guest room and Christopher's room the year before, so we left that carpet in there and filled the rooms up with stuff.  See our toy cupboards stacked on top of each other?

When Rob carpeted the new rooms downstairs, he bought carpet for our room too.  So we piled clothes from the closets on my bed and watched movies on my tv all day.  (well, besides the hour we were at the dr and the hour we were at the elementary school for Makayla's little 4H play.)  It was weird having strangers in our house, but they were nice.

Here is our wonderful soft, plush, new carpet.  Rob found a great deal and chose it and said it felt like a blanket.  How can carpet feel like a blanket?!  Well I was pleasantly surprised. 

Rob had taken the bunkbeds apart and the dressers were in the garage, but we piled the mattresses in our room (the kids had been sleeping on mattresses on the floor for a week because Rob was on a work trip and had to prep stuff before he left.

At a basketball game.

I love dresses like this on babies!

Cutie wearing the shoes I wore when I was a baby.

Every picture looks cute when it's your baby.

Every time I put Emma in these jammies it reminded me of Makayla's blanket, so I had to take a picture.

Sorry for the graphic picture.  I don't know how Zachary cut his gum, but I was worried about it, so I sent a picture to Rob's brother who is a dentist.  He said its fine.

Sure enough, here's the next day.  What I'm mad about is that my gums don't heal like that.  I had to have a gum graft on my bottom middle teeth's gums this month.  Too bad they couldn't heal like this!

Emma's first time in a swing.

She thought it was fun!